Hiking in the Ordesa National Park and mount Perdido

Ordesa National Park is one of the most scenery parks in the Peryness that lies in north Spain. The marvelous and great mountain ranger is the natural border between Spain and France.

I have joined three friends to a 4 days hiking in the Ordesa National Park. It is important to note that the trail is not round and the pass that leads to the other side demands the walk over a glacier. During the end of the summer the glacier is small, and therefore there is no need for any special equipment.

Hiking started at Refuge Ronatiza Pineta (Altitude 1,300m). To get there you need to pass through the small town of Bielsa. It is recommended to get to Bielsa at daylight in order to find a taxi or to hitchhike to the beginning of the trail. We arrived during the evening and Erez used a lot of energy and money to find the person that is willing to leave Belisa and drive us to the starting point.

Day One

The first day demands an average of 1000m climbing to lake Marbo (Lago De Marbo). The hike is quite difficult but the breath taking scenery lets you forget all about muscle fatigue. There are beautiful minor waterfalls that initiate in varied directions, and fall from the powerful cliffs that surrounded us. The climbing through this marvelous trail exposed the Pineta vally (Valle de Pineta). At the end of the day it is possible to see the great glaciers that covers Pardido Mountain. At this point the landscape is entirely changes. The landscape become arid without any flora. From this point you will need another 45 minutes of walk to get to Lago De Marbo.

To my opinion the first day is the most beautiful day. The landscape diversity pulls it of. The trail begins with the green color view and ends with brown.

Day Two

The second day is all about crossing the pass from mount Predido (3,355m) and El Cilindro (3,325m). Climbing towards the pass begins half an hour of walk from the first night camp. Note that the trail to the pass is not clear and we had to make sure that we were taking the right trail. There are some steep parts that may cause some difficulty to the pleasant walk. However, the Spanish government considered this and built hooks that can be held to help in the climbing. At the pass you will see a glacier that have slowly melted (this is why it is preferred to track in the summer). From the pass there is half an hour walk downhill towards the next night camp, Lago Helado (can be translated as the Ice-cream lake). It is important to note that day two mostly involves climbing.

Day Three

The third day was the day that finally we climbed to Mount Predido (after climbing we continued through a long descending trail to Refuge de Goriz). It is important to begin climbing early in the morning for two main reasons. The first is to have clear view and vision, and the second is preventing climbing the mountain with all the hikers that arrive from Refuge de Goriz. Climbing the mountain is very popular event, and at about 9AM hundreds of people climb to the mountain. It is recommended to leave the backpacks at the night camp and to take only water and some food (you may take your passports in case of theft). When returning from Mount Predido do not forget to take your backpack and continue to the next night camp which is about 2.5 km from mount Predido. The night camp is usually full with tents and if you want to sleep in a cabin I think you should reserve beforehand.

Day Four

The fourth day is the day that Ordess valley will finally appear. It is most beautiful valley. At the entrance to the valley we had the choice to walk in the valley or to walk at the East Ridge called "Faja de Pelay". We decided to walk on the ridge, and it was marvelous the view was breath taking. At the end of the trail the very steep downhill leads to the valley. It is not recommended for those who suffer from knee problems. The map shows some camping sites near the trail, but for me they looked deserted and I encourage not counting on them.

From the ridge the trail that passes through the valley seemed to be a good option too. The valley is green with many small waterfalls and pools.

At the end of the trail you will need to take a bus towards the town, which takes approximately 15 minutes. No cars are allowed to enter the reserve area.

The hiking trail is a typical and very recommended walk. Maps of 1:40,000 are available in Barcelona or other surrounding towns.