If you have been following our posts you have probably already heard about Aigüestortes here. This is one of our natural favourite places. It is located in the central part of the Pyrenees, in the province of Lleida. The park is divided in two main parts: the oriental side with a more continental climate with the lake of Sant Maurici and the occidental side with an Atlantic climate. The parc has a big biological importance as is home to many species and it has mountains as big as 3000 metres high.
Bear in mind that Aigüestortes is very well known to hikers. Many professionals come here to do some extreme trekking and climbing but obviously this is not the case with us as we usually travel with kids so I’m going to show you where to go with children.
We have visited two of the main parts of the Aigüestortes park with our family: Boï Taull and Espot and we have really liked both.
Boï Taull: In winter, this place is a very popular ski resort. As a family, we are not too much into skiing so we visit from May to October. All we could see from our hotel window in Boï was the cow field so it’s a pretty relaxing place.
The weather can be very extreme here so no matter what time of the year you visit, take something warm and rain jackets, just in case. As in many parts of the park, there are 4x4 companies that take the tourist to the main areas of the park so you can walk from there. In Boï Taull, the main departing point was just outside our hotel so that was pretty easy. The 4x4 takes you to the valley and from there we took a nice walk through.
As you walk, you’ll find different lagoons and waterfalls and wild animals, specially birds like eagles. Don’t forget to visit the little town of Taull as it’s very pretty too and it has a lot of character.
Espot: The main attraction entering from this part of the park is visiting the “Sant Maurici” lake and the great views you have from it of “Els Encantats” mountain. On this occasion what we did was to drive to one of the habilitated car parks. From there, we took the walk up to the lake which was nice and easy for the kids. Once you reach the lake, take the path on the right that heads to the waterfall.
The waterfall is only about 30 minutes’ walk, is nice but the most spectacular thing about this walk is the view of “Els Encantats” mountain which main characteristic is its two mountain tops.
Another great thing to do if you are staying around Espot is to take one morning to visit the bunker route. These are old bunkers from the civil war that were placed strategically and that can be visited now. It’s quite fun for the kids!!!
The area is ideal for families who enjoy adventure and nature. As you can see we are more of a mountain family while Nieves and her family enjoy beach holidays more. Tell us about you and your family! Do you prefer mountain or beach?
No comments:
Post a Comment