Pyrenees Summer Adventure Week
Overview
Nested between France and Spain, Andorra is small but beautiful principality, blessed with some of the finest scenery in the Pyrenees. The area has beautiful white-peaked mountains, wild evergreen slopes, impressive rock faces, fast-flowing rivers and stunning lakes that provide the perfect adrenalin-fuelled adventure playground for thrill seekers. Whether it's mountain biking the historic Iron route, white water rafting down the French Aude River, zip-lining over white waters in the Porte Puymorens, canyoning in the Spanish Sierra de Guara, climbing the Via Ferrata or trekking through the stunning Siscaro reserve, you'll never be short of things to do in the Pyrennes.
Andorra is the only country where Catalan is the official language but French, Spanish and Portuguese are also commonly spoken. Spanning around 25 miles (40km) from one side to the other, it has a population of 85,000 and welcomes around 10 million visitors per year drawn by the winter sports, summer activities and duty-free goods.
Getting There
Andorra does not have an international airport. The closest airports in Spain are La Seu d'Urgell, Barcelona, Lleida, Reus and Girona. The nearest airports in France are Toulouse, Carcassonne and Perpignan. We flew to Toulouse, which is well served from London by a number of operating including easyJet, British Airways, Air France, Iberia, KLM and Lufthansa. Most companies offer a complimentary airport transfer to your accommodation with details of meeting points and timings provided as part of the booking information. The transfer from Toulouse to Soldeu was a little over 2 hours.
Accommodation and Transport
For our action-packed week we stayed at Hotel Roc de St Miquel in the quaint town of Soldeu in the north-east of the beautiful Pyrenees Mountains, based at an impressive elevation of 1,710 metres above sea level. Accommodation here was comfortable but basic - rooms were double or twin, simple and spacious. There was a small bar downstairs that adjoined a relaxation area and sun terrace with views over the valley. There are alternative 4-5* hotels hearby if you're looking for something more luxurious. While the best places are all easily within reach, 4x4 transport is a must, in our case old school landrovers with bikes and equipment carried on trailers.
Main Activities
Biking
Andorra boasts lots of mountain biking and road cycling routes, ranging from the historic Iron Route to the mountain pass on the Pyrenees Andorran-Spanish border and scenic trails of Port de Cabus. After being issued with a helmet and mountain bike, our guides briefed us on the mountain biking route and gave us the opportunity to have a play on a few practice obstacles outside of the hotel (off the road). We were then transferred by 4x4 to the picturesque Ordino Valley, beginning our mountain biking decent at El Serrat, at the start of Andorra's old iron route. The route was fairly easy-going along generally wide, vehicle-free dirt trails and passing old iron mines, forges and mills, finishing in the village of Ordino. Only basic mountain biking skills were required but my advice is definitely not to try to go too quickly and watch out for loose gravel as falls at speed on the rocky landscape would definitely hurt!
Following a drink and rest in the village, we hopped back into the 4x4s to be taken to the top of Col de Beixalis (1,800 metres above sea level). Having done the uphill climb in the vehicles, we enjoyed a thrilling 7km off-road descent into Encamp followed by a 15 minute leisurely cycle back to the hotel. Vehicle support was provided throughout the ride with anyone preferring not to bike able to follow the route in the 4x4 at any time.
Walking
We trekked through the beautiful Siscaro reserve which offered a vast array of flora and fauna along the way. Following a drive of around 20 minutes we arrived at Grau Roig at 2,000 metres altitude with stunning views of the glacier formed mountains and valleys. As a warm up we did a short climb to the ‘Circe de Pessons’ which is a circle of 7 small lakes left from the glacier. Much of the trek after this point was either flat or downhill, making for a perfect introduction to the Pyrenees. The trek was interspersed with stops to admire the cattle grazing in the mountains and for a paddle into various other lakes and small pools along the journey. We also kept a watchful eye for the griffon vultures which can often be seen circiling high overhead. On the return to Soldeu we cut across the ski runs of Grandvalira, giving us the opportunity to appreciate the steepness of what would be the World Cup black ski and snowboard run in the winter. From here the descent becomes more rapid with a bit of downhill scrambling required before the the path eventually brought us out at the centre of Soldeu for a well-deserved rest.
White water rafting
Across the border into Spain and over the high mountain pass through Port de Canto and its Mediterranean scenery, we arrived at the village of Sort, Catalan for "luck" where the rafting centre is located. After being kitted out with wetsuits, helmets, life jackets and a paddle, we were briefed on what the 9 miles (14km) of exhilarating white water rafting had in store for us! The Noguera River has long continuous stretches of white water that is not too rough which, combined with its high level of safety and number of "get out" points, makes it one of the top 5 rafting rivers in Europe. The rafting centre has changing rooms, showers and a garden with swimming pool where there is chance to play some more in the water or just relax in the sun with a refreshment from the bar, before setting back to Soldeu. The minimum age for rafting is 8 years with 8-12 year olds only able to raft on Grades I and II. There is a support vehicle which follows the rating. For those who dont want to, or who are too young to raft you can follow along in the vehicle or relax and unwind at the centre.
Via Ferrata
Italian for "iron road", the via ferrata is a protected climbing route with a steel cable running along it that is fixed to the rock about every 3-8 metres. For the activity climbers are equipped with a harness and carabinas to secure themselves to the cable, limiting any fall. There are additional climbing aids such as iron rungs, pegs, carved steps and ladders provided to make the route more accessible for unexperienced climbers. There are two carabinas connected to everyone's harness so they are secured to the rockface at all times, even when unclipping one carabina to "hop" over the point where the steel cable is fixed to the rock. Whilst a step up from ordinary mountain walking, with some basic equipment, a head for heights and desire to learn some basic techniques, the route offers a good challenge and some stunning views over the surrounding mountains.
Canyoning
The Pyrenees are a brilliant place to discover the challenging sport of canyoning with its steep valleys and rushing mountain streams providing the ideal conditions. Canyoning basically involves following a river downstream in any way possible, whether that be scrambling, sliding, swimming, abseiling or jumping. There are usually lots of water chutes and pools to jump into and waterfalls to admire. Canyons on the French side of Andorra are characterised by rushing waters and lush vegitation, giving them a humid, tropical rainforest feel. Canyons on the Spanish Pyrenees side usually have less water, making the experience exploring them a bit drier but abseiling routes are longer and more difficult. Canyoning in Andorra is most exciting in late spring/early summer as this is when the melting of snow on the high mounain peaks makes the rivers roar. However, it also means the water is pretty cold, so most people find autumn is best, when the streams are at their warmest.
Zip wires
For the zip wiring day we headed 30 minutes across the border to the beautiful Porte de Puymorens Valley in France. The centre was well organised, professional and safe with a short briefing followed by a few easier, lower blue runs. We then 'graduated' to the red runs, which are higher and faster as well as black runs and a bungie jump swing for the true adrenaline junkies. The high and long wire over the lake and bungee swing in particular got the adrenaline pumping! After the zip-wiring is complete, the lake offers the perfect spot to kick back and relax with a picnic lunch. There are also a number of great off-road, tree-lined, downhill mountain bike tracks nearby to round off the day before heading back to Soldeu.
See the City
Andorra's capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, at over 1,000 metres above sea level. We spent our morning in the capital at the leisure centre, pools and spa, but there are lots of other options, such as exploring the historical centre, discovering the former parliament ("Casa de la Vall") and avant-garde modern parliament. The Santa Coloma and Margineda medieval bridge are also must-sees if you like Romanesque art. Shopaholics should look no further than the Meritxell shopping centre, whilst nature lovers can enjoy an urban hike at the Rec del Solà or the Rec del Obac, or be seduced by the Enclar Valley’s remarkable fauna and flora.
Recommend Kit List
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof Over-trousers
- Day pack 35-40 litres
- Waterproof liner for backpack
- Walking boots
- Micro fleece
- Casual shirts
- Casual trousers
- Hoodie or fleece outer layer
- T-shirts
- Activity socks
- Underweat / sports bra
- Swimming costume
- Activity/walking trousers
- Shorts
- Wet shoes
- Trainers
- Sun hat / warm hat
- PJs/nightwear
- Hand or head torch
- Water bottle or bladder
- Wash kit and quick dry towel
- Personal first aid kit
- Personal medication
- Money
- Sun cream
- Sunglasses with secure attachment
- Notepad and pen
- Insect repellent
- Camera, iPod and perosnal luxuries
- Passport, EHIC, money, insurance and travel documents
[…] draws summer visitors to Andorra’s gorges for an exciting descent. According to this blog post, the rivers are roaring loudest in spring, but the water is at its warmest in […]