The southern slope of the Pyrenees
Canyoning in Sierra de Guara; the sacred wealth of Mudéjar art, listed by UNESCO as world heritage; the green Navarre sierras with vast desert landscapes in Aragon; the 3,000s; the Bardenas desert... There are so many things to discover in the multifaceted Spanish Pyrenees which can be explored via the Senda, the GR11 trail which crosses from east to west.
When the scintillation of the Tozal de Guara inflames the sunrise, the Spanish Pyrenees appear to be covered with African sand.
They are high indeed - the Aneto is the highest point of the range, and so close to 60 summits measuring around 3,000 metres. But the southern Pyrenees are colourful too! Constantly snow-covered white peaks, oceans of yellow broom in spring, 500 sapphire lakes in the incredible Encantats archipelago, the red of the false Navarre desert, Bardenas Reales, adorned with poppies, and everywhere the ochre of the earth.
The southern slope meanders into the hollows created by the tortuous Guara ravines or on the sides of Mont Perdu, measuring 3,355 metres. There is also the magical Ordesa with the Pyrenees’ oldest national park (1918) - the “Spanish valley” that Russell likened to the American canyons..
And Garrotxa with extinct volcanoes like gaping mouths; the Boí valley with its string of Roman churches, listed by UNESCO as world heritage; the limestone Navarre massifs; the Urbasa and Andia sierras; and Andorra - a Pyrenean exception.
The sometimes abandoned villages in Aragon; Benasque - a mountaineer’s Mecca; Alquézar in its precious setting; the Real Colegiata de Santa Maria monastery in Roncesvalles, where the Camino Frances or the French Way trail begins; the Lizardoia, one of Europe’s rare untouched reserves; Montserrat; Mudéjar art; the Nuria sanctuary; and the Senda - the GR11 trail where you can discover this extraordinary world.