Carros de Foc: 6-day Trek in the Aigüestortes National Park, Spain

• 4 hours

• 10 kilometers

• ↑ 620m, ↓ 300m

• Easy

We will meet in Espot in the morning and travel together to St. Maurice Lake. With a view of the Els Encantats mountain, we will start walking leisurely through the forest toward the Amidges Hut. From here, we will follow a trail upward to Lake Ratera. A short decent will land us at our first destination: the Saboredo Hut, where we will spend the night.

Remember that lunch on the first day is not included. Please bring your own sack lunch to enjoy on the trail.

• 6:30 hours

• 13.5 kilometers

• ↑ 958m, ↓ 1249m

• Intermediate

This section of the trail is more difficult than the previous section. From the Saboredo Hut, we will traverse the Sendrosa Col in order to reach the Colomers Cirque. The descent from this col is steep and rocky in parts.

Before entering the Colomers Cirque, we will sidetrack a bit in order to see Long Lake and Lac Major de Colomers. We will admire the view of the lakes and nearby refugio before continuing onward.

From here, we will gradually ascend Port de Ribereta, Port de Caldes and Coll de Crestada (Crestada Col). This is a beautiful path that only gets better as we begin our descent toward Lake Restanca and the Restanca Hut below.

• 3 hours

• 6 kilometers

• ↑ 604m, ↓ 372m

• Easy

We will give our legs a bit of a rest today with a shorter, less difficult hike. From the Restanca Hut, we will ascend higher into the mountain and once again cross the Crestada Col. From here, a gradual descent will bring us to the inviting Ventosa y Calvell Hut.

• 9 hours

• 8.7 kilometers

• ↑ 834m, ↓ 1033m

• Difficult

Today will be our longest and most challenging day on this trek. Fortunately, it also happens to be the day with the best scenery!

After climbing our way through scattered boulders, a steep ascent will take us up to the Contraix Col (2748m). This is the highest point we will reach during our 6-day trek.

From the col, we will carefully descend toward the Sant Nicolau Valley, pausing frequently to take in the remarkable views. Following a short uphill climb from the valley, we will have arrived at the Estany Llong Hut tired, but thoroughly satisfied.

• 4:30 hours

• 11.6 kilometers

• ↑ 845m, ↓ 440m

• Easy

From the Estany Llong Hut, we will slowly rise above the valley as we walk through a pine forest. As we advance along the trail, we will see one glacial pond after the next, until reaching the Dellui Col.

Atop the col, we will have an impressive view of the trail ahead. Winding between glacial lakes interspersed with boulders, we will eventually reach Estany Tort. From this lake, we will follow old railroad tracks and climb up to the final hut on our itinerary: the Colomina Hut.

• 8 hours

• 15 kilometers

• ↑ 917m, ↓ 1043m

• Intermediate

On our final day, we will reluctantly set off on the last leg of our journey in the Aigüestortes National Park. We will pass the beautiful glacial lakes of Colomina and transit the Pas de L’os. Once we reach the Estany Negre de Peguera and the Josep M. Blanc Hut, we will start to trek uphill toward Monestero.

As we ascend Monestero, we will climb over boulders and reach the Estany Gran de Peguero. From this lake, a few short steps will land us at the top of hill. At this point, we will begin our descent through a forest to St. Maurice Lake, effectively completing our circuit.

Upon arrival, taxis will be waiting to take us back to Espot.

Please keep in mind that the transfers to and from St. Maurice Lake are NOT included.