Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

Description of Aigüestortes National Park

Aigüestortes, Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici Parc Nacional, is a mountain range with peeks rising to just under 3000 metres, large lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Aigüestortes is located in the central Pyrenees about three and a half hours from Barcelona and is my favourite mountain Park to visit in the Summer. I consider Aigüestortes to be one of the most beautiful places I have visited in Catalonia. Parc Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici is one of Spain's nine national parks and the only one in Catalonia.

In the winter and early spring Aigüestortes is covered in snow and has a ski resort near Espot called EspotEsqui. In the summer the mountain refugi's are open and it is a great place for hiking.

The park includes valleys, alpine pastures, and evergreen and deciduous forests stretching up to the rugged summits above. The combination of the hard granite rock, the green vegetation and the blue crystal clear glacial water produces a fantastic colour pallet of the breath-taking views across the Pyrenees. The Aigüestortes landscape was formed two hundred million years ago by erosion from small rocks in the glaciers during successive ice ages.

Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park takes its name from the largest lake, Sant Maurici, but there are more than 200 lakes in the park. Aigüestortes means winding waters in Catalan because this park has many winding mountain rivers that cross the park and feed the lakes. The park is home to an abundance of wildlife including birds of prey like the golden eagle, or the bearded vulture, which has one of the largest wingspans in the world. On the ground the park is home to rabbits, hares, Grouse, wild chickens, Chamois, goats, cows, horses and many more.

Aigüestortes is about a three and a half hour drive from Barcelona and a great place to consider for a rural summer holiday or long weekend getaway.

On this page you will find three spectacular hiking routes and water based adventure activities to follow in Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. Click on any of the photos below to read more about each route, and find more photos, accommodation advice, Wikiloc routes and everything you will need to plan the perfect holiday or weekend getaway.

Happy Exploring!