Spain Guide
Aragón
Parque Nacional de Ordesa
PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA Y MONTE PERDIDO (www.ordesa.net) was one of Spain's first protected national parks, and is perhaps its most dramatic, with beech and poplar forests, mountain streams, spring-to-summer waterfalls and a startling backdrop of limestone palisades. Impressive wildlife includes golden eagles, lammergeiers, griffon and Egyptian vultures and Pyrenean chamois – the last so great in number that at certain times hunters are allowed to cull the surplus. The park is an enduringly popular destination for walkers, and its foothill villages are predictably commercialized. In midsummer, you'll need to book accommodation well in advance, even at campsites.
The closest, and thus most popular, gateway is the old stone village oTorla, from where the GR15.2 leads into the park. Accommodation choices include the Hostal Alto Aragón/Hotel Ballarín, uphill from the main drag, opposite each other (t974 486 155; €36–70), and the well-kept AVilla de Torla on Plaza Nueva (974 486 156, www.hotelvilladetorla.com; closed Jan 6– March 15; €51-70), which has a pool; both have decent restaurants. For budget lodgings, try Casa Borruel on c/Fatás (t974 486 067; below €35), near the turismo, or the friendly, high-standard Albergue Lucien Briet (974 486 221; mostly 7-bunk rooms).The closest of three campsites along the road out to Ordesa is riverside Río Ara, 2km out (974 486 248; closed Nov– Easter).
An asphalt road from Torla leads 8km to the Cañon de Ordesa, heart of the parque nacional. At peak times (Easter, July & Aug, parts of Sept & Oct), private cars are banned, and shuttle buses (daily 6/7am–8.30/10pm; every 15min July & Aug; €3 one way, €4.50 return) run from the car park at the village outskirts. On-foot access from Torla means the well-marked GR15.2 path, which starts beside the Hotel Bella Vista. The Cañon de Ordesa is some two hours' walk out of Torla. With a car, the closest you can get is the small parking area just before the San Antón campsite, at the start of the PR134, which crosses the river on a new wooden bridge to link up with the GR15.2 well above Torla.