Sunday – Arrive in Biescas

Arrive in Biescas from Zaragoza late afternoon – we pick up from the train station and airport. Briefing to talk through the week and answer any questions you have.

Monday – Ibon de Piedrafita

Heading up to Ibon de Piedrafita

Starting at the high village of Piedrafita, we get superb views right from the start. We climb through woodland, alongside mountain streams, until we come out into alpine meadows filled with flowers. The kilometre-high cliffs of the Sierra de Partacua tower above us. Here we find the little lake of Ibon de Piedrafita, nestled under the cliffs. Fantastic spot for raptors with Griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures, short-toed eagles, and kestrels regularly sighted. We hike through the meadows, under the cliffs before descending through the woods, completing a lovely circuit and first days hike.

Lakes Ayous

Tuesday – Lacs Ayous

Today we explore the French side of the range, hiking along part of the Pyrenees long-distance train, the GR10, to the lovely lakes of Ayous. The views across the lakes to the iconic Pic du Midi d’Ossau are breathtaking. A fantastic variety through the day of forest, alpine meadows, lakes, and waterfalls, makes this a wonderful days hiking. and our guide David’s favourite route that we do. At the highest of the three lakes, there is a mountain refuge, where you can have a coffee before we head back down.

Wednesday – Valle de Ordesa

The sheer cliffs of the Valle de Ordesa are an undisputable highlight of the Pyrenees. As you follow the  Río Arazas you’ll pass waterfalls and rock pools before the woodland gives way to spectacular views of the surrounding cliffs and the 3000m peak of Monte Perdido towering above you.

Thursday – Rest day

Today is your rest day and a chance to learn about the rich history of the area. We visit Jaca, the original capital of Aragon where we’ll take a guided walking tour of the medieval old town, followed by some free time to look around and then a tapas lunch. On the way to Jaca, we visit a lovely 10th-century Romanesque church – the area is famous for these churches and this is one of the oldest and best preserved. Free evening in the village.

If you prefer, you can stay in the village of Sallent for the day, either relaxing with a coffee and tapas, visiting the spa, or going for a short walk.

Friday – Villages of the Serrablo

A walk linking the medieval villages of the Serrablo. These pretty villages are famous for their 11th century romanesque churches. We walk through gentle woodland with views up the Valle de Tena and have a picnic lunch at the abandoned village of Susín.

Saturday – Punta del Pacino

A beautiful ascent through woodland and meadows to the peak of Punta del Pacino. You do almost a complete circuit of the mountain before ascending to the summit. Its position at the centre of the valley gives fabulous panoramic views of the Valle De Tena and you can see nearly all of the areas you’ve hiked in during your stay. A fitting end to a wonderful week hiking in the Pyrenees!

Sunday

Free morning in Biescas before your transfer to either Zaragoza train station or airport.

Lakes & Valleys

2024 Dates

Sunday 21 – 28 July
Sunday 1 – 8 September

Price

1599 € per person (based on two sharing a double or twin room).
149 € single supplement.

Included

7 nights accommodation at 2* Hotel Almud
Breakfast each morning
Picnic lunches each walking day
3 course evening meals each night included apart from the rest day when we visit Jaca for tapas
Meals taken at excellent village restaurants, all just a short walk from the hotel
Transfers to and from either Zaragoza airport or train station.
Transport to the walks each day.

Not included

Flights, insurance, drinks with evening meal and lunch on the rest day

Getting to the Pyrenees

From the UK

There are direct flights from London Stansted to Zaragoza. Flight times are as follows:
Depart Stansted 13:50, arrive Zaragoza 17:05
Depart Zaragoza 17:40, arrive Stansted 18:45

You can also fly to Barcelona or Madrid and can catch the AVE fast train to Zaragoza. We pick up at 12:00 midday from Zaragoza train station. Zaragoza has regular direct trains from both Barcelona and Madrid. Trains are roughly every hour and the journey takes 1 hour 30 minutes from either.

Trains that fit well with our arrival transfer are:
Depart Barcelona Sants 10:00 am, arrive Zaragoza Delicias 11:42
or depart Madrid Atocha 10:30 am, arrive Zaragzoa Delicias 11:44

On the return journey, we drop off at the train station at 11:45 am, for the following trains:
Depart Zaragoza Delicias 12:37, arrive Barcelona Sants 14:19
or depart Zaragoza Delicias 12:26, arrive Madrid Atocha 13:45

From outside Europe

Most of our guests from outside of Europe fly via Barcelona or Madrid, combing a stay in one of these two excellent cities with their walking holiday. From either city there are excellent rail links to Zaragoza.

See more travel options and details on our getting here page.

Hotel Almud

You will stay in the family-run Hotel Almud in Sallent de Gállego – an ideal base from which to reach the higher reaches of the Valle de Tena. A small hotel with just 11 rooms all beautifully converted with en-suite bathrooms.

Three course evening meals are taken at various restaurants in the village which gives you a chance to try lots of the local dishes.  On the rest day we will visit Jaca for a walking tour and eat at one of the excellent restaurants or tapas bars. Read more about Hotel Almud.

Hotel Almud - Sallent de Gallego

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Frequently asked questions

Here’s feedback from guests on our Lakes & Valleys guided walking holiday. Thanks to everyone that has sent feedback – if you’ve not mailed us any comments yet please do and we’ll add them.

Phil, Juanma and David are excellent guides. Their combined knowledge of local flora and fauna, geography, history, geology and myths and legends id highly impressive.
Lydia, Lakes &Valleys, September 2019

This week was quite a mix because the other were stronger hikers. Also your brochure says “gentle walking” – none of the hikes were gentle! Guides were terrific. Hiking on rocky trails very tricky – and more eroded than I expected.
Helen, Lakes & Valleys, July 2019

Great holiday, great group. Well organized, friendly and knowledgeable. Very good at organizing walks to suit people at all levels. Well done!
Peter & Joy, Lakes & Valleys, July 2019

Our Lakes & Valleys holiday exceeded our expectations. We thoroughly enjoyed walking in the spectacular scenery of the Pyrenees. A visit to learn about the history of the Linea P and Jaca was added bonus. Many thanks for a wonderful holiday!
Val and David, Lakes and Valleys, June 2019

We went on an early season guided hike tour with dairly hikes from Biescas. Our expectations were definitely exceeded. We had lots of rain during the week, but Hike Pyrenees adjusted each day’s activity to find the best weather and to meet our interests and abilities. Our guide for the week – Olatz – was outstanding. This is a first-class operation in a beautiful part of Spain. Highly recommended.
Peter & Lisa, Lakes & Valleys, May 2018.

The most amazing experience! A breathtaking setting, knowledgeable staff and personal attention combine to make this an unbeatable hiking holiday.
Richard, Lakes & Valleys, September 2017.

We had a great week hiking in the Pyrenees with very knowledgeable guides.
Chris, Lakes & Valleys, September 2017.

We thoroughly enjoyed our “Lakes and Valleys” week with Hike Pyrenees. This was our first real hiking holiday and we were very impressed with the helpful and patient way the guides – Hannah, Ken and David treated us. Special thanks to Hannah on our first day for preparing us for the week and organising our rucksacks! The guides were very flexible and chose the right hikes for us after initially assessing our capabilities. Our evening with Phil in Jaca was another highlight of the week – tour and historical talk followed by vino and tapas in a festive atmosphere. Our holiday was organised in a very professional manner from the initial booking to the final drive back to Zaragoza airport. We hope to visit the spectacular Pyrenees again with Hike Pyrenees.
Christine & Colin, Lakes & Valleys, July 2017.

Helen and I had an excellent time in the Tena and Ordesa valleys on the guided Lakes and Valleys flowers week. Our guides, Hannah, Orlatz and Ken, made the trip most enjoyable with their knowledge and enthusiasm for the local flora. Thank you to all of you, including Rosa, Teresa and Anna back in the office in Biescas, for making everything work so smoothly. The weather was a little cooler and occasionally rainier than is perhaps usual for this time of year – but it made for excellent hiking – and the orchids were beautiful.
Helen & Steve, Lakes & Valleys, May 2017.

Our Wild Flower Walking holiday was extremely enjoyable.The specialist guide was extremely knowledgable and the Hike Pyrenees guides were also very knowledgable about the wild flowers, other wild life and geology.
David & Ann, Lakes & Valleys, May 2017.

A wonderful holiday! Stunning scenery and wildlife. Hike Pyrenees´ planning and attention to detail outstanding. Guides knowledge of the area invaluable. Thank you! Would love to come back again.
Sue, Lakes & Valleys, May 2017.

I have had such an amazing time. The scenery is stunning, the guides Phil and Hannah were knowledgeable and great leaders, making the whole trip fun. The organisation is first class. Thank you!
Penny, Lakes & Valleys, May 2017.