Guided hiking
7 nights
Grade 3: Strenous
Single centre
Peaks & Passes
7 night guided walking holiday
- 7 night guided walking holiday
- Grade 3: Strenuous walking
- 2* Hotel Almud – beautiful old stone building
A superb week of challenging hiking on some of the best trails in the Pyrenees. We’ll venture into the rugged, higher mountains of the Pyrenees, finding a rocky wilderness dotted with mountain lakes and spectacular views.
We’ll tackle some of the most spectacular summits in the valley and will be rewarded with views that make all of the effort worthwhile.
The holiday is based in the beautiful village of Sallent de Gallego, whose narrow streets and stone houses are nestled under the high peaks of the Valle de Tena. Evening meals are taken at a different village restaurant each night – all are excellent and the meals are certainly a highlight of the trip!
Guided walking – grade 3
This is a week of reasonably strenuous hiking with some fairly long days and a good level of fitness is required. The Pyrenees are renowned for steep climbs and you should be capable of ascents of over one thousand metres.
However we remember you are on holiday and one or two days will feature slightly less strenuous hikes. Paths are generally good but there will be some exposed sections and some easy scrambling and sure-footedness is required. You should expect days of between seven to ten hours walking.
Walks will explore the Valle de Tena, with one day hiking on the French side of the range in the Parc National Pyrenees and another spent in the Ordesa National Park.
This is a sample itinerary – there are many excellent routes in the area and the exact routes will depend on the weather and what the group would like to achieve.
Sunday – Sallent de Gállego
Arrive in Sallent de Gállego from Zaragoza – we pick up at the train station (regular trains from Barcelona and Madrid) and the airport (flights from London Stansted). Short briefing to talk about through the week and answer any questions you have.
Monday – Punta del Pacino (1965 m)
Overlooking the village of Sallent is the peak of Punta del Pacino and this is our objective for our first hike. A lovely path makes almost a complete circuit of the summit with the views changing the whole way round. From the we get wonderful panoramic views over the whole valley and it’s a great spot to show where we’ll be hiking for the rest of the week.
Tuesday – Faja de Pelay – Ordesa National Park
The Ordesa National Park is famous for its kilometre-deep canyons, the most famous of which is the Ordesa Valley. The spectacular Faja de Pelay balcony path shows you the best views of Ordesa. A steep ascent from the valley floor takes us to a wonderful balcony amongst the cliffs that we follow around to the end of the valley. Fantastic views of the Breche de Roland and Monte Perdido.
Wednesday – Pic d’Ayous (2288 metres)
Today we head to the French side of the range to hike in the Lacs Ayous region in the French Pyrenees National Park. Starting in lovely beech woods following the famous GR10 trans-Pyrenean path. The route gradually climbs until we leave the woods, entering the alpine meadows above. Here we find the Lacs Ayous – a lovely set of lakes with fantastic views towards the famous peak of Pic du Midi d’Ossau. From the lakes, we keep heading up, passing the refuge of Ayous and continuing up to the peak of Ayous above. From here we get fantastic views down on the the lakes of Ayous, across to Pic du Midi d’Ossau and dozens of other peaks.
Thursday – Rest day
Today we rest our legs and spend some time learning about the fascinating history of the area. After a relaxed start, we’ll first visit the 10th-century Romanesque church of San Juan de la Busa. Then we’ll head to Jaca, which was the first capital of Aragon when it was formed in 1035. We’ll have a guided walking tour of the old town, visiting the 11th-century cathedral and the 16th-century pentagonal citadel – the first castle constructed in Spain to defend against cannon fire. Our visit to Jaca will finish with a tapas lunch before returning to Sallent where you can have a swim in the village pool or explore the lovely village.
Friday – Ibones de Arriel
We start the day following the GR11 alongside the Rio Aguas Limpias – the river of clean water. We pass by waterfalls and flower-filled meadows, before heading sharply uphill to the Ibones de Arriel – some of the most stunning lakes in the Pyrenees. Here, the scenery changes completely and the lakes sit in a high mountain cirque with rugged alpine terrain. Our route contours around to the larger lake of Embalse de Respomuso, before we head back down the GR11. A long but wonderful day hiking.
Saturday – Pico de la Muga (2676 m)
This high peak makes a fitting end to a great week of hiking. The route today takes us to the high, wild land above the spa resort and road head of Baños de Panticosa. We head up past a series of pretty mountain lakes and the Bachimaña refugio to a pass on the French border. From here, we follow the ridge that defines the border, to the summit of Pico de la Muga for fantastic views into France and back to Spain.
Sunday – Sallent de Gállego
Either take the morning transfer to Zaragoza train station or a free morning in the village before leavingat lunchtime for the Zaragoza to London Stansted flight.
If you have any questions about our walking holidays please give us a call on +44 (0)208 123 5049 or drop us an email.
Peaks & Passes
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:
7 x Hotel Almud
Breakfast buffet each morning
Picnic lunches each walking day
3 course evening meals each night apart from the rest day when we visit Jaca for tapas
Meals taken at various excellent village restaurants
5 days fully guided walking with small groups of 8 maximum.
Transfers to and from either Zaragoza airport or train station.
Transport to the walks each day.
Not included
Flights, insurance, drinks with evening meals 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.
Frequently asked questions
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Here’s feedback from guests on our Valle de Tena Explorer 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.
Hike Pyrenees have all the right ingredients for a great walking holiday. Their leaders know their flora and fauna, geology and history as well as the routes up and around the many mountains in this area. This is a friendly and happy outfit that is committed to promoting this beautiful region. Keep up the good work guys and hope to see you again soon.
Mike, Peak & Passes, September 2019
This holiday was an excellent reintroduction to the Pyrenees for us. All the staff were very helpful. The guides were extremely knowledgeable, professional and accommodating.
John & Jane, Peaks & Passes, September 2019
Another good experience with Phil and his team at Hike Pyrenees. See you next year to explore Ordesa.
David, Peaks & Passes, July 2019
This was our second holiday with Hike Pyrenees and it did not disappoint. Highly recommended for those who enjoy hiking and want to do some peaks in the Pyrenees.
Jenny, Peaks & Passes, July 2019
Owner Phil, staff and guides all so very helpful, friendly and caring. My holiday was an excellent package with a variety of thoughtful extras. All I hoped for will go again as soon as possible.
Pippa, Peaks & Passes, September 2018.
What a spectacular week! Incredible views, knowledgeable and caring guides, and thoughtfully planned itinerary to whet our appetite for more time in the Pyrenees.
Melora, Peaks & Passes, September 2018.
Our guide David was wonderful and the hikes were amazing with really nice variety. I hope to do another Hike Pyrenees tour! Great value and great adventure.
Holly, Peaks & Passes, September 2018.
Peaks & Passes
Guided walking holiday
2024 Dates:
21 – 28 July
1 – 8 September
1599 € per person
Another fantastic week with Hike Pyrenees. All the walks were in stunning scenery and flexible to take into account the weather conditions and how the group felt. Our guide David was superb- kind, considerate and knowledgeable. We hope to come back.
We had a wonderful trekking holiday. David was a great guide and led our group on a number of beautiful hikes with really stunning landscapes and views. It’s our second holiday with Hike Pyrenees. Highly recommended.
Read a trip report from a previous holiday:
A fantastic weeks hiking on our Peaks & Passes holiday
Last week, we had a brilliant time hiking on our Peaks & Passes guided walking holiday. It was a great set of hikes - over a thousand metres every day and we even managed the 3000-metre peak of Garmo Negro. The holiday was based in Sallent de Gallego, a lovely...