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Upper Benasque Valley (Posets Maladeta)

Plaza Mayor, Benasque, Aragón

Description

The Benasque Valley is located in the Aragonese Pyrenees, at the foot of the chain's highest points: Pico Aneto (3,404m) and the Posets (3,369m). It is formed by the basin of the river Esera and part of the natural park of Posets-Maladeta. The valley's upper part is centred around the municipalities of Villa de Benasque and Sahun that each comprises several small towns and villages.

Access & Transport

Benasque is 140km from Huesca, 145km from Lleida (Catalunya) and 100km from the French border (down the pass and up the valley) near Bagneres-de-Luchon.

Instructions & Recommendations

We suggest combing a visit there with a hike and/or a stop in Ainsa if coming from the west. It may be worth spending one or two nights onsite given the time involved in getting there and the quality of the surroundings.

Meta review

Very popular area with French and Spanish hikers, the Portillon trail and others such as Ibon de Escarpinosa get excellent reviews with the ibons (glacial lakes) the visual draw as well as the granitic peaks of the chain (several 3,000+m to be seen around). Other popular natural features based on online reviews include de Gorgas d'Alba (before Llanos del Hospital) and the Forau d'Aigualluts (waterfalls after LLanos d.H.).

Environmental & Social

Green activity. Tourism brings much needed economic activity in this rural, mountainous area

Conclusion

The Upper Benasque Valley has a lot to offer to outdoor and road-trip enthusiasts with a wide array of small mountain villages (Sahun, Cerler and Eriste for instance), hikes of varying length and technicality dotted with waterfalls and glacial lakes. A completely different landscape compared to the Zaragoza and Teruel provinces.

Key positive

Some fantastic mountain scenery

Not busy and over-commercialized (in the summer)

Key negative

Quite time consuming to get to

Suitability

Suitable for all ages. Visitors with reduced mobility will be able to enjoy the views from the valley floor but not the hiking opportunities

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

Updated in September 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
The seasonality reflects the expected weather conditions

av. transport time:1h 30m

est. visit time:6h

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningOk

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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