Aigüestortes and Sant Maurici Lake National Park

At the heart of the Pyrenees, amid of a natural environment of great beauty and uniqueness, we find the only national park in Catalonia. A large part of the territory of the Aigüestortes and Lake of Sant Maurici National Park rises above 1,000 meters of altitude, with peaks over 3,000 meters. Its main landmarks are the characteristic high mountain meanders (the aigüestortes), its lakes and the impressive peaks of Encantats or Montardo.

Water is the main protagonist of the National Park, with its more than 200 lakes or estanys, rivers, streams, waterfalls and wetlands. It is one of the areas with greatest concentration of Pyrenean lakes. Some lakes are located in the bottoms of the valleys (Sant Maurici, Llong, Sarradé) but the majority of them occupy the high glacial cirques (Monges, Contraix, Negre, Mangades, Germer).

The park offers a wide sample of high mountain Pyrenean landscapes, with a great diversity of vegetal species. The Mata de Valencia d'Àneu is the most important fir wood of the Iberian Peninsula, with specimens exceeding 40 m in height. The king of the Park's fauna of is the chamois or rebeco. It is possible to see marmots, stoats, red squirrels or rock ptarmigans. The most spectacular birds are the eagle, owl, hawk, capercaillie.
The usual access to the heart of the park is through the villages of Espot and Boí. The only ways to access the protected area is on foot, by bicycle or in authorized vehicles. The park has an extensive network of paths and marked trails. El acceso habitual al corazón del parque es a través de Espot y Boí. Sólo se puede acceder a la zona protegida a pie, en bicicleta o en vehículos autorizados 4x4. El Parque dispone de una extensa red de caminos y senderos señalizados. Es posible visitar el Parque durante todo el año. It is possible to visit the park all year round.