Ibón de Estanés from Sansanet. Excursion to one of the most emblematic lakes in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
We can say that this excursion is a staple of the Aragonese Pyrenees (we start from the French side). We are going to tell you about two routes, the one we consider easier and suitable for the whole family and the other that requires a little more time and effort. Both routes start at the Sansanet car park and reach the Estanés lake, so here we go.
As we said, we start from the Sansanet car park (France). This car park is in French territory, just 5 km. from the border, we arrive at the Somport pass -once past Candanchú-, cross the border and start the descent through the pass, you reach the forest and after a very sharp bend, you will see a wooden sign indicating the Sansanet car park.
The path begins and is clearly signposted, our address is "Lac d'EstaensWe crossed the river and the Sansanet beech forest. We leave the forest behind us, and our path continues through the mountain meadows. You will see a turn-off on your right signposted "Vente de fromage à la cabane", the Escouret hut, which is a shepherds' hut where they sell cheese. If you continue along the road in about an hour and a half you will reach the Estanés lake. Enjoy the scenery and the animals you will meet along the way: horses, cows, sheep...
In the Estanés lake the first route ends, the return journey is made along the same path by which we arrived.
Ibón de Estanés from Sansanet through the Sansanet beech forest and Estanés pass. Descent through the Espelunguère Valley.
For those who want to continue, there is another alternative. Before reaching the We turn off near Cuchet de Garay (dead woman) to go up the crest. Once we have reached the lake, we go round it on the north side until we get close to the dam, from where we take the Espelunguere roadWe will return along this route. The Espelunguere path is well signposted, it is a slightly more aerial downhill route but without technical difficulties. We are already back, in our case we have returned by the Espelunguere path.
