Faja Racón in the Ordesa Valley, at the foot of the vertical walls bordering the Carriata and Cotatuero cirques.

ByTravesía Pirenaica
Circo de Carriata, Tozal del Mallo / Photo: Falk2 [CC BY-SA 4.0] Wikimedia Commons
Circo de Carriata, Tozal del Mallo / Photo: Falk2 [CC BY-SA 4.0] Wikimedia Commons

The Ordesa National Park and Monte Perdido offer dozens of routes. Today we propose you a circular excursion through the Racón Girdle (the narrow pathway at the foot of the vertical walls that border the Carriata and Cotatuero circuses) with a route of about 8 kilometres where you can enjoy breathtaking views. It is a route without major difficulties, although it is necessary to be aware of possible rockfalls.

The route starts at Oliban House (former information centre of the National Park). We will leave the car in the Ordesa meadow car park (open all year round except in summer and Easter, when you have to park in the parking area). Torla) and return on foot for about one kilometre in the direction of Torla until you reach Casa Olibán. On the right wall of Casa Olibán starts the path towards the Carriata Circus -the usual ascent to the Tozal del Mallo-. We start the climb, which is gentle at first and then a little steeper, with the Salarons ravine on the left, until we reach a crossroads, approximately 1.2 km from the start of the route. The path to the left would take us to the Circo de Cotatuero, but we will take the narrow path to the right towards the Faja de Racón. The walk passes through black pine forests and ravines.

This trail takes advantage of the spectacular Racón Gorge to carve a niche in the vegetation and allow the hiker to walk along the base of the walls of the pico Gallinero. Along the wall, the path passes through forests and open areas that provide spectacular views of the Ordesa valley and the surrounding peaks.

Then, at a fork in the road, leave the turn-off for the Cotatuero Circus to the left and continue along a marked path that descends through the thick beech forest to the Pilar chapel, already in the valley. At this point, the route turns off to the right, along a wide path delimited by a leafy spruce and beech forests, which runs parallel to the right bank of the Arazas River until you reach the Ordesa meadow car park, where this circular route ends. We hope you enjoy it.