Pineta Valley

The Pineta Valley is part of the Pyrenees Park, which, together with other valleys, makes up the mountain trails of this beautiful park that is a protected nature reserve with captivating flora and fauna that make it a unique place. The valley is no more than 500 metres wide and is surrounded by 2,000-metre high rock walls.

How to get to the Pineta valley?

The route up to the valley can be done from Bielsa, at about 1000 metres above sea level. The direction to take is that of the river Cinca, with which you must take special care, as it is a somewhat abundant river that flows down with a lot of pressure, as it rises a little above the valley and the force of gravity causes great power in its course.

On this route you will come across different villages such as: Javierre, which is a village close to the capital of the valley, where you can't miss its 12th century Romanesque parish church. This is a small village inhabited by less than 40 people, so its houses are picturesque and typical of the locality.

Further on, you will come across the village of Espierba, here there are no more than 60 houses that are inhabited almost exclusively during holiday periods, so out of season you will not see this place inhabited. On the way to the Pineta Valley you will pass through other much smaller and almost uninhabited villages such as Las Cortes, La Raca and Zapatierno, until you finally reach the Pineta Valley, which is your main destination.

This beautiful valley is a magnificent example of glacial art, with the typical U-shape, due to the great dragging of materials produced every year by the ice and thawing between seasons that break the rocks with the high temperatures and compact them again with the arrival of winter.

Routes in the Pineta Valley

There are countless visits that you can make after the journey through this beautiful valley, such as the Balcón de la Pineta. To do this route your physical condition must be very good, because it lasts at least 3 hours, which begins with a descent to the river Cinca, followed by zigzagging paths that allow you to reach the majestic balcony of the Galle de Pineta, its view will amaze and enchant you, from there you can breathe fresh air and fully relax in front of this panorama.

Pineta Cirque - Cinca Waterfalls

Another route you will come across on the way to the natural balcony is the one that leads you to the Circo de Pineta, from where you can admire Mount Perdido, its imposing glacier and the Marboré cylinder. Further on in the same direction, a climb begins that allows you to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and all the splendour of the Pineta Valley and the Cinca Waterfalls. Plan this trip to the Valley and treat yourself to a relaxing holiday with total connection to nature and disconnection from everyday life.

Larri waterfalls

Arriving at the hermitage of Our Lady of Pineta you should look for the GR-11 path. This path, also known as the Trans-Pyrenean path, is located just behind the hermitage and near a fountain and will lead you to the Larri plains. The first part of the path is covered with a large amount of vegetation made up of trees and bushes with thick foliage. The path goes uphill for about 40 minutes until it reaches the Larri slopes. After this point, the ascent becomes a little gentler and the vegetation changes to more scattered pine trees. A refuge on the right hand side marks the arrival on the plains.

Pineta Valley / Cover photo: Basotxerri [CC-BY-SA-4.0] Wikimedia Commons