dossier

Alto Aragon

Travel Information

Arrival: Afternoon/early evening of day 1

First hotel: At Bielsa, 13 km/8 miles south of the Tunnel de Bielsa(French/Spanish frontier).

Travel: The most convenient is by air to Toulouse (via Paris). Dailydirect flights on Air France from most major US cities. Or fly via Paris frommost regional airports in the US, then train to Toulouse.
Most convenient airport: Toulouse.Then airport bus to Toulouse Matabiau rail station (30min) and train toLannemezan (1 hr 15 mins) then connecting rail bus to St Lary (55 mins).Through ticketing Toulouse to St Lary. In 2007 departures from Toulouse for StLary were at 10.05 and 13.59. A later departure from Toulouse at 17.15,arriving St Lary at 19.34 (Sundays 20.06), would mean arrival at Bielsa ataround 21.00 (Sundays 21.30); it may still be possible to obtain an eveningmeal in Bielsa at this time. Check train times before booking this tour ortraveling. This can be done on the Internet on www.sncf.fror www.raileurope.com or call RailEurope toll free 1-800-848-7245.

Trains from Paris: It is possible to travel by early morning trainfrom Paris to Lannemezan, changing trains at Tarbes or Toulouse, in some casesalso at Bordeaux. In summer 2007 one could depart Paris on Mondays to Saturdaysat 07.25 (TGV, change trains at Tarbes) arrive Lannemezan 15:06. At Lannemezanchange onto SNCF bus to St Lary. Note that as this bus route is run by SNCF thebus timetable is available on the SNCF web site, www.sncf.fr 
Arrival via Spain:  Bielsa is 300km/180mi from theInternational airport at Barcelona and 230km/150mi from the smaller airport atZaragoza.  Public transport links arecurrently slow and inconvenient.

End of Tour: Tour ends at Bielsa after breakfast on day 8. Privateroad transfer via tunnel to St Lary, then rail bus to Lannemezan and train toToulouse. Through ticketing St Lary to Toulouse. In summer 2007 arrival timefrom St Lary at Toulouse Matabiau was 09.57; (not Sundays except in July andAugust; on other Sundays arrival Toulouse at 10:37; in both cases necessitatingdeparture from Bielsa at 05.30 and 12.20 (daily; dep. Bielsa approx. 08.00).Check times before booking this tour or traveling. Times can be checked foryour day of travel on the Internet on www.sncf.fror www.raileurope.com or call RailEurope toll free 1-800-848-7245.
Season: Mid-June to endSeptember. The accommodation can be heavily booked in August, so if you want totravel at that time then better book early! 

Level of Difficulty 

Grade: Challenging, especially on the 10 day version, which is moresuited to stronger walkers.
Fitness: This challenging walk isdesigned to appeal to the fit and experienced walker/hiker. The first walkingday is strenuous so you do need to be in good shape before you start the tour.You should be competent at map reading and compass work. Because of theremote and rugged terrain this self-guided tour is not available to singletravelers.

Day stages: 10km to 25km (6-15 miles) per day with average altitudegains of 800m, but over 1000m on some days. Walking 5 to 8 hrs a day. The 4thwalking day (from Nerin to Ainsa) can be shortened by using a car transfer(included in tour price) at the start of the day.

Waymarks: The trails are generally well waymarked. But they can bespaced and hard to find on some sections. You do need to be able to cope withrough trails that are in places somewhat overgrown with vegetation and withmountain streams, which may be swollen after heavy rain. The maps are not asaccurate as International maps of a similar scale (1:40,000 and 1:50,000).

Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation is in small hotels& guesthouses. Six evening meals,breakfasts (except in Ainsa)and four packed picnic lunches are included in thetour price. In Ainsa only, you will stay on a room only basis.

Nights 1 & 7: Our 3* hotel in Bielsa is renowned for the qualityof its service. English is spoken at the hotel, which is only yards from thecentral square, overlooking the confluence of two rivers. The town has a choiceof bars and restaurants, as well as several supermarkets, a pharmacy, and atourist information office. 

Nights 2&3: These nights are spent at a small family-runguesthouse and restaurant on the banks of the river Cinca at Hospital de Tella.There is a terrace and a bar with a vaulted ceiling. There are 4 twin-beddedrooms with en suite facilities and 2 rooms without private facilities. There isno other bar, restaurant or shop nearby. 

Night 4: In the small and very pretty village of Nerin our 2* starhotel has comfortable rooms with en-suite bathroom. There is a bar, and therestaurant serves good food.  There isno shop or other facilities in this remote village.

Night 5: In Ainsa we stay next door to the church in the historicsquare of the town. The old building has been recently converted to aguesthouse. There are two double-bedded rooms and six twin-bedded, all modern,well kept and with en-suite facilities. Breakfast in Ainsa is not includedunfortunately. If the guesthouse is fully booked a nearby 1* hotel alsoprovides good service. 

Night 6: In Lafortunada we use a 1* hotel with its own restaurant.The rooms have en-suite facilities. There are several bars, shops and a medicalcentre in this village. 


Baggage Transfers
Your baggage (20kg per person) is transferred for you when you move to a newaccommodation. However there is normally no baggage transfer service to or fromNerin (night 4); baggage will be transferred direct from Hospital de Tella toAinsa and you will need therefore to carry overnight gear on days 4 and 5.Customers wishing to spend an extra night in Nerin should enquire about thepossibility of baggage transfers to and from Nerin; there would be an extracharge for this service.

Extra Nights
These can be booked anywhere along the route. We suggest Ainsa, for a rest dayin a small historic town, or Bielsa, from which there are interesting day walksalong the Valle de Pineta. If you are spending an extra night in one of thesmaller centres such as Nerin you will need to order and pay for your ownpacked lunch for the extra day on arrival.

Escorted Tours 2008: R&D departure May 31