D1 : LOURDES/JACA

The Azun valley

A lovely green valley dotted with picturesque villages of stone houses with their slate roofs. It has strong farming traditions and the local cheese is famous.

www.valdazun.com

The Soulor Mountain Pass

A beautiful view from this 1474 m high mountain pass. The surrounding high mountain pastures are grazed by cows, horses and sheep. It is a great spot to observe vultures and other birds of prey. The Soulor is also home to the only collective cheese maturing facility in the Hautes Pyrenees, Jojo tends to over 3000 cheeses brought to him by the farmers of the Arbeost valley and the Bearn.

The Aubisque mountain pass

After a further 10km you are on the top of the Aubisque mountain pass at 1709 metres of altitude.  The top is grassy and rolling and offers fine views over the Ouzom valley and the surrounding peaks. The descent is in a series of zig-zags and passing through several tunnels. You will no doubt see the sheep, cows and horses which roam in total freedom.

The Pourtalet mountain pass

At 1794 m of altitude this mountain pass is located between the peaks of the Pourtalet and the sharp summit of Aneou to the west. The view from the top is vast, for Count Henry Russell the colours of the gentle rolling scenery on the Spanish side offer a first taste of Africa.

After your descent of the lovely Tella valley we now take to the higher ground on the Sierra de Pena, a great area to admire the Pyrenees and the kingdom of Aragon. As you leave Jaca in the Pamplona direction there are signs indication san Juan dela Pena by two routes.  Do not hesitate in taking the longer itinerary, on your left by the Col d'Oreol and Bernues. The road has more zig-zags but it passes through some wonderful scenery and offers many superb panoramas over Aragon. It is a great way to reach the ancient monastery of San Juan de la Pena. It is built into the red rock which almosr seems to be eating it up, or maybe just protecting it. The monastery is a masterpice of Romanic art, and is unique in its style in the Pyrenees.

A short walk on the balcony of the Pyrenees

From the parking pass behind the new monastery, follow the walls of the building, the start point for the route is at the angle of the building. Follow the path to the first junction then turn right and follow the alley to the 'balcony over the Pyrenees', a magnificent viewpoint with a panoramic view over the range from the Pic d'Orhy in the west to Mont Perdido in the east. Return by the same route.

20 mins there and back.

Evening and night in Jaca and its surroundings

The Hautes-Pyrenees holiday shop proposes you a small selection of very favorite accommodations in Jaca and surroundings. For more choices, contact directly the Shop to 05 62 56 70 00.

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Worth a detour

The Animal Park of Lacuniacha at Piedrafita de Jaca

This animal park is situated in a magnificent forest at 1380 m of altitude. Follow the waymarked trail to discover bison, deer, wolves, lynx, horses... you can watch then eat, sleep, looking after their young ones, there are many fine viewpoints over the surrounding countryside.

The circuit takes about 3 hours but one could easily spend a whole day in the park without needing to complete the circuit. There are picnic spots and a cafe serving drinks, sandwishes, coffee, ice-creams...

22665  Piedrafita de Jaca • As you descend the Col du Pourtalet (at kilometre 19 / 22 mins), turn right towards Piedrafita de Jaca on the HU-V-6102

www.lacuniacha.es

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