Hiking in Andorra, and how to pick a route that suits your legs

You get Andorra far better on foot than from a car. More than 90% of the country is natural land, according to Andorra Turisme, and its official site lists well over a hundred hiking routes, each with distance, ascent and a GPS track to download. Finding a route is easy. The hard part is matching one to your fitness, the time of year and the days you have.

How the path network works

I think of it in three layers. First come the short strolls around the villages, old mule tracks, irrigation channels and themed circuits that take an hour or two. Then there are day walks to lakes, valleys and summits, which nearly always start from a mountain car park and take you above 2,000 m. Finally there are the multi-day treks, hut to hut.

For that last layer the country has five long-distance GR trails plus the Pyrenean Haute Route. The GR11 in Andorra crosses the north as part of the Senda Pirenaica, the GR7 runs from east to south, and the GRP loops right round the country in seven stages, which I cover in the GRP round Andorra. Between them they link about thirty mountain huts, four of them staffed.

Which walk suits your level?

If you walk little or you’re with older relatives, start on the flat. The Camí de les Pardines runs from Encamp to Engolasters lake in just over 3 km, and at Grau Roig a 1.5 km woodland path leads to the first Pessons lake. I’ve grouped the rest by area in easy walks in Andorra, and the ones that work with children in family walks in Andorra.

With some mountain miles behind you, the natural next step is the lakes. The Tristaina circuit gives you three lakes in 4.39 km, Juclar climbs 465 m to the largest lake in the country, and the Andorra la Vella viewpoints route covers 9 km in the shady woods above the capital, a relief in August.

The hard routes are a different game. The full Madriu valley route climbs 1,180 m over 13.6 km, the Pessons cirque to the col is graded hard despite being under 6 km, and the Comapedrosa from Arinsal is about 8 hours. This is where people come unstuck, reading short distances and ignoring the climbing.

Lakes, valleys and summits

Glacial lakes are what I’d put first. There are dozens across the country, and I compare them in lakes in Andorra. Next come the valleys, above all the Madriu, a World Heritage Site with no road, then Incles, with its electric train in summer, and Sorteny, with its botanical garden.

Summit collectors have a challenge of their own in Ordino, the estripagecs, iron grilles fixed on six peaks over 2,700 m. The Casamanya, at 2,740 m between Canillo and Ordino, starts from the top of the Coll d’Ordino road and is one of the most rewarding for the view.

When to go walking

Andorra Turisme advises keeping every route above 1,700 m for the weeks between late June and late September, with May and October possible if weather and ground allow. In practice nearly every lake sits above that line. In June snow can linger on high north-facing slopes, and in July and August the risk is afternoon thunderstorms.

That’s why I’d set off early. The Andorran police recommend avoiding the hottest hours, checking the forecast and being back while it’s light or packing a torch. In winter the same routes change sport and are done on snowshoes or touring skis.

What I’d carry, and who to call

The police advice is common sense and worth following to the letter. Walk with someone or leave word of your route and return time, wear proper boots and visible clothing, and take water, food, sun cream, a windproof, a first-aid kit, a whistle and a fully charged phone. In an emergency, the same advice gives 110 for the police, 112 for mountain rescue and 118 for the fire brigade.

One point British walkers often miss. Andorra isn’t in the EU, GOV.UK confirms the GHIC and EHIC aren’t valid there, and a rescue or a hospital visit will be billed. Buy travel insurance that explicitly covers hiking at altitude and helicopter rescue before you fly into Toulouse or Barcelona. With that sorted, all that’s left is choosing the right first day. To choose an area, the three protected spaces are in nature parks in Andorra, and clothing and boots in what to pack for Andorra.