Segudet, Ordino's adventure village

Segudet is the Ordino village people rarely visit for its own sake and often use as a launch pad. It sits almost on top of Ordino village, on the slope that leads up to Casamanya, and what it offers isn’t churches or museums but rock, water and rope.

Right above the village, on the way to the hills

Segudet is one of the eight villages the council recognises in Ordino, and the closest to the main village. The tourist board’s directions are simple. In the centre of Ordino there are two roundabouts side by side, and from there a road climbs to Segudet. The council’s tourism website uses it as the way through for one of its toughest walks, which sets off in front of the Comú building and follows the tarmac up to the hamlet before heading into the woods.

What can you do in Segudet?

First, the canyon. The tourist board makes it 400 m long with a 75 m drop, grades it easy and reckons on 60 to 90 minutes for the descent, after a walk-in of about 30 minutes along the Segudet path and a fixed-rope section down to the stream bed. It flags two things I wouldn’t ignore, that it gets harder with strong water flow and that storms can build at the head of the gorge. It recommends professional guides, and so would I.

Next, the via ferratas. The Segudet route is 250 m long with 75 m of height gain and is designed for children and beginners. The Creu del Noral, in the same area, climbs 150 m over 350 m and stays open all year. Every route in the country, with its grade, is in via ferrata in Andorra.

Then, over the same gorge, Tirolina Park, about ten minutes from Ordino, with ten zip lines of up to 100 m split between a red and a black circuit, open from May to the end of November. It’s listed with the other parks in zip lines in Andorra. If you’re doing any of this on holiday, check your travel insurance covers adventure sports, because gov.uk points out that a GHIC won’t help you in Andorra.

Casamanya from Segudet

For a summit, the council suggests climbing Casamanya, 2,740 m, via Segudet. It’s 5.5 km of hard going on yellow waymarks, first on a track and then on a path that steepens through the forest; above 2,100 m the final slope opens up, about 600 m of ascent, with loose stone at the very top. You come down towards the Coll d’Ordino on the classic path and then the GR. The reward is a view over much of the country with Ordino at your feet.

With small children

If all that’s too much, the Bosc Viu in the Esquella woods is about 60 minutes on foot from Segudet. It’s a trail for children from three upwards, among pines wrapped in blankets that tell the legend of the Christmas log and about 30 sculptures by Ángel Calvente.