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Overview
With the adjoining Pyrenees National Park across the French border this is the largest protected area in the Pyrenees. Originally consisting only of the deep, glacier-formed Ordesa Valley with the turbulent Rio Arazas, since the 1970s three more major valleys have been incorporated into the park.
Long renowned for its exceptional beauty and fascinating range of plants and animals, the area has extensive forests of Beech and Pine, a number of caves, fast-flowing rivers and glaciers.
The three highest peaks are the Tres Sorores: Monte Perdido at 3,353m, El Cilindro at 3,322m and Marbore at 3,247m, all close to the French border.
The most visited part of the park is the Ordesa Gorge at the foot of the Tres Sorores which has 300m walls in places.
Birds
Notable Species
The area is famous for raptors and in particular the Lammergeier, but others include Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, Northern Goshawk and, in summer, Egyptian Vulture.
Typical mountain birds present in the park include Rock Ptarmigan, Water Pipit, Alpine Accentor, Wallcreeper and White-winged Snow Finch. Both species of chough occur and both Alpine Swift and Eurasian Crag Martin are common.
In the lower areas the forests are home to Western Capercaillie, Black Woodpecker, Citril Finch and Common Crossbill.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
European Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Red Kite, Lammergeier, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Montagu's Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Golden Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel, Northern Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Rock Ptarmigan, Western Capercaillie, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Common Sandpiper, Rock Dove, Great Eagle Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tengmalm's Owl, European Nightjar, Alpine Swift, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Hoopoe, Eurasian Wryneck, Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Water Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Common Wren, Common Dipper, Dunnock, Alpine Accentor, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Ring Ouzel, Melodious Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Western Subalpine Warbler, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Crested Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Wallcreeper, Common Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike, Common Jay, Alpine Chough, Red-billed Chough, Northern Raven, Rock Sparrow, White-winged Snow Finch, Chaffinch, Citril Finch, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Crossbill, Common Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting, Ortolan Bunting
Other Wildlife
The flora is rich and varied with the colourful Yellow Turk's Cap Lilium pyrenaicum, St Bernard's Anthericum liliago and Martagon Lilies Lilium martagon, and Spanish Iris Iris xiphium. The floral types vary widely with altitude from high alpines and Pyrenean endemics to familar lowland plants like dogrose, honeysuckle and snapdragon. These lower altitude species flourish in the microclimates created in narrow ravines and other sheltered spots.
Ordesa's mammals include Pyrenees Chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica and the rare Pyrenean Ibex Capra pyrenaicus, Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus, Wild Boar Sus scrofa and Marmot Marmota marmota. There is also a wide range of carnivores including Red Fox Vulpes vulpes, Wild Cat Felis silvestris, Pine Marten Martes martes and Beech Marten Martes foina, Badger Meles meles, Otter Lutra lutra, Weasel Mustela nivalis and Stoat Mustela erminea and the elusive and nocturnal Genet Genetta genetta. The rare Pyrenean Desman Galemys pyrenaicus hunts in the calmer stretches of the mountain streams.
Site Information
History and Use
To do
Areas of Interest
Anisclo Gorge
The Anisclo Gorge is a less-visited alternative within the park reached from the C-138 to Ainsa and from there a minor road towards Bielsa. At Escalona take the turning for Ereta de Bies and Ermita de San Urbez, park there and walk into the gorge.
The Anisclo Gorge has similar habitats to the Ordesa Gorge with beech, fir and pine forest, bare rock faces and high mountain open country.
Pineta Valley
A further area to visit is the Pineta Valley reached from Bielsa on the minor road to the Parador Nacional de Monte Perdido, a luxury hotel at the foot of the valley. Tengmalm's Owl can be found here in the woods on the slopes of Mt Perdido and a good footpath through beechwoods starts beside the chapel close to the hotel.
The town of Bielsa has a range of accommodation.
Access and Facilities
The park has an information centre, marked hiking trails and viewpoints and hotel accommodation, alternatively there are mountain refuges or a campsite. To reach the Ordesa Gorge take the C-140 to Torla then the minor road signposted to Ordesa and after 10km there is a car-park. From here a footpath leads through woodland to the viewpoint of Calcilarruego and along the side of the valley to Soaso Cirque, an area of alpine meadows.
There are many other walking trails throughout the park that cover both open and forested habitats. Torla has varied accommodation ranging from a campsite to hotels.
Contact Details
To do
External Links
Content and images originally posted by Steve
