Path of the Hunters, Cola de Caballo waterfall and Ordesa Valley.

Today we are going to know one of the best hiking routes in the Ordesa Valley, located in the historic National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido.

The National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido is located in the Aragonese Pyrenees and is one of the most important of Spain, as it has the best alpine landscapes for hiking. It was declared National Park on August 16, 1918 and in 1977 received the figure of World Heritage protection by UNESCO, given its importance in Fauna, Flora, Geology and Ethnography.

The massif of Monte Perdido is one of the most impressive in Europe, as it is the highest limestone massif of the continent, with limestone mountains of more than 3000 m. Therefore in the area are the deepest canyons of the Pyrenees and some of the best landscapes that can be found in the Pyrenees.

In the surroundings, the areas of Torla-Broto, Ainsa and Bielsa and the valleys of Añisclo, Escuain and Pineta, the canyons of the area are considered the best for the practice of canyoning in the Pyrenees.

Here we present a trekking or hiking activity that is considered one of the best routes in the National Park, as we will visit the most mythical places of the Ordesa Valley, with landscapes that will leave us open-mouthed.

La Senda de los Cazadores0 (hunters path) is a circular route of 18 km that has a duration of just over 6 hours. In it we will enjoy the scenery of the Ordesa Valley in all its splendor as the route passes through the Pelay gorge, at 1900 meters above sea level and above the valley and below the walls of Sierra de las Cutas, reaching the cirque of Soaso and the famous waterfall of Cola de Caballo. The return is made by the normal route of the Ordesa valley, admiring its magnificent forest and the other waterfalls of the valley.

We start the excursion in the Ordesa meadow, just after leaving it just 100 meters to the right begins the ascent of the Senda de los Cazadores, through a shady mixed forest of beech and fir, mostly and accompanied by other species such as servals, ashes, birches … in the clearings of the forest we can see the magnificent front Cotatuero Cirque and its waterfall.

Ascent of the Senda de Cazadores

The first part of the trekking is the hardest, since the Path of the Hunters saves a difference of 600 meters to reach the shelter of Caleilarruego and its impressive viewpoint, where we can admire the entire valley of Ordesa in all its splendor.

The Pelay Girdle

From here the path changes and we will walk with almost no difference in altitude through the Faja Pelay which is at 1900 meters altitude. This section is comfortable and easy and we will alternate magnificent cliffs with views of the valley and the cirque of Cotatuero, while alternating the spruce forest with meadows and pastures at altitude.

Given its variety of landscapes, apart from different species of trees, we can also observe high mountain flora, with its magnificent flowers that fill the landscape with color. On the way we will see rhododendrons, aguileñas, lilies and a great variety of orchids, we can also enjoy, depending on the season, different fruits of the forest such as wild strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.

We continue walking along the Faja Pelay without losing height and little by little the valley of Ordesa that is at the bottom is gaining height and we have it closer to us, being able to observe from the heights the Cascadas del estrecho and the Gradas de Soaso, we will be impressed to observe from afar the turquoise color of its waters.

Valley floor

As we approach the bottom of the valley and the cirque of Soaso, we gradually see the Cola de Caballo waterfall at the bottom of the cirque, the massif of Monte Perdido and its snowfields above. The landscape is changing and we have mostly meadows and pastures to the detriment of forest, as we are at high altitude. We will find a scattered forest of young fir trees accompanied by a spectacular flora in the surroundings.

In this section of the trail, accompanied by the views of the magnificent cirque of Soaso and Monte Perdido, we can observe a large number of Edelweeis or Snow Flower and endless Orchids, we can also observe in the streams and springs of water, a kind of carnivorous plant, the Grasilla or Pinguicula.

Little by little we are approaching the bottom of the valley of Ordesa, the cirque of Soaso, with its well-known waterfall of Cola de Caballo. Its waters are fed by an upwelling, which collects the waters of the Monte Perdido massif, composed of the three Sorores, Marbores cylinder, Monte Perdido and Añisclo peak.

At this point we will be able to observe one of the most outstanding and contrasting landscapes, as the green colors of the meadows, the yellow of the flowering Erizones and the bluish waters of the Arazas River predominate in the background.

Above the white waters of the Cola de Caballo waterfall, we can marvel at the grayish colors of the limestone walls at altitude accompanied by the white snowfields that still remain in the massif of Monte Perdido.

Finally we reached the bottom of the cirque of Soaso where we find the Cola de caballo waterfall, one of the most famous and beautiful of the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido even the whole Pyrenees. It is not surprising, since it is located in an idyllic place surrounded by high mountain scenery and below the Monte Perdido and its snowfields, the waterfall falls in the form of a fan or ponytail from a height of over 50 meters.

This point is the zenith of our excursion, and from here the path is easier and will be mostly downhill.

On the way back through the valley of Ordesa we will leave behind the cirque of Soaso, passing along the banks of the Arazas river through beautiful high mountain meadows, accompanied by some torrents that fall into the valley forming magnificent waterfalls.

When we reach the Gradas de Soaso, the landscape and the formation of the valley change, since until now it has been a valley of glacial erosion, flat and without forest, and from this point, it becomes a river valley, full of waterfalls and surrounded by a spectacular forest.

After observing the Gradas de Soaso, a sector of small waterfalls staggered in the form of steps and accompanied by pools of crystal clear water, we will return to enter the mixed forest at the bottom of the valley of Ordesa.

Here the path is comfortable and fresh, as we will be in a large shady beech forest, with mature specimens of large size and other younger ones, accompanied by firs, pines, ashes and maples. In the background on the left we will hear the roar of the Arazas river with its rapids and waterfalls, which will accompany us throughout the rest of the excursion until the end.

Cascada del Estrecho

After a stretch with some steep slopes and some bends in the road, we will reach another spectacular waterfall of the national park, the Cascada del Estrecho.

At this point surrounded by forest and below the cliffs on the heights, the Arazas River rushes down a steep slope creating three waterfalls with their respective giant pools of turquoise blue water. The river has eroded or drilled a large narrow with overhang, which we can observe it from two viewpoints from above or below, the place is spectacular.

From this point we have an easy walk along the banks of the Arazas River until we reach the Ordesa meadow, the starting point of our excursion.