Route: Baqueira 1500 -Pla de Beret (1.840 m) – Montgarri- Santuari de Montgarri (1.645 m)
Difficulty: Medium
Type: 4×4
Description
At an altitude of 1655 m, Montgarri was, until the seventies, the highest inhabited village of Arán, at the head of the Noguera Pallaresa, which rises in Pla de Beret, at an altitude of 1840 m. This is a veritable solitary beauty spot, very close to the sanctuary of Montgarri, where the procession of Nuestra Señora de Montgarri is held every July 2. The village of Montgarri used to be cut off from the rest of the Valley of Arán between the end of autumn until May or June. This is definitely one of the most classic and typical excursions of the Valley of Arán. Making your way along the bottom of the valley, you will come across stunning high mountain scenery where pasture meadows alternate with lush fir and black pine forests. El Pla de Beret is a stunning plateau that stands at an altitude of almost two thousand metres, practically the only one of such spread at this height in the Pyrenees. Two major rivers rise in el Pla de Beret: the Noguera Pallaresa, on the way to Montgarri and el Pallars Sobirá, on the southern side of the Pyrenees. The other one is the Garona, whose source is in the so-called Güell de Garona, very close to the former. The rivers split on this plain, where the Garona flows towards the Atlantic and the Noguera Pallaresa towards the Mediterranean. Near the sanctuary (perfectly restored) the rectory has been restored and now serves as the lodging for hikers. In addition, a bit up the mountain the visitor will find another old farm house now converted into another restaurant.
