Landmannalaugar trekking (Island)

In Iceland we can find one of the most astonishing trekkings in the world. Volcanic landscapes, where we feel the earth boiling underneath, mountains covered in green and huge masses of ice falling in cascades to the sea. The difficulty is moderate, but weather conditions can make things complicate. We can expect intense raining and strong winds. From Landmannalaur to Thor forest the distance is 50km. We should add 27 km. more if we plan going to Skogar. Along the trekking we'll find refuges, but we'll have to make reservations in advance. There are also camping sites. It's not possible to buy food along the trail, so, we'll have to bring it with us. If we're staying in the refuge, we can use the kitchen. Not so if we're at the camping site. The bathrooms are outside the refuges in all cases. Some of them have showers, the cost is around 400 is.kr./5 min. (year 2009)

Stage 1 - Landmannalaugar - Hraftinnusker
Stage 2 - Hraftinnusker - Álftavatn
Stage 3 - Álftavatn - Ermstrur
Stage 4 - Ermstrur - Thórsmörk
Stage 5 - Thorsmörk - Fimmvörduháls
Stage 6 - Fimmvórduháls - Skógafoss

Photos

The W (Torres del Paine trekking)

Torres del Paine. Foto: Daniel Calleja

No doubt the route known as the W is one of the best trekkings in the world. It takes place in Torres del Paine National Park, in the Chilean Patagonia. The name of this route comes from the shape of the trekking as you see it drawn in a map. It's possible to walk the W trekking in about five days, but there's a longer version, called the O, because after doing the W goes up tho the north for 3-4 more days and it takes the shape of a ring. But we're going to talk you about the W, because it's easier to do it if you have only a few days in Torres del Paine National Park. The W trekking is quite easy to cover if you are used to walk in the mountains. As you can see below, most of the stages of the trekking are not long, and the distance in height is no important. For us, maybe one of the main difficulties of this trekking can be the weather. Even in the south hemisphere summer, the weather can get really cold, and it's usual to get rain and strong winds. It's possible to walk the trekking sleeping in refuges, but you should make your reservations well in advance. If you prefer to have more freedom, it's better to travel with a tent, as we did, but, as we said, you have to be aware of the weather. But even but you are cold every night you will never forget this trekking, because it will offer you some of the best landscapes in the world, such as Torres del Paine, Cuernos del Paine or Glaciar Grey.

Stage 1 - Hostería Torres / Campamento Torres 9 km. 3h
Stage 2 - Campamento Torres / Campamento Los Cuernos 20 km. 6-7h
Stage 3 - Campamento Los Cuernos / Campamento Italiano 5,5 km. 2h 30min
Stage 4 - Campamento Italiano / Refugio Pehoé 7,6 km. 2h 30min
Stage 5 - Refugio Pehoé / Campamento Grey / Campamento Pehoé 11 km. 3h 30min

Photos

The High Route of the Lost Mountains

Monte Perdido from Marboré Lake

The High Route of the Lost Mountains (La Alta Ruta de los Perdidos) is a trekking which takes place in the wonderful landscapes of Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, in the Spanish Central Pyrenees. 

Monte Perdido is the third highest summit in the Pyrenees, and the trekking offers you the most spectacular views of this National Park, such as the Cirque of Gavarnie, la Brecha (gap) de Roldán and the glacier in the north face of Monte Perdido.The trekking is circular and it starts and ends in the refuge of San Nicolás de Bujaruelo. You can get there driving from Torla (Huesca) and taking a small road to the left in Puente de los Navarros, some kilometers before the entrance to Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. We recommend you to walk the route in seven stages, although is possible to shorten it and spend only three days if you are a really fast and experieced mountaineer. The refuges in this trek are: San Nicolás de Bujaruelo, Sarradets, Góriz, Pineta, Tucarroya, Espuguettes, La Grange de Holle (Gavarnie), Bayssellance, Oulettes de Gaube and, again, San Nicolás de Bujaruelo.

Stage 1 - Ref. San Nicolás de Bujaruelo / Ref. des Sarradets 7,388 km
Stage 2 - Ref. des Sarradet / Ref. de Góriz 6,516 km 
Stage 3 - Ref. de Góriz / Ref. de Pineta 11,19 km 
Stage 4 - Ref. de Pineta / Ref. de Tucarroya 12,38 km
Stage 5 - Ref. de Tucarroya / Gavarnie 9,13 km
Stage 6 - Gavarnie / Ref. des Oulettes de Gaube 21,10 km
Stage 7 - Ref. des Oulettes de Gaube / Ref. San Nicolás de Bujaruelo 16,41 km

Photos

Links:
Map La Alta Ruta de los Perdidos Editorial Alpina
Map Vignemale-Bujaruelo 1:30.000 Editorial Alpina
Refuge reservations