Tristaina Short Loop

We start the route in Serrat, in the free car park in the middle of the village. We cross the small village centre to reach the road, where we will find the GR signs, which we follow along a gentle uphill path parallel to the Tristaina River, until we cross under the Castellar Bridge.

We leave the underground passage and walk over a short, flat section, along a wide track, until we find a signposted path to the right of the track that will lead us to lakes path. At this point, we begin to climb more intensely, again along the path, and leave the trees behind to reach the first lake, which we will skirt along the right to progressively gain elevation and approach the next lakes.

We leave behind the Estany de Més Amunt, the largest lake, to face the intense final push, towards the Port de l’Arbella pass. Before reaching it, we will flank it to the left, now beneath the pyramid of the summit, to climb the ridge through a small crack, and through it, we reach the summit to the right, where we will find a great fita or milestone. We start the descent with caution, along the edge, where we will advance cautiously and by hand at some points, to a small pass, where we will see another fita.

We leave the ridge in search of the path, across the pasture, on the Andorran side, with views of the lakes, and always seeing in front of us the path that we want to take. Once we find it, we return to the lakes, this time on the opposite side, until the entrance of the first pond. Here, we connect with the path we took at the beginning, cross the Castellar Bridge again and make the last section, the most comfortable on a gentle descent, to return to the village and reach the car park again.

WATER: El Serrat / Font de Tristaina (beneath the lakes) km