Sorteny long-distance circuit

We start the route in Ordino, in front of the town hall, and we take the Segudet road, until the asphalt gives way to the dirt road. Shortly afterwards, we find the signs for the GR on the right, which takes us to the Coll d’Ordino pass, always uphill, to an altitude of 2,000 m. Without stepping on the asphalt of the road, we see the path on the left, well signposted and compact, which runs first through the forest and then along a path between the alpine meadows that takes us to South Casamanya peak, 2,740 m, crowned by a great marker visible from afar. Following the ridge, without technical or physical difficulty, we will reach the North Casamanya peak, the highest point of the route at 2,756 m.

Without leaving the route, nor the yellow dots that we follow, we cross a flat stretch of rocky terrain that we find shortly after the summit, and we begin the most technical section, until the Coll d'Arenes pass, where we will be helped by the chains that are set into the rock to descend more safely.

Coll d’Arenes is a wide natural pass that separates the Casamanya and L’Estanyó peaks, and the villages of Ordino and Canillo. We continue straight ahead, facing a first section of the ascent over the scree to reach the ridge that will take us to the summit of L’Estanyó. We will do this whole section along the ridge, with views towards the valleys of Estanyó, on our left, and the Vall del Riu, on our right, with some short steps where we must clamber up before reaching the highest point of the route. Once at the top, we follow the rope to the pass that separates us from the La Cabaneta peak, 2,862 m, from where we begin the dizzying descent to the Collada de Meners.

At this point, we turn left to start the descent to the Sorteny Mountain Refuge, where we will be able to regain strength before facing the Rialb Valley, a spectacular valley that we will gradually climb in order to face the final stretch of ascent to the Portella de Rialb, where we make a quick descent to Cabana de Castellar. There, we will pass under the bridge and continue downhill, now more gently along the Tristaina River, to the village of El Serrat, where we connect with the Iron Route, which in a few, flat kilometres will return us to Ordino after passing through the different villages of the valley, such as Llorts, Arans, La Cortinada and Ansalonga.

WATER: ORDINO, GR Picnic table area (km 4), Sorteny Refuge (km 20), Font Freda (km 24), Font de Ferro (km 36), Font de la Cortinada (km 39). Streams and ponds along the way.