Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

Nestled in the Pyrenees, Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park is the only one of Spain’s fifteen national parks found in Catalonia. Established in 1955, this rugged mountain landscape features peaks that climb to 3,017 meters (Besiberri Sud) and roughly 200 lakes, most carved by ancient glaciers. The park covers a core area of 141 km², with an additional 267 km² of buffer zone around it. Its Catalan name translates loosely to “the winding streams and St. Maurice lake.”

The terrain spans from 1,600 to 3,000 meters in elevation, hosting four main vegetation zones: lower montane, upper montane, subalpine, and alpine. Wildlife includes Pyrenean chamois, brown bear, marmot, ermine, roe deer, and birds like the black woodpecker, common crossbill, lammergeier, and golden eagle. The park’s administrative centers are in Espot and Boí, and it lies mainly in the comarques of Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça. Since 2007, it has been a protected Ramsar site.

The park’s 40,852 hectares are split into a strictly protected core and a surrounding buffer zone that eases restrictions outward. The core sits in Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça. On the western side, near the village of Boí, lies the Aigüestortes plain—a flat area where the river meanders slowly, marking the site of an ancient lake now filled with sediment. To the east, near Espot, is Sant Maurici lake, famous for its view of the twin Encantats peaks, which appear on the park’s logo. The core also includes parts of municipalities in Val d’Aran, Alta Ribagorça, Pallars Jussà, and Pallars Sobirà. The buffer zone contains the Mata de Valencia forest, Gerber and Cabanes valleys, Colomers and Saboredo valleys, the Besiberri valley, the lakes of Cabdella, and Montardo peak.

Human presence in the Pyrenees dates back to glacial melting, but no permanent settlements have been found within the park’s borders. Archaeological digs have uncovered temporary camps from 8,500 years ago, during the Neolithic. In the 19th century, the high Pyrenees saw more people moving in, driven by demand for timber, farming, and fishing. Early in the 20th century, hydroelectric plants were built, reshaping the landscape. The park was created on October 21, 1955, as Spain’s fifth national park. On March 30, 1988, the Catalan government took over management, adding a buffer zone and tightening rules with increased budget and staff. Since then, forestry, fishing, camping, and resource extraction have been banned, though cattle grazing and existing hydroelectric operations are allowed. Traditional uses that fit with wilderness protection are permitted only in the buffer zone. The park was enlarged in 1996 to 14,119 hectares. In 1997, after legal disputes, it was agreed that autonomous regions could share in managing national parks.

Because of its 1,600-to-3,000-meter elevation range and varied valley orientations, the park holds diverse ecosystems. At lower valley floors, around 1,500 meters, deciduous forests of pubescent oak, European ash, beech, and common hazel grow. Former meadows and pastures, historically used by people, are now covered with grasslands and shrubs like common box or secondary Scots pine forests. From 1,500 to over 2,000 meters, mountain pine dominates, surviving up to 2,400 meters thanks to its hardiness. At these heights, alpenrose and blueberry thrive in cooler spots, while heather and common juniper prefer sunnier, drier areas. On north-facing slopes below 2,000 meters, silver fir forests—including the largest Pyrenean fir forest, la Mata de Valencia—are common. Above 2,300 meters, in alpine meadows where trees can’t grow, species like Gentiana alpina appear. About 8% of the park’s plants are endemic to the Pyrenees, and roughly 7% have boreo-alpine or arctic-alpine distributions.