All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Comapedrosa
Trekking / Hiking in Comapedrosa
The high western corner of Andorra above the village of Arinsal, a natural park built around Pic de Comapedrosa, the country's highest summit at 2,942 metres, laced with glacial lakes and crossed by the perimeter GRP and GR-11 trails.
Why here
Comapedrosa is the roof of Andorra, a 2,942 metre summit above the village of Arinsal at the head of a granite natural park of glacial lakes and alpine pasture. The standard ascent climbs from Arinsal past the Estanys de les Truites and a mountain refuge to a top that looks out over three countries of Pyrenees. It is also the high point of the Ronda dels Cims and the country-circling GRP, and links into the wider GR-11 traverse of the range. To the east, the UNESCO-listed Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley offers the softer, historical counterpart, a car-free cultural landscape of shepherds' huts and old iron trails. Comapedrosa is the one every hiker wants, a real mountain day rather than a stroll, and best done with a guide while snow lingers.
Best months
The walking season runs late June to early October, once the winter snow has cleared the upper slopes; July and August are warmest and the refuge is staffed. Snow can linger in the summit couloirs into July and returns in autumn, when an ice axe and a guide make sense. Afternoon storms are common, so summit early. The final section is steep rock and scree.
Getting there & around
The trailhead is at Arinsal in the La Massana valley, about a 40 minute drive from Andorra la Vella and reachable by parish bus. The round trip to the summit is a full day of eight to ten hours with around 1,500 metres of ascent, and the Comapedrosa refuge partway up allows an overnight split. Guides are booked directly and can provide the gear for early-season snow.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Andorra 3000 Mountain Guides
GuideAndorra 3000 Mountain Guides works from the Comapedrosa building in Santa Coloma, a team of qualified mountain guides holding the official Andorran and Spanish accreditations for mountain sports and climbing. In summer they guide hiking, including the ascent of Comapedrosa, along with sport climbing, alpinism and via ferrata; in winter they run alpine and cross-country ski outings, snowshoe trips and igloo building. Bookings are handled directly by phone and email, not a website.
Natura i Aventura
GuideNatura i Aventura is an Andorran mountain guiding company run by Patrick Perisse, who holds the IFMGA high mountain guide qualification, with more than twenty years of guiding behind it. It leads summit ascents and mountain traverses on foot in summer, including the peaks around Comapedrosa, and adds rock climbing, alpinism and via ferrata, then ski touring, snowshoe trips and avalanche-safety courses through the winter. Guiding is offered in Catalan, Spanish, French and English.