Carros de Foc: Everything About Hiking in Aigüestortes

Carros de Foc is that epic hut-to-hut hiking tour that may not have been on your bucket list yet but will be after reading this blog post. No exaggeration, there is no better way to discover the Catalonian Pyrenees. That answers one of your questions: You can find Carros de Foc in the Pyrenees, about 4 hours northwest of Barcelona, and because they are the Pyrenees after all, right on the border with France. Carros de Foc is Catalan for Chariots of Fire and although no one knows why the trek carries this curious name, we dig it. The route was created in 1987 when the caretakers of the refuges in Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici Park decided to visit each other's huts, resulting in a beautiful circular hike, connecting all the mountain huts, "Refugi" in Catalan, in the area.

A great takeaway for Carros de Foc is that there is still this bond between the different refugis. The 9 huts are not only connected by 65 kilometers of trails, hikers are also able to collect stamps from each and every refugi, allowing for a great tangible memory to take home. The hike can be started at any of the participating refugis and you can choose your own pace and decide to stay in as many or few refugis as you wish. Having said that, it is of course always helpful to have some sort of plan. If you keep reading, you will find one of the better self-guided itineraries for the Carros de Foc.

Traversing from hut to hut in the Pyrenees on the Carros de Foc may not be for everyone. This is a high mountain hike that requires a bit of experience and respect for the mountains. Having said that, because you are staying at refugis, you will have more comfort than, for example, when hiking the the GR11 in the Pyrenees. The refugis offer you a chance to recharge your mental and physical batteries and you will never have to stay in a tent. Also, since the Carros de Foc is a circular hike, you can take it as fast or slow as you want. It is recommended to do the Carros de Foc in at least five days, but it is also possible to do it in six. You could even only do half of the route.

It is important to know that although the Carros de Foc is a well-known route, it is not a perfectly marked one. Reason for this is that the route is that the park authorities of Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici have their own trail marking policy which does not include marking for the Carros de Foc. However, the directions to the independent huts are marked and with maps and/or a guidebook you can easily find your way. Is the Carros de Foc for you? If you are looking for an epic adventure in the Catalonian Pyrenees, this is totally for you!

At Bookatrekking.com we like to do things properly and when it comes to accommodation on treks in the Alps and the Pyrenees, this means you should stay in mountain huts. Refugi is the Catalonian name for a hut where mountaineers can enjoy a bed, a meal, and in, most cases, even a fresh draught beer or a good glass of wine. In Carros de Foc you can find 9 Refugis and what all these have in common is their fantastic locations. In the most remote spots in the Pyrenees, you can check into these safe havens.

On the Carros de Foc, not every Refugi offers the same standard. All of the huts have showers but only about half of them offer hot showers (against a small fee), only two can process card payments and not every refugi can be reached by car. Well, since you are on foot anyway, that's no problem. Now, in contrast to for example the Tour du Mont Blanc or the Alta Via 1, it is possible to not only have breakfast and dinner, but also lunch. This makes the Carros de Foc one of the few hut-to-hut trekking options with full board. This will save you a few extra grams in your backpack.

One clever way to both keep track of your visits and have a tangible memory is the stamp card. For 30 Euros you get a high-quality map of Carros de Foc and a stamp card. Find a stamped example below.

The Refugi on the Carros de Foc are open between June and October. However, not all refugis operate throughout this period. Some are only open between mid-July and mid-September, in line with huts in France, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. No surprise then, that this is the best season for hiking in Aigüestortes. Outside of these months, there are no open huts or refreshment options, so you’ll be on your own. The best months are typically July and August, these are also the busiest. It’s peak season, so be sure to book as far in advance as possible. If you decide to go trekking in September, you’re still in for a treat and it’s not as busy on the trail. But this could also mean that some accommodations might be closed for the season already. Also, the days are shorter and the weather is significantly colder. If you want to set out on a long hike in a warmer area during this period, check out the GR221 in Mallorca.

There are plenty of maps and guidebooks that can help you do the Carros de Foc or any other trek in Aigüestortes. Below you can find a map with an overview of the Carros de Foc and Aigüestortes. If you’re looking for a high-quality guidebook for the route, we highly recommend the Cicerone guide for the Carros de Foc. At Bookatrekking.com we make use of Cicerone guidebooks for the majority of our self-guided treks.

You can get to Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park in different ways. Also, you can start the Carros de Foc at every connected refugi. Not every refugi is easy to reach though. Also, Aigüestortes can not be accessed from every side. The easiest entry point is from the Espot side. This will bring you to Josep Maria Blanc and onto the Carros de Foc route.

By plane:

Espot is about 4 hours from Barcelona and 3.5 hours from French Toulouse. Both these towns have an international airport and are well connected with other key cities in Europe. Here you can either rent a car and drive to Espot, or use public transport.

By bus:

From Barcelona, you can first take a bus to La Pobla de Segur. From here you can take another bus to Espot. It's not easy, but if you plan at least half a day for traveling and want to travel on a shoestring, it is worth it.

By car:

The easiest way to get to Aigüestortes and Espot is to go by car. From Barcelona, it's about 4 hours and 260 kilometers. From Toulouse, you can count 3.5 hours. In Espot you can find various options for long-term parking.

The prices for hut-to-hut tours in the Pyrenees are quite varied. There are several variables to take into account when it comes to how much this trek costs: the type of accommodation, which can be in a shared dormitory or a private room in a hut, or also at a hotel in a town; How many days you will be spending on the mountain and whether you will be doing the full circuit or only a section; whether you will be doing it self-guided or with a guided group. The price of the trek will depend on your expectations for the tour.