Hiking, adventure, wellness, gastronomy, and a whole lot more
Summer is upon us and with it comes concepts like disconnecting, family & friends are all top of our list for the most anticipated season of the year. Although there are literally thousands of options, the mountains offer up an endless array of activities that will surely leave a strong impression on all who visit Andorra. With nature as the primary distinguishing feature, it’s the perfect option for those looking to live out the summer in the mountains with a range of attractive plans.
Forget about it all in the mountains
Undoubtedly, the mountains in Andorra are the ideal setting to disconnect from your daily routines and enjoy what nature has to offer. The Principality offers the chance to discover its flora and fauna with more than 50 trails to ensure we don’t miss the beach too much.
From easy to advanced levels, the most remarkable routes include Lake Engolasters, the Tristaina Lakes, Pessons Lake or the Coma Pedrosa Mountain, all of them with shelters available to organise hikes over several days.
Adventure sports for all ages
During the summer months, Andorra’s ski resorts are transformed into adventure parks to awaken the summer feeling in all of us. The Family Park Canillo in Grandvalira boasts the longest zip line (550m) in Andorra. And the experience for the young ones is completed with the acrojump, archery, tubing and electric karting circuits. The Vallnord Mountain Park is also a great spot for youngsters with a zip line, archery, downhill karting and pony rides. Then, there’s mushing (dog sleigh) that’s typically associated with wintertime, but Vallnord offers the chance to explore the great outdoors on refitted sleighs with wheels.
Game based gastronomy
The Principality of Andorra is a mountain region with an abundance of dishes based on traditional hunting species.
Some favourites among the more typical dishes include:
- ‘Rostes al mel’, slices of pork sauteed in honey and vinegar
- ‘Costelles a la losa’, lamb ribs fried in pork fat and garnished with garlic
- Partridge vinaigretteis the favourites of the bird based dishes
- Duck is also popular and coupled with mushrooms, pulses, pork or rabbit
- Among the fish, trout is the main product in the region and is cooked in the oven, roasted, in soups, bathed in champagne or wine, served with French-style sauces, or fried
- Salmon, cuttlefish and hake are also typical local dishes
Disconnect at a high altitude
Spending the summer in the mountains doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a swim, not when there are the thermal baths! The Principality is renowned for its wellness centres. Caldea is a benchmark; the theroludico centre is the largest in the south of Europe at 1100m above sea level, and the perfect place to pamper yourself with massages, and wellness and beauty rituals, all without a sniff of salt or sand. Inúu is next to Caldea and an exclusive relaxing spot where time seems to stand still. The large space, no less than 12,400m2 offers personalised, innovative treatments, including beauty, and mind & body balance treatments, nutritional services and sensory experiences.
