We wanted to go to one of the shelters in the Aigüestortes i Estany Sant Maurici National Park. Since we were traveling with our young daughters, we opted for the Colomers refuge. It's easily accessible, requiring only a 40-minute walk after reaching the nearest point by car along a paved track that runs from Salardú to Arties, passing through Banhs de Tredòs.
There are 60 sleeping spots, distributed across 5 rooms. Each room has a bunk bed with two levels. That means there are six people side by side on each level, without any separation.
The food is simple and plentiful, and it's quite good. Be careful when ordering lunch as the portions are generous but quite expensive since everything is delivered by helicopter.
Like in all the shelters, there's a great atmosphere, and people come from all over. We shared an excursion with a family from the Netherlands.
From the refuge, you can embark on the circular hike of the Colomers circus and lakes. The short version takes about two hours, while the long one takes approximately six hours. For more details, you can check out these resources: link to Senditur's route and link to Wikiloc's trail.
Lara i Kali
At the Colomers shelter, Lara and Kali were working, who have a show on SX3, the Catalan channel for children. We ran into some kids from Olost who were fans of their show and had gone to see them.
Salardú, a Picture-Perfect Village
From Salardú to Banhs de Tredòs, you can go by your own car, then you need to take a taxi that drops us off about 40 minutes from the shelter on foot.
This is an immense shelter of great chromatic beauty, covering 2800 m2 that are disputed by climbers and archaeologists, just as the last Neanderthals and the first Sapiens did thousands of years ago.
According to climbers, it is the best place in the world for sports climbing, as it has a high concentration of challenging routes on high-quality limestone rock. There are 40 routes rated above grade 8, including 7 rated at grade 9. The fact that it often appears in specialized magazines and the frequent presence of media climbers like Chris Sharma attracts people from all over the world, making it a significant tourist attraction for the entire area.
From an archaeological perspective, we have 9 meters of previously unknown strata, discovered in 2002, representing an unprecedented sequence of the last 50,000 years in central Catalonia. So far, according to Rafael Mora, we know that the Neanderthal and the Sapiens coexisted in this cave without biological or cultural mixing.
We hope that this time the actors playing Neanderthals have better luck!
La Linya - the first woman of Noguera
In the 2020 archaeological excavation campaign, remains of a sapiens woman from about 14,000 years ago, from the late Upper Paleolithic period, were discovered. This finding is significant because there are few human remains from this period on the Iberian Peninsula, and it is expected to deepen our understanding of the hunters and gatherers of that time.
The archaeological information sign of Cova Gran
Translated from the Information Panels
The Cova Gran de Santa Linya is located in the middle of a very secluded small valley, formed by the Sant Miquel stream. Despite the apparent isolation of this location within the geography of Noguera, it was inhabited by two hominins: H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. This cavity, on the first foothills of the Pre-Pyrenees, preserves evidence of the last 50,000 years of our history.
The Cova Gran allows us to understand the changes in the ways of life of our ancestors, the ancient inhabitants of the Pre-Pyrenees of Noguera, over an extended period. The evidence of these vanished societies is part of the heritage of all citizens. It is the duty of everyone to respect it, protect it, and pass it on to future generations, as it allows us to comprehend how the experience of our human species has evolved over time.
Homo neanderthalensis
The first inhabitants of the cave were groups of Neanderthals, who intermittently settled during their seasonal movements, which defined the hunter-gatherer way of life. Among them, we find rocks made of flint and chert that they used to craft the tools they needed to obtain or transform essential resources, such as food.
Hunting mammals like deer, goats, horses, and bulls, as well as collecting plants and fruits, formed the basis of their subsistence. Fire was a constant in the organization of the social life of these groups.
Cave Engravings
Recent archaeological research has identified five sets of non-figurative engravings on the cave wall: signs, bundles of converging lines, a grouping of shapes, two small grids, and the possible schematic representation of a human figure in the shape of a "Y".
The location of these engravings in relation to archaeological occupations could correlate with the final moments of hunter-gatherer groups that frequented the cave around 10,000 years ago. On the other hand, the bundles of lines and the grids show a wide chronology, ranging from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic, while the "Y" motif is characteristic of the Neolithic.
It is not easy to interpret the meaning of these engravings, but they testify to the presence and influence of prehistoric groups in this cavity over time.
Homo sapiens sapiens
40,000 years ago, a transcendental change occurred: in the cave, we detect the appearance of the first anatomically modern humans. Several phases of these occupations have been recorded, characterized by changes in tools and their craftsmanship, as well as in the way they lived.
They continued to use flint to craft tools, although new instruments made from organic materials such as bone and antler can be detected. Stone tools are now more elongated to facilitate handling, which enabled the emergence of projectiles for long-distance animal hunting.
Fire (3) remained essential, but the shape of the fires changed. They became excavated pits in the ground to better control food cooking and achieve higher temperatures.
Evidence of the use of ornamental elements has also been found, such as marine shells (4) that came from the coast over 150 km away from the cave. This more symbolic aspect is also reflected in engraved bones (5) with geometric motifs and the use of ochre (red pigment), which was likely used both for skin protection and body decoration, possibly as a form of identity expression.
These hunter-gatherer groups were replaced by the first agricultural and pastoral societies around 7,000 years ago. New objects appear, such as ceramic containers and bones from domesticated animals (6), such as goats and sheep, indicating the adoption of a new way of life based on agriculture and animal husbandry.
Throughout this period, the cave was part of a network of settlements related to the transhumance of sheep and goats, connecting the plains of Lleida with the high-altitude meadows of the Pyrenees.
Going to the tobacco cave is the quintessential Camarasa excursion. Its 300 meters of elevation gain and a little more than two hours of travel make it an ideal excursion for families with children, to do it in spring or autumn.
Map of the excursion area
We left the car after the dam, heading towards Cellers. We go back, since the path leaves from the side of the dam. The path is very well marked. The first part passes through a shady and humid area, among lush vegetation, mostly shrubs. In the second, on the south side of the Mont-roig mountain range, the rock dominates. Here, we have good views over the Mu gorge, where you can see the Alós de Balaguer castle in the distance, and over the Leridana plain. The final part of the route is equipped with towbars, chains and iron ladders, via ferrata type that make the ascent a little difficult.
The cave is protected against vandalism with metal bars where there is a door with a combination lock managed by Espai Origens.
The large cave, 130 meters deep, 20 meters high and about 15 meters wide, is a karst formation with stalagmites and stalactites. There are also some very deteriorated Neolithic paintings. It is a good idea to bring a light so you can inspect the cave.
The Tobacco Cave was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1998.
This app allows us
read the contents of the different QR codes that are arranged along the route that goes to the cave.
Mu Gorge - Alós CastleStaples and chainsArea in excavationSegre river - CamarasaInformation poster
Translated from the Informational Poster
THE KARST
The Cova del Tabac is located in the municipal district of Camarasa, on the southern slope of the cliffs of the Mont-roig mountain range, shortly after the confluence of the Noguera Pallaresa River with the Segre River and about 300 meters above the river level.
The cave is approximately 15 meters wide, 20 meters high, and 80 meters long before changing direction to the north, continuing for about 110 meters more and ending due to a collapse of the ceiling. After the collapse, the cave continues for about 30 meters more, where the northern entrance is located, known as Cova del Pas del Sastre.
The Cova del Tabac (Camarasa) and the Avenc i Cova del Pas del Sastre (Les Avellanes i Santa Linya) are part of the same karstic unit, partially filled with clastic sediments from the floods that entered through the large opening of the avenc, eventually blocking the center of the natural tunnel and exiting through the Tabac entrance.
The cave is located within the Limestone Formation of the Mountains, with an age of approximately 70 million years (Upper Cretaceous). It contains marine fossils and is situated within the thrust sheets of the Marginal Mountains, one of the three resulting from the uplift of the Pyrenees towards the south.
THE SITE
The first reports of the Cova del Tabac were provided by Francisco de Zamora between the years 1785 and 1790 in the Diary of Travels in Catalonia. In 1880, Josep Pleyan de Porta referred to it as a dwelling from the Bronze Age. Lluís Marià Vidal conducted archaeological excavations in 1892 and 1893, recovering materials that would be studied and later published by other researchers such as J. Serra Ràfols in his work on the prehistoric settlement of Catalonia (1930) or J. Maluquer de Motes (1945).
The materials recovered by Marià Vidal indicate a long occupation of the cave with Neolithic elements and ceramics apparently characteristic of that period and later phases, including ceramic fragments, abundant querns, percussion tools, flint blades, a bone awl, shell bracelets, a boar's tusk, and many shells.
Some ceramic fragments are decorated with finger incisions, digitate cords, and garlands, while others feature incised decoration with lines and triangles. Vidal also mentions the presence of domestic and wild animal remains, as well as some human bones (parietals and skulls).
ROCK PAINTINGS
The rock paintings of Cova del Tabac were discovered in 1978 by Lluís Díez Coronel, who presented them in 1983 at the XVII National Archaeology Congress.
12 painted figures were identified: 1 curved line, 1 anthropomorphic figure that could correspond to an eye, 1 star-shaped figure (a circular element with 10 rays), 1 radiating rectangle, 1 quadruped, and various lines and remnants of indeterminate morphology. Based on the typology of some elements, such as the eye, star-shaped figure, and pectiniform figure, the paintings could be dated to the Bronze Age.
In 1986, the Service of Archaeology and Paleontology of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia carried out comprehensive documentation of the paintings as part of the "Corpus of Rock Paintings of Catalonia" project.
Within the research project "Human Settlement in the Eastern Pre-Pyrenees during the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene," conducted by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (CEPAP-UAB), two new painted figures were discovered in 2016 and are currently under study.
In 2017, the Service of Archaeology and Paleontology removed graffiti that directly affected the paintings and carried out their consolidation.
Balaguer, the former capital of the County of Urgell, is distinguished by its rich history and cultural diversity. Its imposing Gothic wall, along with Andalusian remnants, attests to its past since the 9th century. The coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the medieval city highlights its multicultural character. The arcaded Mercadal square and its weekly market reflect its vitality as a social center. Additionally, the Gothic church of Santa Maria, the Holy Christ, and the illustrated balconies honor its cultural heritage.
Walking along the 500 meters of the Balaguer wall that have been restored is a good way to start getting to know what was the capital of the County of Urgell from 1130 to 1413.
We parked the car next to the Segre in the Pont Nou and we headed to the arcaded plaza of the Mercadal, where there is a market every Saturday. Looking towards the town hall, we take the alley on the right that takes us to the Portal del Gel, on the other side there is a structure that allows us to climb the wall.
If we go to the right, we walk on top of the wall that is more than a meter and a half wide, enjoying excellent views of the city and the Noguera plain. On the other side, a metal walkway takes us up to the Gothic church of Santa Maria.
The part of the wall that can be visited, in addition to access through the Portal del Gel, has doors at both ends, in Santa María and in the Torre del Bombo.
The three entrances to the wall are closed and are managed by the tourist information point located in the Museum of the Noguera.
Gel or Monzón Portal
Except for small Andalusian sections, this part of the visitable wall dates from the 14th century, from the county period.
The largest stones in the following photo are fragments of the Andalusian wall that is attached to the Christian wall, and present a construction structure very similar to the Andalusian wall of Castell Formós from the 9th century.
Balaguer Walls Flyer
Be sure to look at the flyer made by Noguera Museum from which I have extracted the following map of the walls, both Gothic and Andalusian.
Extracted from a flyer from the Noguera Museum
Balaguer Andalusí - Noguera Museum
Balaguer became a medina in the 9th century, the result of a military camp held by Muslims in the 8th century. The city developed under the protection of the camp wall and experienced parallel growth with its wall during the 9th and 10th centuries. The camp and subsequent medina occupied an area of 25 hectares known as the Almatà plan, which is one of the most important medieval sites in Catalonia.
Balaguer within the Andalusian culture does not have the importance that Tortosa and Lleida may have, but it has the advantage that the city moved towards the southeast over the years, leaving the Andalusian area free of later constructions, which currently facilitates your research.
The Andalusians who lived in Balaguer already had artisans specialized in making ceramics.
They looked at the world in the opposite direction to current Westerners and placed the Arabian Peninsula in the center. The Iberian Peninsula is on the far right and is the opposite of usual.
They were looking for gold in the Segre River that the waters carried from the Pyrenees.
Andalusian bombs
El Mercadal
The arcaded plaza of El Mercadal is medieval, and has always been the social center of Balaguer.
Porticoed Plaza del Mercadal.
The Jewish quarter
In Balaguer, the three monotheistic cultures, Christians, Muslims and Jews, coexisted since the city's Andalusian era. In the 14th century, the Jews were moved to the south of the Plaza del Mercadal by royal order, creating the Jewish quarter, which was the name given to the Jewish neighborhood of Balaguer. In the 15th century, there was a Jewish community of about 300 inhabitants who even had their own legal system. At the end of the 15th century, they were expelled from the peninsula by decree of the Catholic Monarchs.
Objects from the Balaguer Jewish quarter.
Santa Maria
From the final part of the wall, in the Bombo tower, former Franco observatory during the Civil War, looking in the direction of Sant Llorenç de Montgai and Camarasa, we see from left to right, the Gothic church of Santa Maria, the mosque converted into the church of Sant Crist, the Sierra del Mont Roig of reddish rock, Sant Jordi in Camarasa, Sant Mamet in Alòs de Balaguer, and further down the Montsec.
Within the Fars de Ponent tourist route, in Balaguer you go up to the Torre del Moro of the Santa Maria church, which is the one on the left in the previous and subsequent photographs.
Illustrated Balconies
In the Historic Center of Balaguer, Núria Riba has created a mural tribute to Frederic Letamendi, in the Plaza del Carrer dels Teixidors,
highlighting traditional Balaguerine customs.
Very close by, in the Museum Square, there is another illustrated balcony that pays homage to Margaret of Montferrat, mother of Count Jaume d'Urgell, in this case the work of Oriol Arumí.
Influence, money and knowledge allowed the Girona family to gather more than a thousand hectares of rainfed cereals, provide them with irrigation and give them added value by planting quality vines. Over the years an important wine colony was formed, with its own castle and sanctuary, which at the beginning of the 20th century already had a great export capacity.
Currently the estate belongs to the Cusiné family that produces high-quality wines with the Costers del Segre designation of origin. The winery is part of the Association of the Lleida Wine Route and can be visited.
The Mont-rebei gorge connects the regions of Pallars Jussà and La Noguera by a horse path dug into the rock of Montsec d'Ares, the border of Catalonia. On the other side, in Aragon, we have a vertical wall where Montsec de l'Estall begins. And in the middle, the author of the work, the Noguera Ribagorçana river slowed down by the dam of Canelles.
Camí de ferradura
Itinerary from Pertusa to the Sant Jaume ravine
The route, of about 7 kilometers from the hermitage of Pertusa de Corçà to the Hanging Bridge of the Sant Jaume ravine near Pont de Montanyana, is the most well-known and traveled in the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida. You will not be disappointed, the panoramic views of the Canelles reservoir, the part of the path dug into the rock, the limestone walls of Montsec, the birds of prey, the Colomera cave and the suspension bridge make it an exceptional itinerary.
It is necessary to avoid the hottest days and be well supplied with water, even though there are a couple of springs, as the Lleida sun will not have mercy on us.
Suspension bridge that connects Catalonia and Aragon
Itinerary from Montfalcó to Masieta
A few years ago, the Aragonese government built a metallic suspension bridge over the Noguera Ribagorzana and wooden stairs in a zigzag pattern on the rock of Montsec de Estall, which connect Aragon with Catalonia and they open up new possible routes for us.
The stairs, which allow us to overcome 50 meters of unevenness, are the most spectacular part of this new itinerary.
In this case from La Masieta to the Montfalco refuge, between the round trip there are about 17 kilometers that can be done in less than 5 hours.
Stairs embedded in the rock on the Aragon side
Where do we start?
We can begin our itinerary in the Masieta, at the Montañana Bridge; in Pertusa, in the Àger Valley; and in Montfalcó, in Aragón.
If we expect a lot of traffic, it is better to start from Montfalcó, where there is a large and free parking lot. The Pertusa car park has capacity for about 50 cars and is also free. The Masieta parking is paid and serves as an access regulator to the gorge as it allows us to reach the gorge without too much effort.
We include some of the possible routes and times starting in La Masieta, in all cases only one way:
Masieta - Montfalcó: 8.5 km - 2.2 hours.
Masieta - Siegué Suspension Bridge: 5 km - 1.5 hours.
Masieta - Pertusa: 10 km - 2.5 hours.
Canelles reservoir
Mont-rebei by Noguera Ribagorçana
There is also the possibility of exploring the gorge by kayak or boat through the calm waters of the Canelles reservoir, where we will see the spectacular walls that rise above us.
