Andorra
Destination
2 days
duration
5/5
Difficulty
700/1000m
height difference
Min-Max 2-4
group

This experience is a camp on the snow, in the mountains, to look for the rock ptarmigan: a polar adventure in the heart of the Pyrenees.

It is seven AM and the thermometer reads minus 20 Celsius degrees. The camp where we have slept is completely frozen. It is difficult to put on your hiking boots but it is even more difficult to go out of the sleeping bag. Lucky we are because Marc is making hot coffee for us. The dog is ready to guide us during this cool winter morning. We want to move and get warm; the ptarmigan is waiting for us.

It could be a story set in Scandinavia, but no, it is an adventure offered by Pirenalia, unique and unrepeatable. Spend with us two days at the mountains, an experience after the ptarmigan. In the most extreme conditions is where the rock ptarmigan lives; white during the winter season, is the king of the mountain.

Quite difficult to be seen with the naked eye, we will go after them with a specialized dog , trained for the tracking of high mountains birds. The excursion is a trekking path with snow rackets and an overall elevation of seven hundred meters that will take us to our camp set at 2.500 meters; from this point we will be alone with the mountain and other tiny inhabitants. It is a unique experience in extreme conditions after the mythical animal.

Destination: Andorran pyrenees (Andorra)
Dates: between 10 January and 15 April
Available places per day: 4 persons (minimum 2 persons)
Duration: a day and a half (one night)
Place of departure / arrival Andorra
Price: 400 € per person
Special Photography:

Although the experience is something magical itself, in Pirenalia we will work hard to make our guests take photos of one of the most emblematic species in the Pyrenees. It is not easy at all; the terrain is difficult to walk through, the conditions are extreme; and you must be very fast and keep your senses awake to take the desired photography.

Our guides recommend a monkey foot, essential to support the objective; cameras prepared to shoot in low light conditions; long distance lens; spare battery and memory cards. If available, a waterproof protection in case it snows. You must bear in mind that you will have to climb up with your equipment on your back! It would be interesting to carry all the equipment in the same backpack as it becomes very uncomfortable to come up with two backpacks.

1

Day 1:

After picking you up at the hotel, we will climb an upward of seven hundred meters of unevenness, walking in the snow with snow rackets. On the way up, we will meet the specie and discover its tracks, we will cross alpine forests where, if we are tremendously lucky, we will be able to see or find tracks of another inhabitant of the woods, the grouse. Once on the camp, we will leave our baggage there, we will have lunch and we will take the indispensables things to see the ptarmigan. We will spend the whole afternoon searching the snow ptarmigan. At the sunset we will come back to the camp where we will be delighted with a warm dinner around the fireplace. It will take a “rom cremat” an alcoholic drink typical from Catalonia that will warm us during the dessert. We will sleep in tents.

2

Day 2:

At early morning hours, we will wake up and have an energetic breakfast. We will continue with the search for the lagopod. We will come back to our vehicles between 12PM and 1PM, and we will farewell in the hotel.

Map

Who is this excursion for?

It is for nature photographers and lovers of strong sensations. You will sleep at an altitude of 2.500 meters in a tent set on the snow. During 2 days you will only walk on your snow rackets on your feet on a lonely place.

In a day and a half we will make more than 1.000 meters of difference with snow rackets and over the snow. This may require a considerable effort. In addition, the temperature during the night might go down to minus 20ºC. For all these reasons you have to be in a good physical condition for this trip.

It’s winter and we will be at an altitude of 2.500 meters. We will be surrounded by snow so it will be quite cold, even freezing. There could be showers, storms, wind gusts or snow; but still being a sunny day, it will be terrible cool.

 A sleeping bag for very low temperatures up to minus 20ºC  A ground sheet  A headlamp  Mountain boots  2 pairs of thick winter socks  Polar fleece, anorak, gloves (2 pairs at least), winter hat  Sunglasses (a good ones)  Your personal belongings  A rucksack big enough to carry everything. It must be just one bag, having to carry two in the track might be an inconvenient.  Waterproof jacket

You will be picked up at the place you will have been told about by email (Andorra) and you will be taken in a 4×4 car to the starting point. The food is included; lunch and dinner for the first day, breakfast for the second day and energy bars. The snow rackets are also included. You will have 2 mountain guides and the trained dog. If you do not have a proper sleeping bag or a ground sheet we can hire you the material. We can provide you with an extreme weather conditions sleeping bag for a supplement of 20 euros and a ground sheet for just 5 euros.