• Distance from Mas de Pau: 45 minutes by car
• Access: to the parking lot after driving along a well-marked 3 km track
• Distance routes: 3.5 km or 10.5 km
• Dogs allowed
• Difficulty: easy

It’s a typically mountain landscape, formed by an abrupt labyrinth of forest and rocks around the wonderful gorge. The Estrets d’Arnes is one of the most beautiful places in the Els Ports massif, the wildest mountains in southern Catalonia. The space includes more than 450 hectares of slopes and ravines in the middle of pine forests, bushes and meadows, at the westernmost end of the Els Ports Natural Park.

Three km from the town of Arnes we find the ‘Estrets’ route, a route very similar to Parrizal in technical characteristics but with a different landscape. The route is located inside the natural park Els Ports and is also a wildlife reserve. Access to Estrets d’Arnes is regulated in high season, only those people who park in its car park or arrive on foot from Arnes can visit it. The price of parking is 5 euros.

The route is simple, runs along a path throughout its entire length and presents no technical difficulty. The beginning of the route starts from the parking lot itself. There are 2 possibilities:

• 3.5 km circular route: short trail where you cross the river halfway and return
• 10 km circular route: you follow the previous path, to the Franqueta Recreational Area, where you continue next to the river, followed by a piece of forest. The Franqueta Recreational Area is the ideal place for a short rest or a picnic. This walk can also be started from La Franqueta, where there is plenty of parking and you do not have to pay admission during high season.

The Estrets River, the main artery of the space, runs sinuously, jumping from pool to pool between the rock formations that form curious walls. Please note: bathing is only allowed in the Toll Blau.

Tags: Arnes