Canigou Mountain
The Canigou is a 2800 m high mountain located in the French side of the Pyrenees. Due to its sharp flanks and its dramatic location near the coast, until the 18th century the Canigou was believed to be the highest mountain in the Pyrenees. The mountain has symbolical significance for Catalans. On its summit stands a cross that is often decorated with the Catalan flag. In ancient days it was believed that the mountain is dominated by spirits and gods and this is mainly because of the clouds that were surrounding its pic (similar to the Olympus mountain in Greece)
Walks
There are several trails around the mountain and also a possibility to climb the peak itself. The walk around the mountain take several days and sleeping is done in special refuges which are open for several months only. It is a must to book a place in those refuges well in advance. Click HERE to get more information.
The treks that we did personally and hereby described, are:
* 4 days around the Canigou - Circular. Starting point Mariailles parking.
Read more HERE
* 4 days around the Canigou + climb to summit - circular. Starting point Vernet-les-Bains.
Read more HERE
Maps:
It is my advise that you have the good old paper map in addition to any navigation application on your mobile. The needed map is this: Carte de randonnée du Canigou (Pyrénées), n°10 | Rando Editions. You can purchase HERE or HERE
Refuges:
It is advisable to make reservation in all the refuges you need to sleep immediately when you know your dates. It is enough that one refuge will be full exactly in the date you want and in this case you will have to revise your planes (such as the starting point of the circuit).
The refuges are:
Cortalets - 2150m
Reservations HERE
Mariailles - 1718m
Reservations HERE
Batere - 1470m
Reservation HERE
Sant Guillem - 1283m
Reservation HERE
Auberge de Py
Reservation HERE
Arriving with car and points to start the walk can be seen HERE
