Alto Aragon, Spanish Pyrenees

Alto Aragon - Overview:

The Alto Aragon is a fabulous location for a mountain holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees. It is an unspoilt world that has remained relatively untouched by tourism and is home to high mountains, deep canyons, flower covered pastures, wild rivers, forests, many rare bird species, wildlife, idyllic villages and friendly people.

Whether you're looking for a walking or trekking holiday in the spring and summer or cross country skiing during the winter, here you can simply enjoy lovely villages and scenery or go birdwatching, mountaineering, skiing, rafting, canyoning and climbing. Many British tourists have a vague notion that Aragon was once a powerful kingdom (and the birthplace of King Henry the Eight's ill fated first wife), yet this largely over-looked autonomous region of Spain is teeming with riches ranging from heart-stopping Pyrenean mountain landscapes to mesmerising medieval Aragon Pyrenean towns and villages, many of which look as though they belong in a Brothers Grimm fairytale.

Aragon has a vast array of ski resorts, World Heritage sites and virgin countryside where lovers of nature and outdoor sports will feel they are in heaven. The fact that Aragon remains so unspoilt is part of its charm and remains a place where you can climb mountains, hack on horseback or drive a 4x4 through glacial valleys for hours on end without seeing another living soul.

Alto Aragon - Nature & Activities:

The Aragonese Pyrenees, bordering France, are home to Spain's oldest nature reserve the spectacularly beautiful Ordesa National Park, founded in 1918 by royal decree. The 55,000 acre reserve has lush valleys, waterfalls and alpine slopes carpeted with seasonal flowers including wild violets, edelweiss and orchids. The park is as perfect for gentle hiking as it is for white water rafting and challenging mountain climbing. The wildlife which abounds here includes eagles, otters, wild boar and chamois deer along with more than 170 bird species.

There are several good ski resorts - including Cerler, Formigal and Candanchu in Huesca province in the north of Aragon. Theyre relatively uncrowded, compared with better known Andorra (to the north east of the region) and the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, Andalucia. And they remain totally Spanish in character, attracting very few foreign skiers.

There are two tiny ski stations in Teruel province in the south of Aragon Valdelinares and Javalambre. The ski-ing is limited but the countryside is gorgeous, peppered with enchanting medieval towns and villages such as Mora de Rubielos and neighbouring Rubielos de Mora.

Alto Aragon - History:

Huesca, located at the foot of the Pyreneese mountain range, has a landscape of incredible beauty. Both Teruel and Zaragoza, the region's capital city, boast some spectacular gems from their Moorish past.

Teruel is the more outwardly inviting of the two cities and has won world recognition as the home of Spain's finest examples of Mudejar architecture. Mudejar is a term given to a unique style of architecture which arose from a period when Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in harmony, fusing elements of their very different cultures. Teruel was the birthplace of this type of architecture and the city's many Mudejar structures and monuments have been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. Teruel's highlights include the cathedral, with its beautiful bell towers and the churches of San Martin, San Pedro and El Salvador.

Zaragoza, the region's capital located at the Ebro river, is one of the great monumental cities of Spain. Its historic heritage of Romans and Moors is documented in its museums. Zaragoza is Spain's fifth largest city and a bustling, modern commercial centre. It attracts few foreign visitors despite having several fascinating historic sites including the 11th century Aljaferia Moorish Palace which is now the base of the Aragonese regional government. Once home to the Catholic monarchs Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, it is one of the most fabulous examples of Moorish architecture in Spain after Granada's famous Alhambra Palace.

Alto Aragon - Out & About:

Just outside of Teruel city is the Dinopolis 'edu-tainment' centre. It offers families a fun way to learn about the region's dinosaur days through a myriad of attractions including the Paleantology Museum, a 3-D cinema, time-travel ride and life-like animated T-Rex.