Table of Contents
Day 1: Pyrenees Hiking Adventure – Prullans, Spain
- Starting Point: Prullans
- Ending Point: Prullans
- Distance: 9 kilometers/ 5.5 miles
- Altitude Gain/Loss (in meters): 200 ascent, 490 descent
- Est. Time on Trail: 2 – 4 hours
Prullans is a quaint and quiet little village overlooking the Cerdanya valley. We arrived the day before our hike began and basked in the tranquility while taking in the green valley views.
The next day was our first on the trail, and it was basically a warm-up for what was to follow. Our hosts at the fabulous Cerdanya Resort hotel drove us some six kilometers out of town and left us near an access point to the trail in the La Llosa valley. We followed it north for a hour or so until we encountered a serene waterfall, after which we hiked back towards the hotel. We made an hour long detour to visit a small village overlooking the valley.
There is very little in terms of elevation and this stage of the trail. It can be walked by just about anyone who enjoys short hikes.
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The Hike – Prullans
With an early morning spring in our steps we followed the trail north, on a valley floor pathway which was sandwiched between a river and a vast field of wildflowers.
Much of this portion of the trail was flat until about an hour into the hike where it veered right and began a mild incline. The horizontal white and red blazes that mark the Cami (or the GR107 as it is referred to on trail maps) led us to a serene waterfall with crystal clear water rushing over large flat topped boulders.
The trail continued over the base of the waterfall where we cross a brightly painted yellow wooden bridge. On the other side we discovered a large open field and basked in the morning sun while enjoying the sounds and sight of the waterfall.
We returned back down to the trail toward our starting point. Earlier we spotted a small village, Viliella, overlooking the valley and decided to make a detour to visit it on the way back. The path to a dusty dirt road leading to the village was not hard to find from the actual Cami, and we followed it uphill for a kilometer or so.
Once we arrived in the quiet village we were welcomed by the proprietor of a small restaurant. There we enjoyed a cup of coffee in their outdoor patio while admiring views of the valley. Tiny Spanish villages are always a pleasure to visit, and this one was no exception. Well worth the 90 minute or so detour.
We took a a different route back down to the Cami, walking through blooming yellow wildflowers on a small, poorly maintained goat trail.
Once back at the original starting point we followed the trail as it meandered through the woods alongside a small river in the direction of Prullans.
We gradually began to gain elevation, walking out of the forest as the trail ran up alongside the valley. The views along this portion of the trail were phenomenal, and whet our appetite for what we might see in the coming days while on Cami dels Bons Homes.
Where to Stay in Prullans
We LOVED Cerdanya Eco-Resort in Prullans. The hotel, which opened in 1947, has been in the same family for generations. The resort offers a wide variety of accommodation options from traditional hotel rooms, apartments, bungalows, and campsites. Out of respect for its natural surroundings Cerdanya Resort has used solar thermal panel for energy since 1975.
The hotel has an excellent spa with an aromatic bio-sauna, a Finnish sauna, steam room, tranquility pool, an outdoor jacuzzi with panoramic views of the Pyrenees, a hydration bar, and a water mist passage way that massages your calves. It is a beautiful and tranquil setting to pamper yourself before or after an intense hike.
The hotel offers a huge breakfast buffet with everything you will need for the upcoming day, including cereal, breads, cooked options, fruit, chocolate, salads, and coffee, tea, and juice. Most evenings during high season the hotel also has a delicious dinner buffet with soups, salads, breads, main courses, and dessert, wine, beer, and coffee.On Friday evenings the Cerdanya Resort serves up a real Cathari dinner, letting guests experience the foods and flavors of the Cathars, who were among the first “vegans” in recorded history.
Next is a breakdown of Day 2 of our hike on the Cami dels Bons Homes!
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Great article!! I’m in Spain now, learning a lot about its history but unfortunately won’t be doing this hike this time around. But next time, for sure!!
Thanks Goska! Where in Spain are you?
I hope you do get to hike the Cami dels Bons Homes, it was one of the best experiences we’ve had in our last 16 months of travel!
I’m so impressed that you did this hike and it looks as if you had fabulous weather. What a fascinating history. Did you see many other hikers on the trail?
Hi Carol! Thank you! Yes, we got really lucky with the weather!
We only saw one or two other hikers on the trail. It is an interesting experience because you are completely immersed in nature without another soul around for most of the time. It gave me the opportunity to do a lot of thinking and observing. Those five days were incredible.
HI Randi! I just came across of your article. We are planning to do the hike early this June but were wondering if one needs to book all accommodations ahead of time. Also, does one need to be prepared to carry much food or are there reliable sources of food on the path? From your article, it seems so.
Hi Tanya, I’m really happy you are doing this hike. It is an amazing experience and can’t wait to hear what you think about it.
Regarding accommodations, I’d suggest that you book in advance. There are a few days that are strenuous and looking for a hostel/hotel is probably the last thing you’ll want to do. Also, I’m not sure if you’re planning on following the exact route we did, but if you book in advance you can get advice from each hostel/hotel to better map out your route. Additionally, you can reach out to the Cami dels Bons Homes Regulatory Counsel for guidance. They are very helpful! Let them know we recommended them.
As for food, I didn’t bring a thing with me before arriving. The Regulatory Counsel was amazing at communicating with each of the hotels/hostels to accommodate my dietary requirements, and there was always something for Michael to eat. Each day the hotel/hostel we were staying at packed a lunch for us, and we ate breakfast/dinner on-site. Once you’re on the trail each day, there are very few places, if any on some sections, to get food. So, you do need to bring lunch/snacks each day.
I hope that helps, feel free to send more questions over and have an amazing time.
Dear Randi, thank you so much for your extremely helpful response! It looks like The Regulatory Counsel is a very helpful place indeed. We would like to use their services, but it appears they are only available in Spanish. Can we write to them in English? We speak French but not Spanish. And how do they work? If we give them our dates and itinerary, will they be able to help us with booking our accommodations? what other help were you able to get from them? Thank you for your help! Tanya
Dear Randi, many thanks for your very helpful reply! Your pictures and description of the hike made us even more excited about the hike. If you don’t mind, I have a few more questions. The Regulatory Counsel appears like a very helpful place indeed, but they appear to be in Spanish only. Is it possible to write to them in English? What kind of services/support do they provide? Can we give them our itinerary and ask their help with booking accommodations?
Tanya
Hi Tanya,
We communicated with them in English. They are the same as a tourism board for the area. You can request information from them about the area and hiking. Regarding accommodations, they may be able to make suggestions on where to stay or you can see the individual articles (Day 1, Day 2, etc.) where we give details about where we stayed and booking links.
I hope this info is helpful. All the best.
Very good article indeed, both interesting and informative.
We have a great range of holiday properties in Catalonia and many of our clients like to do walks in the hills and mountains (we even have a group of geologists coming out to survey some mountain areas this summer) so we can help anyone planning a trip wanting somewhere with a private pool to stay.
All the best
Peter Horrocks – Villas du Monde
What a great hike and summary! I was wondering if you could let me know how you got yourselves to the starting town, Prullans. Did you rent a car and leave it there, and then get a ride back to it after the 5 days? I’ll be getting there from Barcelona so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Sara
HI Sara, glad you enjoyed the summary. We arrived in Prullans by train from Barcelona. At the end of the hike we, in the last town, we too a bus back to BCN. When will you be going?
We are bringing a tent. Is it possible to camp along the way?
Hi Randi! What a great read, really informative! I’m looking to do part of this at the end of May this year and was wondering if you could lend some answers on a few questions!
– How scarce is the water out there? Were the natural water sources safe to fill up from if using a water purifier and if not, were there any water dispensers along the route besides the towns?
– How successful would you say your experience was of resupplying in each town food wise? If you were to hike in the area again would you considering carrying your own food instead (freeze dried meals etc).
– How were the mosquitos/bugs? Especially at night!
– Were there any parts that proved surprisingly tricky for you? For instance, navigation (lack of signs/clear trail)/finding the trail to and from towns/getting to the trail from Barcelona/dealing with people in towns?
Thanks in advance!