How fit for Pyrenees?
Hard trails high up. Long days on your feet. Ground most people only see in photos. A small group — you'll know everyone's name by day two. Here's what that means in practice, day by day.
- Difficulty
- —
- Duration
- 7 days
- Group
- Up to 12 participants
- Dates
- Oct 5–12, 2026
What it asks, day by day.
Day one starts at Barcelona Airport. From there, we drive to Espot, a small village in the Pyrenees. It's our gateway to the mountains. You'll join a team, check in, and find your feet. We gather for our first dinner together. Then we rest. Outside, the high peaks wait for tomorrow.
Day two is our first real day high in the Pyrenees. We start at Estany de Sant Maurici and traverse Aigüestortes National Park. You'll run 16 km, climbing 1,314m up to Tuc de la Ratera at 2,861m. Then we drop down to Refugi de Colomers. Lakes, ridgelines, and granite all around us.
Day 3 starts soft. We ease down from Colomers to Banhs de Tredos, 5 km and 570m down. Then we drive to Vielha for lunch. In the afternoon we climb to Refugio Cap de Llauset, 3 km and 330m up. It is remote and wild up there. You sleep high, with the mountains all around.
Day 4 is the big drop. From Cap de Llauset we climb to Tuc de Vallibierna or Culebras, gaining 930m. Then comes the long fall to Cerler, nearly 1,700m down over rough alpine ground. About 16km in all. Your legs will burn. We transfer to Benasque for the night, granite still in your eyes.
Day 5 is our easy day. We transfer up to Llanos del Hospital for active recovery and light trail running. No pressure, just space to breathe and move. Then a flowing descent back to Benasque, about 13 km, with +180m up and 770m down. We end with a farewell dinner. Tired legs, full hearts, mountains still in your eyes.
Today we split. The Core group heads home to Barcelona. But you'll join me for more. We take a mountain track over Puerto de Sahún to the wild Chistau Valley. Twelve kilometres, 600m up, 600m down. We run near Refugio de Marradetas, then taste local Pyrenean food. The night ends round a barbecue, the mountains still in our legs.
Day 8 is your last morning. We share one more breakfast together. Then I'll see you off for the transfer back to Barcelona. The tour ends here. Take a moment before you go. Look back at the peaks we ran, the long climbs, the deep valleys. The Pyrenees stay with you long after the road home.
Good questions
How fit do I need to be for Pyrenees?
This trip is demanding. See the day-by-day breakdown on this page for what it asks. Expect a short call before you commit so we can tell you honestly whether it's right for you.
Am I too slow for Pyrenees?
Group trips aren't races. Dioni Gorla sets a standard you need to meet, not a pace you need to beat. If you can meet the standard, you belong. The call before you commit is where we settle it.
What if I'm not fit enough yet?
Apply anyway and tell us where you're at. Trips are scheduled months ahead, and after you join the team you get a training plan and a kit list. Many participants arrive a different athlete than they applied as.