Monturull and Perafita, two different worlds

After discovering the Orlú Valley, thanks to Carla, today I want to suggest an itinerary with two peaks that are together but very different. We are located in La Cerdanya, right on the border between Catalonia and Andorra and, specifically, our starting point will be the Pollineres refuge, where we can park the car. To get there you have to do it by forest track from Lles or from Arànser..

The route begins by going up to the refuge of the Pera lakes following the GR signs. You will pass by the Petit lake and at the first bend after the lake you leave the main track to climb a path to the Gran lake. Now you can perfectly contemplate the two peaks we will make! So far this is a very busy route in the Cerdanya. But now begins the loneliest part of the journey. From the lake we go up a path that hides in the forest and that will immediately take us to the torrent of Claror and the Bassot de Claror, places where if you go early and without making too much noise it is easy to see marmots running in hide in their dens when they see you coming.

From Bassot de Claror we start the climb to the top of Monturull (2,760m), we do it along a path that is drawn between screes that descend from the top and with spectacular views. After a short climb we will reach the ridge and the Monturull pass, from where we will make the last climb to the top. This is usually a peak with few people and its 2,760 meters of height allow us to enjoy a unique panorama. We are on the border with Andorra. Looking to the Northwest and following a rounded ridge, we see the Pic Negre d'Urgell and it is not difficult to imagine that perhaps by some of these paths we see not many years ago we could have seen someone loaded smuggling through the mountains or some Civil Guard couple watching from the heights ... After the well-deserved rest at the top, we start the most technical, aerial and fun part of the excursion, if you are not afraid of heights. To reach the top of the Perafita, a ridge awaits us, a little exposed and with some steps that will require us to use our hands to continue. The path has no loss as from where we are we can perfectly see the Perafita which is drawn like a pyramid in front of us, we just have to follow the border line.

Two hundred meters of descent and another two hundred ascents to make the second peak of the day. The Perafita or Tossal de la Truita (2,753m) is a much more frequented peak than the Monturull, either because the path is more signposted, because it is a little shorter or because it has no technical difficulties, here you will surely find people. Maybe some of you are surprised to see where you come from and, in fact, you will be arriving from the lesser-known Cerdanya. To return to the car you will have to go to the Coll de Perafita and from there follow the GR that will first take you to the Estanys de la Pera refuge and then return to the car. Needless to say, if you are encouraged to discover these corners, be respectful of the mountain as this way we can all enjoy it much more. I hope to see you in the mountains and if you want you can also find me at @ gagis86 and on the Bendhora website.