The valley borders the “Aiguestores” National Park where development is restricted. Aiguestores (“twisted waters”) is Catalonia’s only National Park and offers some spectacular scenery with many species of wildlife, including roe deer, marmots and chamois. Some of the plant life dates back to glacial times.

The orientation of the valley and high mountain peaks (a third of the valley is above 2000 metres) provides a natural barrier into Spain. The Garona river starts in the plains of Beret and meanders down into France, finally emptying into the Atlantic at Bordeaux.

Until the 20th Century, passages to the Val D’Aran were limited and totally unpassable during winter months but the mountain road through Bonaigua, constructed in 1924, and the Vielha tunnel, constructed in 1948, allowed the first easy access into Spain. Prior to this the valley was closely related to the Occitan culture found in Southern France and had administrative connections with France.

The valley has rich history, and archaeological finds suggest the valley has been occupied since the bronze age. The local architecture is notable and in keeping with the surrounding landscape; all new builds are constructed in local stone to match older buildings. A lot of larger villages and hamlets have restored their churches and created museums to show off tapestries and architectural finds dating back 500 years or more.

Many of these villages are connected by the old “Camin Reiau” (Royal Walk) footpath dating back to Roman times. The Romans occupied some of the villages with natural thermal springs such as Les and Tredos.

In the last thousand years the valley has witnessed many changes including Roman Occupation, invasion by Napoleon, two republics and two dictatorships. The Aranese people have always been in charge of their own administration which has caused some conflict with Spanish and French authorities. It is only since 1979 that the privileges of the valley have been fully restored.

Over time, the local Aranese people have always been self sufficient and have fought to retain their heritage and culture. This is demonstrated by the pride they show in areas such as the local architecture, gastronomy and their own language, “Aranese”, which is widely spoken and is taught at local schools.

Many of the villages such as Vileha, Arties, Unha and Salardu are all worth exploring for traditional tapas bars and local cuisine. Lots of the villages have summer festivals, where traditional activities are demonstrated and celebrated.

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