5. From the refuge Vall-Ferrera to Tavascan by the refuge Baborte.
Unevenness: +1215, -2000 m.
Distance: 19,3 kms.
Time: 8.45h.
Difficulty: *** Is the longest and harshest stage of the circuit.
The path passes through the pretty lakes of Baborte, it goes up to the Roca Cigalera of 2667 metres and follows the hillock to, later, flank the mountains of Boldís, and arriving at the GR 11 follow to Tavascan.
For the people that don't do competition there are two easier options:
We can do a shorter stage, but very interesting, going down to the Plans de Boavi by the Sellente valley, and from here by the forest road to Tavascan, where we will arrive in about 8 hours.
If we are very tired we can do two stages following the GR-11, one to the village of Àreu and the next to Tavascan. These stages follow a lot of stretches of forest road that they make lose charm. Etapa 5.1
From the year 2.006, the Parc Natural de l'Alt Pirineu recommended us to do a variation in this stage to protect an untouched natura at the mountains of Boldís, like it was fifty years ago, when this old livestock-farming path left to be used. In fact, the Selves de Lladorre were one of the last places of the region where the bears used to live. By this way we climb one more peak in the circuit, the Roca Cigalera. This is the description of the variation that isn't in the Certascan guide.
3.25 h. Pass of Sellente, 2490 m. We go down directly the Sellente valley to the NW, always by the right side of the bottom of the ravine, and passing near of some ponds. When the path turns more to the north to go down the Sellente valley, where we will see a demolished hut, and a stick of colors to measure the thickness of the snow, we will continue direction to the Becero pass, and straight away we will see some stonies of rocks, reminding the old glaciers.
3.45 h. Stony of rocks, 2380 m. We will turn to the south-west, crossing these rocks and with direction to the very visible pass of the Llacuna. We cross with relative easiness these rocks, and later by herbed slopes very upright at the last mestres we will arrive to the pass of the Llacuna.
4.45 h. Pass of the Llacuna, 2596 m. We follow the wide herb plains in direction to the north-west, to the peaks that are in that direction.
5.10 h. Roca Cigalera, 2667 m. Is interesting to go over to the more northern peak, cause the view to all the sides is spectacular. From now on all the path is going down, even though the end of the stage is still very far. We follow the herbed plains without marked path to arrive to the pass of Boldís.
5.40 h. Pass of Boldís, 2454 m. We turn totaly to the west, following some little marks of path, leaving a pond at our left and passing by the side of a big tree with an impressive width until to arrive at the plains that we cross to arrive to the hut.
6.15 h. Cabana de Boldís, 2202 m. From here we will follow the route described at the guides until arrive to Tavascan with a total of 8.45 hours.
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