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“Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Camins, we plan a new route that will link the Tour of Aneto with Aigüestortes National Park in the Val d’Aran”
He manages the oldest company of mountain activities in Catalonia, specializing in trekking, skiing and many other forms of adventure sports. Jose Luis Garcia founded Camins in 1986 with his teammate Genis Roca and today, on the threshold of the 30th anniversary of the company and a burly team of experts guides, they are leaders in organizing tours self-guided under its brand “Andando sin equipaje” (Walking without luggage). Last summer they launched the “Tour del Aneto“, destined to become the star route on which they already have in mind some improvements for next season.
How Camins has evolved over its 30 years of history?
José Luis Garcia, general manager of Camins
When we founded the company in 1986, after returning from an expedition to the Himalayas, our goal was exclusively mountain activities: hiking, climbing, mountain ascents and others. Gradually we incorporated all activities now called adventure sports: canyoning, mountain biking, via ferrata … And about eight years ago we started with the project that we call self-guided tours, which give the customer the opportunity to do it on your own.
Your client must also have changed over the past 30 years
Since then the evolution has been very important. We have new market segments such as school groups, who undertake trips prom in the spring; mountaineering groups, staying in hotel making sightseeing and hiking; and groups of seniors that combine cultural visits with easy hiking. In addition, customers over the years have evolved technically a higher level, seeking activities more difficult, especially in the categories of climbing, mountain climbing, and mountaineering or via ferrata.
How the season unfolds?
We started at Easter. In spring school groups come and we also begin to have the first groups of foreigners. Some markets, such as Japanese or German, they usually move in May and June so they can avoid the main summer months here. Then we started with self-guided tours and “Andando sin equipaje”. This is a product widely known in Europe and with the help of French, Gereman and Belgian tour operators we have hikers from June to October. Precisely we have dismissed the season with the last walkers who just made the Via Calda and Encantats route, last weekend of Pilar holiday.
Saboredo refuge
You have become leaders in this type of hiking.
Yes. We started with a route that takes place entirely in the Val d’Aran, the Setau Sageth (Seventh Seal). Then we assemble the d’Aigüestortes National Park and Val d’Aran (the route dels Encantats); one that combines hiking with staying at local hot springs, Via Calda; and this year we launched the Tour of Aneto a self-guided walking route which takes 6 days around the Aneto.
How self-guided tours work?
We facilitate the customer all the information so the route can be made on the date they want. They can start when the want and in the way they want. They are always routes through marked trails, which have no technical difficulty added. It is given a topographic map, the GPS tracks for the entire journey and a notebook with the description of the route. And the added value of these routes is that they all offer the transport of luggage from one accommodation to the next to facilitate the crossing, especially in those hardest stages with a significant slope.
How do you evaluate the last season?
Seatu Sageth route
The demand of this hiker modality is increasingly because don’t have to go loaded with backpack and they sleep comfortably in a hotel that is in a village, so they have more contact with all the cultural and culinary items in the area. Camins has been a pioneer in Spain with the launch of the brand “Andando sin equipaje” and we practically are the ones who do it here. Last year we had an increase of about 25%.
You have also extended the offer with the new “Tour of Aneto” route
Yes. It’s a circular tour of 115 Km for 5 valleys around the Aneto: Val d’Aran, Luchon, Benasque, Castanesa and Barrabés. It’s a hiking trail that has no technical difficulty, always passes through marked trails, some of them historical. It was launched on July 1 and has now finished on the Pilar holiday.
How do you evaluate this first year?
The first year helps us to assess the organization, accommodation, catering, transport baggage infrastructure. The assessment -through our surveys with customers- has been highly successful, both the route and the organization, so we are fully optimistic. And so say all who participate in the path: restaurants, hotels and other services.
Tell us about the tour by Aran lands
Tour del Aneto. Artiga de Lin
The tour is circular, begins and ends in Vielha and we are looking to incorporate a new stage -which would be the first- that would come from Vielha to l’Artiga de Lin by Bassa d’Oles, but it couldn’t be effective until the shelter was saved. So, by the time, we leave from Viella by a transfer to Uelhs deth Joeu and we start there, because it is a symbolic place where the water coming from the melting glacier Aneto arises. Then we climb up Coll Infern and entered the valley of Luchon. After touring the Valley of Benasque and Castanesa, walked back into the Val d’Aran through the valley of Barrabés, we pass the Conangles refuge, and make the historical road of Port de Vielha to back to Vielha, where we ended up.
And besides walking, the path includes accommodations and activities.
We give a basic package and from here you can choose: hotel, apartments, village restaurants…. We also have a range of partner establishments and seek activities that give an added value to the path: a free tasting of valley liqueurs, an invitation to know the Palai de Geu in Vielha, etc.
And now you are thinking of enlarge it!
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Camins, we plan a new route that will link the Tour del Aneto with Aigüestortes National Park by the Val d’Aran. We were looking for a way to unite Maladeta Natural Park and Aiguestores and we will extend the current route of the Tour of Aneto up to 9 days that will pass through the national park of the Val d’Aran, the lakes of Colomers, the Baths of Tredos and the whole area of Naut Aran. It can be really interesting for those hikers who seek long routes!
