Aigüestortes National Park expansion approved on 3 November

Aigüestortes National Park (Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici) is at the centre of an expansion proposal approved in Spain on 3 November 2026. The plan concerns the high-mountain park in the Pyrenees and its surrounding protection zone.

The decision gives travellers a current reason to follow the park's future boundaries, although the proposal still requires approval through a law passed by the Spanish parliament.

Aigüestortes expansion proposal approved on 3 November

Spain's Council of Ministers approved the proposal prepared jointly by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge and the Generalitat of Catalonia. The measure would add 2,259.10 hectares to the national park, an increase of 16.25 per cent compared with its current protected area.

The government also proposes adding 3,577.43 hectares to the peripheral protection zone. The combined protected area would reach 43,572.78 hectares, compared with 39,995.35 hectares at present, while the municipality of Rialp would join the territory linked to the park. The official expansion proposal says the measure remains a preliminary step and must become law.

New high-mountain areas would join the park

The proposed additions to the national park are in La Torre de Capdella and Sort. They include the head of the Vall Fosca, the Serra del Rei sector and the Mainera lake group, alongside other glacial lakes.

The wider protection zone would include areas in Vilaller, Rialp, Espot and Vielha e Mijaran. Named areas include the Besiberri valley, Caregue and Bedollar, the upper Noguera Ribagorçana, the surroundings of Lake Redon and Solaneta d'Espot.

The measure relates directly to the landscape travellers visit: alpine grasslands, high-mountain scrub, rocky ground, wetlands and glacial landforms. The government also identifies habitats used by the capercaillie, brown bear, bearded vulture, boreal owl and ptarmigan.

The park was created by decree on 21 October 1955. The official park information records 40,852 hectares across the national park and its peripheral protection zone, with the highest summit, Comaloforno, reaching 3,029 metres. That established high-altitude setting explains why the 2026 proposal focuses on lakes, wetlands and mountain habitats rather than a built attraction.

Visiting Aigüestortes National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The current news concerns the proposal approved on 3 November 2026, not a completed change to the visitor boundary. The next formal step is legislation by the Spanish parliament.
• The proposal does not announce a closure or a new entrance. Visitors should therefore expect the existing park access arrangements while the legal process continues.
• Boí and Espot are the two principal traditional gateways. The park information centre and administrative headquarters are in Boí, in Catalonia's Lleida province.
• The terrain is high mountain: the park lies above 1,000 metres, while Comaloforno reaches 3,029 metres. Walkers should plan for steep, rocky and exposed ground.
• Spain uses the euro. Spanish is the official state language, while Catalan is also official in Catalonia.

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Frequently asked questions about Aigüestortes National Park

What was approved at Aigüestortes National Park?

Spain's Council of Ministers approved an expansion proposal on 3 November 2026. It would add land to the national park and its peripheral protection zone.

How much land could be added to Aigüestortes National Park?

The proposal would incorporate 2,259.10 hectares into the national park and 3,577.43 hectares into its peripheral protection zone.

Where is Aigüestortes National Park and how do you get there?

The park is in the Catalan Pyrenees, with Boí and Espot serving as its two principal traditional gateways. Its park information centre is in Boí.