Aigüestortes National Park gets expansion proposal on 3 November

Aigüestortes National Park (Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici) is at the centre of an expansion proposal approved on 3 November 2026 in Spain’s Catalan Pyrenees. The plan concerns protected land across six municipalities, while the park’s main information centre is in Boí.

Spain approves the Aigüestortes expansion proposal

Spain’s Council of Ministers approved the proposal on 3 November 2026. It was prepared jointly by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the Government of Catalonia. The proposal would incorporate 2,259 hectares into the national park and add a further 3,577 hectares to its peripheral protection zone.

The announcement does not itself complete the expansion. The ministry describes the decision as a preliminary step, with the final change requiring an act of the Spanish Parliament. The proposal therefore marks the start of a legal process rather than an immediate alteration to the park map. The ministry announcement of 3 November sets out the date, institutions and proposed land changes.

Glacial lakes and high mountain habitats shape the plan

The proposed additions to the national park come from the existing peripheral protection zone. They are located in La Torre de Capdella in Pallars Jussa and Sort in Pallars Sobira. The plan would also add new protected-zone land in La Torre de Capdella, Vilaller, Rialp, Espot and Vielha e Mijaran, while changing the boundary around Espot.

The areas named in the proposal include the head of Vall Fosca, the Serra del Rei sector and the Mainera lake group. They contain alpine grasslands, high-altitude scrub, rocky terrain, wetlands and glacial lakes. Most of the new habitats lie above 2,300 metres, linking the expansion to the high-mountain character that defines the protected area.

For travellers, the significance of the announcement lies in what may be added to the protected landscape, not in a new entrance or visitor facility. The plan would bring more habitats and ecological connections into the park framework, including areas associated with the brown bear, capercaillie, bearded vulture, boreal owl and rock ptarmigan. The park authority’s English overview describes the existing landscape as a high-mountain environment with close to 200 lakes and numerous streams.

From 1955 protection to a proposed new boundary

The park was declared in 1955 and reclassified through Spain’s Law 7/1988. Its last expansion took place in 1996, when its area rose to 14,119 hectares. The current proposal would also increase the combined area of the national park and its peripheral protection zone from 39,995.35 hectares to 43,572.78 hectares.

The proposed boundary would include new public land and would bring Rialp into the territory linked to the park. It would also exclude 201.63 hectares partly occupied by the ski station at Espot. These details show that the plan is both an enlargement and a reshaping of the protected area, with consequences for the legal map rather than an immediate change to ordinary walking access.

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

• The relevant news date is 3 November 2026, when Spain’s Council of Ministers approved the expansion proposal for the national park.
• The proposal is not yet final: a law of the Spanish Parliament is required before the boundary changes take effect.
• The park information centre serving the Boí area is at Ca de Simamet, C/ de les Graieres, 2, 25528 Boí.
• The landscape includes high mountain terrain above 2,300 metres, glacial lakes, alpine grasslands and rocky areas.
• Most of the park has no mobile telephone coverage or 112 emergency service, according to the park authority.
• Overnight stays outside mountain refuges, camping and bivouacking are not permitted throughout the park and its peripheral protection zone.

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Frequently asked questions about Aigüestortes National Park

What happened at Aigüestortes National Park on 3 November 2026?

Spain’s Council of Ministers approved a proposal to expand the national park and its peripheral protection zone. The change still requires a law of the Spanish Parliament.

What has changed at Aigüestortes National Park?

No boundary change has taken effect yet. The proposal would add 2,259 hectares to the park and 3,577 hectares to its peripheral protection zone.

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

The park lies in the Catalan Pyrenees, with an information centre in Boí. The centre is at Ca de Simamet, C/ de les Graieres, 2, 25528 Boí.