HI!
We’re Guille and Iris, mountain folk, mountaineers, and proud Chistabíns. And here at Lardana Expeditions (our passion as well as our business), we’re adventure designers. But we’re not talking just any adventures.
After various trips to other mountain ranges of the world, almost always on foot or mountain bike, and countless forays into the hills we’ve always called home, we’re convinced the Central Pyrenees is still one of the most interesting, authentic, and best preserved areas on the planet. And that its historical legacy is so rich we could talk about it for days on end, and never cover it all.
Lardana Expeditions is the product of our passion for the Pyrenees, its unique people, culture and history, and our belief that there is another way to discover the mountains: more inclusive, more immersive, and a world away from fast-paced consumerism.
Guille Bernués
I’m a mechanic, industrial maintenance engineer and Mountain Leader in Mid-Mountain Terrain, but more than anything, I’m defined by my love for the mountains, and in particular the Pyrenees, MTB adventures and absolutely anything off-road!
I’ve been lucky enough to travel around our beautiful world, always in search of remote corners to get lost in on two wheels, from the Caucasus to the mighty mountains of Central Asia. Then, one day, everything clicked into place. I realised that on every trip I was simply looking for somewhere that lived up to what is, for me, the best destination on earth: the Pyrenees.
Just like a true Chistabín, the mountains have been part of my life, in one way or another, since the day I was born. One of my first memories of the mountains is spending childhood summer afternoons at the Refugio de Viadós whilst my mum lent a hand there, battered binoculars borrowed from Joaquín glued to my eyes as I studied the Lardana massif. My first taste of exploring came in the form of adventures down the trail to buy chocolate palmeras at the Forcallo campsite.
Those moments, surrounded by mountains, shepherds and chizardos (Pyrenean chamois), taught me that this mountain range is more than a beautiful landscape, it’s a place full of history, culture and life.
A landscape
A late-summer sunset as seen from Loriele, with the last rays of sun catching the Punta de Lardana, whilst darkness pools in the valley below.
An unmissable activity
Cycling along the incredible trails in the heights of the Pyrenees. Sleeping in the huts built by those who first explored the range in the 19th century, and the brave shepherds who, even now, take care of the mountains.
The best of the Pyrenees
The perfect blend of sport, history and culture. The extreme poetry of nature here, as Henry Russell put it. The ancestral tongues of each of the valleys, and the mountain culture that knows no borders and binds us together, from the Cantabrian to the Mediterranean coast.
A Lardana Expeditions trip
Any of our Microadventures, a personalised trip if you want the best of the best, or the MTB adventures coming soon.
Iris Gabás
I’m Iris Gabás, translator, mountain dweller and adventure designer. For me, the mountains have always been a refuge where I can find peace as well as adventure, a recipe for happiness if ever there was one.
At Lardana Expeditions, I manage everything to do with our travellers, making their experience unique and authentic. The mountains are my home, my passion and way of life all rolled into one, and I’d like everyone who visits the Pyrenees with us to feel the same way.
My first memory of the mountains is picking apples with my mum and grandma in a yard we have in Serveto called La Sierra. I also have fond memories of the family trips we took with our old Lada Niva 4x4 to the Ibón de Plan, Urdiceto or Chardal, places few people had discovered at that point.
More recently, one of my best memories in the mountains is an incredible night Guille and I spent under the stars on Punta Suelsa, my favourite peak. I’ve also got clear memories of a night camping by the Lac de Pouchergues, a remote corner of the Pyrenees with a touch of magic to it. That was the fourth stage of a trek I designed for that summer with my adventure buddies. Today, it’s our incredible trek, “Camíns de Chel”!
A landscape
Without doubt, the Espadas-Lardana massif as seen from the Refugio de Viadós.
An unmissable activity
Exploring the Pyrenees for days on end with only the essentials in a backpack, sleeping in a bivouac, with a tent or in an unmanned hut. I think that’s the best way to discover the Pyrenees: experiencing an unforgettable adventure in the simplest, most primitive way.
The best of the Pyrenees
The languages of its valleys and their traditional celebrations, like La Falleta, Los Trucos or Carnival. They’re vital parts of the Pyrenean identity, and have unique characteristics in every valley, but they all reflect a common love for the land. Here, there’s a sense of belonging on multiple levels: to your home, to your valley, and to the Pyrenees.
A Lardana Expeditions trip
¡Camins de Chel!
Belle
Australian Kelpie, once a shepherd, now a chizardo chaser. My favourite things to do are: bombing it downhill after a bike, zooming around the fields of La Comuna, and watching birds from my balcony.
But above all, I love the adventures Iris and Guille take me on. I’m always the one who ends up finding the path when they get lost!
A Lardana Expeditions trip I’d love them to do would be one including pet-friendly activities, transport and accommodation. That’d be the bees knees, and I think they’ve already got something up their sleeves…
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