# Aneto with a guide in a weekend: a night in Benasque, a night at La Renclusa and the summit via the Paso de Mahoma

Friday in Benasque, Saturday to the La Renclusa refuge with a high-mountain guide and Sunday to the Aneto via the glacier and the Paso de Mahoma. From €287 for the guide with half board.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/benasque-valley/itineraries/renclusa-glacier-and-mahoma-pass · Revisado: 2026-11-14

Dónde: Benasque Valley

The Aneto is climbed in two days and enjoyed better in three. This weekend puts a night in Benasque to arrive rested, another at the La Renclusa refuge, at the foot of the Maladeta, and the whole of Sunday for the summit: 3,404 metres, the glacier with crampons and the Paso de Mahoma, the final ridge, roped together with a high-mountain guide from Rutes Pirineus.

## What to know before signing up

It is not a long walk: it is high mountain. Rutes Pirineus rates the physical demand and technical difficulty as high and asks for the habit of days with over a thousand metres of ascent and ease on scree, blocks and snow. The group is six at most. The price, from €287 on the scheduled dates, includes the guide and half board at the refuge; the harness, helmet, ice axe and crampons are €27 extra, and Sunday's packed lunch, €16.20, is bought at La Renclusa.

WhereWhat it has

FridayHotel Ciria, Benasque38 rooms, garage and the El Fogaril restaurant

SaturdayLa Renclusa refuge, 2,140 m92 places, dinner at 19:00, breakfast at 5:00, sleeping-bag liner compulsory

Third night, if you canHotel Hospital de Benasque, Llanos del HospitalAt the bottom of the valley, next to the Hospital de Benasque: dinner and a bed without driving

## The rucksack

Mid-to-high ankle boots, waterproof jacket, warm layers, gloves, hat, sunglasses and sun cream, head torch, thermal blanket, poles and a 30 to 35 litre rucksack with ice-axe loops. A change of clothes for the refuge, earplugs and the sleeping-bag liner, which is compulsory at La Renclusa. Since the descent does not pass the refuge, everything you carry up on Saturday comes down with you on Sunday on the other side.

## If the weather does not cooperate

The guide decides in the small hours of Sunday. With a storm forecast, strong wind or the glacier in poor condition, the Aneto is not attempted. Before leaving home, check the route conditions on the Aragonese federation's refuge listing and AEMET's mountain forecast for the Aragonese Pyrenees. If on Saturday afternoon the weather closes in, the night at the refuge is still worth it: the Palacio de los Condes de Ribagorza, in Benasque, opens at weekends in the afternoon for the drive back.

## El plan

### Friday · 19:30 · Arrival in Benasque
About two and a half hours from Huesca via Barbastro and Graus, or from Lleida via the N-230. Dinner of game and mushrooms from the valley at El Fogaril, the restaurant of Hotel Ciria, where you sleep: it serves dinners from 20:30 to 22:30 and is booked by phone or WhatsApp.

### Saturday · 10:00 · A gentle morning in Benasque
A walk along Calle Mayor and the old town, last-minute shopping (a sleeping-bag liner, sun cream, batteries for the head torch) and an early lunch or a sandwich: do not load your legs.

### Saturday · 13:45 · Meeting the guide
Opposite the Barrabés shop, at the entrance to the village. Equipment check and by car to the Hospital de Benasque; in summer, public bus to La Besurta, about half an hour. From there, an hour's walk to La Renclusa.

### Saturday · 17:00 · Ibón de La Renclusa and dinner at 19:00
A short walk to the Paderna ibón, next to the refuge, if you feel like it. Dinner in the dining room and equipment ready before 22:00, when quiet hours begin.

### Sunday · 5:00 · Breakfast and glacier
Set out with head torches towards the Portillones, the Aneto glacier roped together and the Paso de Mahoma to the cross. Descent by the Salterillo ibón, without passing the refuge: about twelve hours of activity.

### Sunday · 18:00 · Llanos del Hospital
Finish at La Besurta or at the Hospital de Benasque. The Llanos del Hospital café needs no booking; for a sit-down dinner, sittings at 20:30 and 21:30.

## Un consejo más

Taking out a mountaineering federation licence before summer lowers the price of the bed and dinner at La Renclusa and at the other refuges with reciprocity. Bring the card: without it they do not apply the rate.

## Cuándo no ir

May and October if you have no experience with snow: the company includes them in its window, but they are the months of new snow and ice on the glacier.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the weekend cost?
The guide with half board at La Renclusa, from €287; equipment, €27; packed lunch, €16.20. Add the night in Benasque and Friday and Saturday meals.

### Can I climb the Aneto without a guide?
Yes, if you have glacier experience and your own equipment. If you do not, go with a guide: the glacier and the Paso de Mahoma are done roped together.

### Do I need to book La Renclusa?
Yes, online through the Aragonese federation's central booking. With Rutes Pirineus, the place comes with the group.

### What is the best time?
July, August and September. In May, June and October there can be new snow and ice.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Ciria**: The Ciria is a family hotel of 38 rooms on avenida de los Tilos, in the centre of Benasque, with the village's shops and bars on the doorstep. The Ciria family has been in hospitality for more than thirty years and the building keeps its beamed ceilings and stone walls. Downstairs it has its own restaurant, El Fogaril, serving Upper Aragon cooking and game.
Benasque on foot and Cerler 6 km away
From the door you can walk to the whole old town: the Palace of the Counts of Ribagorza, on Calle Mayor, is a few minutes away. The Cerler resort is about 6 km by road, and Llanos del Hospital, at the head of the valley, about 13 km further up. The Posets-Maladeta Natural Park is close.
Nine ways to sleep
The choice ranges from the simplest room to an apartment for a whole family:

Double and double for single use.
Premium, also in a version for three people, with a double bed or two beds.
Junior suite with sitting room: two 1.05 m beds, large windows with mountain views, a living area and a bathroom with a bath.
Attic suites: rustic-style duplexes of more than 60 m², named after mountains, Ball d'Estós and Posets.
Family suite with whirlpool bath: also under the roof, of more than 60 m², with a separate sitting room, a double bedroom and views.
Family duplex: two independent but connected spaces.
Apartment: a few metres from the hotel, with three bedrooms, a living-dining room, kitchen and a bathroom with a shower.

All have a private bathroom, heating, television and free wifi. There are adapted rooms: check with reception which suits you.
Buffet breakfast and picnic for the mountains
Breakfast is a buffet, from 8:00 to 10:30. If you leave early on an excursion you can ask for it earlier, and the kitchen prepares picnics to order. There is a half-board rate. If you have allergies or intolerances, tell them in good time: they prepare adapted and gluten-free menus.
Skis, bikes and car

Free ski store.
Bike store with a cleaning and repair area.
Free outdoor parking, with few spaces.
Covered garage with advance booking; in the suites, the space is included in the price.
Motorbikes, free covered parking.
In winter, suite guests have VIP parking at the Cerler resort.

All subject to availability. The hotel also organises guides and activities: snowshoeing and alpine and cross-country skiing, rafting, kayaking, paragliding, hiking and the climb of the Aneto.
Check-in, check-out and cancelling
Check-in from 13:00 and check-out until 12:00, with free left-luggage to leave your bags before or after. You can ask for early check-in, late-night arrival or late check-out, subject to availability. With the flexible rate, cancelling is free up to seven days before; between seven days and 48 hours the first night is charged, and with less than 48 hours or if you do not show up, the whole stay. Booking on their website they advertise the best price and a discount of their own.
Pets are not allowed. For babies there are cots and extra beds on request.
- **Hotel Hospital de Benasque**: This three-star hotel stands where the Benasque valley road ends: at Llanos del Hospital, at 1,750 metres, inside the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park and at the foot of the Aneto. Sleeping here means waking up with snow at the door and no car to move: the Nordic area, the hire shop and the restaurant are in the same building or a few steps away.
Thirteen kilometres above Benasque
The village is 13 km further down, with 600 metres of descent. In winter, going down to Benasque for dinner means coming back at night along a mountain road with snow and stretches without coverage; the hotel has its own restaurant and café so you do not have to move the car until the next day.
Nordic skiing, sledges and snowshoes at the door
In winter the hotel manages the Nordic area at Llanos del Hospital, with circuits from 1,750 to 2,100 metres, open from 9:30 to 17:00. Guests pay a reduced rate:

Day pass: €6.50 for adults and €4.50 for children up to 12 (compared with €9.50 and €6).
Nordic ski hire: €10.50 classic, €14.50 skating and €9 for children.
Snowshoes: €10.50 for adults and €8 for children.

The guided snowshoe outing to the Forau d'Aigualluts starts 750 metres away, at the Vado car park. In summer, the hotel offers walking routes from its own door, family routes and a guided historical circuit.
Breakfast in sittings and dinner in two sittings
Breakfast is served with entries every half hour, from 7:00 to 9:30; you choose yours at reception when you arrive. The hotel restaurant, serving home-style mountain cooking, serves dinner at 20:30 and 21:30. The café, with a fireplace, does not need a booking.
The rooms
The website shows a superior room, but does not publish how many there are or what each type includes; the price depends on the room and the board you choose when booking. Online booking asks for your card as a guarantee, and according to the conditions on its website the stay is paid in cash at the hotel: confirm this when you book. Parking, the minibar and laundry are not included in the room price, according to those same conditions, although the hotel car park is free for guests.
Car, parking and dogs
The hotel car park has a barrier with number plate reading and is free for guests; only they can leave their car overnight. Motorhomes are not allowed: for them there is the public Vado car park, about 400 metres away, with toilets and where overnight stays are permitted.
Animals are not allowed in the hotel, the restaurant or the café.
Arriving in winter
The road from Benasque has stretches with no coverage or only Movistar, and in snow or a blizzard it changes quickly. Take chains, check conditions before you set out, call the hotel on 608 53 60 53 when you reach Benasque and plan to arrive before 18:00. All the information is in the entry for the Llanos del Hospital road in winter.