42.61° N · 0.12° W · Ordesa Valley
A short, complete ferrata in Broto: it climbs beside the Sorrosal waterfall, goes through a tunnel cut into the rock and over a suspension bridge, and ends on a balcony above the village. A good first ferrata if you don't have vertigo.
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Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
How to do it
Step by step
From the Sorrosal waterfall car park in Broto, a signposted path leads to the foot of the falls. There you put on your harness and helmet.
Rungs and vertical sections beside the water. It is the most exposed part and comes at the start.
At around 60 metres up, a hidden pool appears. In summer some people take a dip.
A passage cut into the rock. Bring a head torch or your phone torch.
A cable bridge over the Sorrosal gorge.
The route comes out at a viewpoint above the village, the River Ara and the entrance to the Ordesa valley. From here you walk back to Broto. In all, between two and three hours.
A waterfall, a tunnel and a suspension bridge a stone's throw from Broto. A good way to try a via ferrata.
A via ferrata is a route up rock equipped with a safety cable, iron rungs and walkways, on which you move along always secured with a harness and two lanyards with an energy absorber. The Sorrosal route has about 600 metres of equipment and about 100 metres of ascent, right beside the Sorrosal waterfall, a 55-metre drop that falls just above Broto. It is short, but it has a bit of everything: a vertical wall beside the water, a hidden pool halfway up, a tunnel cut into the rock, a Tibetan bridge over the gorge and a finish on a balcony above the Ara valley.
It is graded K3, medium difficulty. It doesn't call for a climber's strength, but for arms that can pull on the rungs for a good while and a steady head on the exposed sections.
For people who go walking in the mountains regularly, don't have vertigo that would stop them and want to try their first via ferrata with a guide. With the guiding companies it is done from age 10 or 1.45 m in height, because below that size you can't reach comfortably from one rung to the next. If you have already done an easy via ferrata and have your own approved equipment, you can do it self-guided.
It is not for small children or anyone with a real fear of heights: the first section is the most vertical and once you are in it is not easy to turn back. For the youngest, in the same gorge there is the Duendes del Sorrosal ferrata, which is simpler and designed for families.
Broto is on the A-135, a few minutes from Torla. The Sorrosal waterfall car park is next to the village and is free, except in summer and on the busiest bank-holiday weekends. From there, a signposted path leads in five minutes to the foot of the route. If you go with a guide, confirm when booking where you will meet: depending on the day, the company meets at the waterfall car park or next to Broto's health centre.
The companies run it from March to November. In spring the waterfall has more water and puts on more of a show, but also more spray; in summer there are more people and, if it is hot, you will fancy a swim in the pool halfway along. In autumn it is cooler for the effort. Arrive early: fitting the equipment and the safety talk take a while.
With a guide, from €55 per person, with a harness with energy absorbers and a rest lanyard, helmet, gloves, guide, insurance and the municipal fee of €3.50. Self-guided, you only pay that fee, which Broto Town Council collects in cash in summer and on bank-holiday weekends. If you have no equipment, go with a guide: the companies include it.
Don't do it. The rock and rungs are slippery, the waterfall swells and in a storm the steel cable is the last thing you want to touch. If the day turns out bad, swap the plan for a walk around Torla and Broto or leave it for another day of your stay.
Who it's for
You go on mountain walks regularly, heights don't freeze you and you can climb a long ladder without stopping.
You have real vertigo or are going with children under 10. For them there is the Duendes del Sorrosal via ferrata, also in Broto, from age 6.
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
You avoid the midday heat on the waterfall wall.
If you go self-guided in summer, the Town Council collects it in cash.
The rungs and cable rub your hands for two hours. Cycling gloves will do.
If storms are forecast for the afternoon, go early or switch to another day.
The same company offers the ferrata and a canyon in a single day, if you want a full day of adventure.
Questions
No, if you go with a guide. Self-guided, it is advisable to have done at least one easy ferrata first.
In season Broto Town Council charges an access fee of €3.50 per person. With a guide, from €55 with equipment and the fee included.
The companies run it from March to November. It closes when there is ice and isn't done when the waterfall is in spate.
The guiding companies run it from age 10 or 1.45 m in height, because of the reach between rungs.
Between two and three hours including the approach, the route and the walk back to the village.
K3, medium. About 600 metres of equipment and about 100 of ascent, with the most vertical section at the start.
In the Sorrosal waterfall car park, in Broto. It is free except in summer and on bank-holiday weekends.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/ordesa-valley/things-to-do/sorrosal-via-ferrata
