Nature lovers, and especially those interested in wildlife, have an obligatory date in the Pyrenees in autumn: this is with the bellowing of the deer, which is a curious ceremony of sound that takes place in the idyllic settings of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida. Areas such as the Alt Pirineu and Cadí-Moixeró natural parks, the Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, and especially the Boumort National Reserve, play host to this wonder of the animal kingdom between mid-September and mid-October. This is a period in which the males fight with each other to win the favour of the females, marking their territory, and bellowing constantly. It is a tremendous experience to discover, at first hand, how these animals behave as they seek to reproduce and ensure the continuity of their lineage amongst the females of the group: marking pine trees with their antlers, digging up the ground to leave their mark, fighting fiercely with clashing antlers, and staging these unusual concerts, which go on from dusk until well into the night. In this area, there are specialised companies and rural houses that organize guided trips to maximise the enjoyment of this experience and which enable visitors to observe this activity in all its splendour, while interfering as little as possible in what is a vital moment for this animal species.

Other than the natural area of Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici, designated as a national park structure, two natural parks spread over the western part of the Catalan Pyrenees. The Alt Pirineu Natural Park is a space of superlative size; its 80,000 hectares make it the largest natural park in Catalonia. Within its borders we also encounter another record-breaking number, the Pica d’Estats, which is the tallest mountain in Catalonia with 3,143 metres. The park is home to some endangered species such as the wood grouse, the brown bear and the native Pallaresa lizard, which are not easy to spot.

The Alt Pirineu (High Pyrenees) Natural Park forms part of the Pyrenean Park of the Three Nations. It is one four natural parks that are located in Andorra, Catalonia and France; the others are the Regional Natural Park of the Ariège Pyrenees, the Communal Natural Park of the Valls del Comapedrosa and the Vall de Sorteny Natural Park.

Its neighbour is the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, which protects the two mountain ranges that are linked by the Tancalaporta pass. This is the best place in Catalonia to observe wallcreepers as well as other birds from the mountainous and sub-alpine forests of the Pyrenees, such as the black woodpecker, featured in the park’s logo, or Tengmalm’s owl.

There are thirty-three Romanesque churches in the Val d'Aran, one for each village in the valley. Of all these, there are five that experts consider most interesting. The first is in Vielha, Sant Miquèu, built in the thirteenth century when the Romanesque period began to use elements from the style that would follow, the Gothic period. The second church is located in Bossòst, Era Mair de Diu dera Purificacion, erected in the twelfth century at the height of the feudal lords’ dispute over control of region. Again in Bossòst, of course, are seven Romanesque oratories which the parishioners built to protect themselves against the plague. On the way to Port de la Bonaigua we pass near neighbouring towns with impressive Romanesque heritage: Arties, Salardú and Unha. The church of Santa Maria d’Arties is a Good of National Cultural Interest and features a spectacular scene of the Final Judgement. The last two churches on the route, Sant Andrèu de Salardú and Santa Eulària d’Unha, also stand out thanks to their murals.

Opened in 1951, the railway connecting Lleida and La Pobla de Segur was part of a trans-Pyrenean project that intended to link the city of Lleida with Saint Girons, across the border. But the entire route was never completed. Today we can make this nostalgic journey to La Pobla de Segur thanks to two diesel-powered locomotives from the 60’s known as “ye-yés”. Along the way there are four reservoirs, 41 mountain tunnels and 31 bridges, always with views of the Noguera Pallaresa River Mont-roig and Montsec mountain ranges. The trip in the Tren dels Llacs takes an hour and fifty minutes.

It's happened in many riding regions, and Catalonia is no exception: major roads reached the Pyrenean valleys much later than the rest of the territory. Their steep terrain always kept the inhabitants slightly separated from the world, which accentuated unique social and cultural characteristics that persist today. In the province of Lleida, there are several interesting museums for exploring this cultural heritage, such as the Espai Raier in La Pobla de Segur, dedicated to the ancient river transport systems for moving wood along the Noguera Pallaresa River. Esterri d'Àneu is the backbone of the Valls d’Àneu Ecomuseums, a new museum concept that brings us closer to the Pallars lifestyle of the turn of the century through a series of interactive exhibits. In Vilamòs, you can visit the Joanchiquet Museum, a traditional house from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, that recreates life in the Val d'Aran during this era.

At Boí, Taüll, Erill la Vall, Barruera, Durro, El Pont de Suert, Llesp, Casós, Vilaller and Senet, in the comarca (local district) of L'Alta Ribagorça; Arties and Les, in the Val d'Aran; Isil and Alins, in El Pallars Sobirà, and La Pobla de Segur, in El Pallars Jussà, it is possible to see the "falles" (burning torches) of the Catalan Pyrenees. This is a traditional festival which has been recognised by UNESCO as part of humanity’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Over several days, at around the time of the summer solstice, which may vary from village to village, festivities are held which are crowned by the "falles". In this ceremony, torches are set alight and logs are carried down the mountainside, and to the village, by local young people. Once there, a bonfire is lit and the celebrations are accompanied by music and traditional dancing.

Lleida is synonymous with skiing, and there are many options available to practice this sport in the province. The Vall de Boí has the Boí Taüll Resort, which boasts the highest-altitude ski area in the Pyrenees, and the Val d'Aran has the iconic Baqueira-Beret. But there are also more modest resorts where visitors can enjoy downhill skiing and cross-country skiing. The list is long and varied: Espot Esquí, Port Ainé, Tavascan, Port del Comte, Virós-Vallferrera, Aransa, Lles de Cerdanya, Sant Joan de l'Erm and Tuixent-la Vansa. Many of these areas also have options to focus on other snow sports, such as dog sledding or snow shoeing.

At an altitude of 1,500 metres, the Vall de Boí has several healing mineral springs with temperatures ranging from 4 to 56 degrees. The Romans already appreciated the therapeutic virtues of these lands in the first and second centuries, as did the lords of Erill, who ruled these lands a thousand years later, but the first Bath House as such was not built until the seventeenth century. Today, the historic Balneari de Caldes de Boí has 37 thermal springs with waters that naturally feature chlorine, sulphates and calcium bicarbonate. It also has two hotels that open from spring to autumn, and a well-known bottling plant for mineral water. It is the spa house with the widest variety of waters, a fact that has earned it a place in the Guinness book of world records.

Long before the feudal lords built their castles in the hills of Lleida or the Greeks and Romans built their cities on the shores of the Mediterranean, the Pyrenees were inhabited by the dinosaurs. Footprints, bones, fossilized eggs and other remains have been found in several districts of the provinces of Lleida and Barcelona, helping paleontologists learn to understand what life must have been like at the end of the Cretaceous period in what is today Catalonia. In Isone and Conca de Dellà you can visit Cretaci Park, consisting of a museum centre and several fields in which works are ongoing. The Orígens Geopark encompasses the parts of the province of Lleida of exceptional geological value. It is part of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. In the Epicentre, the visitors’ centre of Pallars Jussà explains the importance of the Geopark, in terms both of natural and cultural heritage, and on the first floor they have an interesting exhibition called the Earth and Geology of the Dinosaurs. Another interesting option is Dinosfera, in the town of Coll de Nargó.