Forty volcanic cones upholstered in lush greenery. Black and reddish lava flows that evoke a lunar landscape. This is the Natural Park of the Volcanic Zone of La Garrotxa. If you spend your holidays in our apartaments in Banyoles, you can't miss it. Only 35 kilometers separate Banyoles and Olot volcanos. From Ca l'Espardenyer we recommend you to visit:
- The volcano of Sant Margarida, one of the most popular. This volcano of about 700 meters high, it erupted 11,000 years ago and its crater, completely circular, is nowadays a green meadow in the center of which is the Romanic hermitage that gives its name. Ideal for a picnic.
- The Croscat volcano, lunar landscape. This volcanic cone covered with vegetation and with one lava wash more than 6 kilometers long,has a cut that allows to see inside the volcano. One of the most spectacular of the Natural Park of the Volcanic Zone of the Garrotxa.
- The Fageda d’en Jordà, a source of inspiration for artists. A beautiful, leafy beech forest that extends over the lava flow of the Croscat volcano. You can walk both on foot and with bicycle You can also visit the Cooperativa La Fageda, which elaborates and sells artisan yoghurts and other dairy products.
There are signposted routes of different duration and difficulty that allow you to combine these points of interest in a single circular path.
You can also take an urban walk through Olot, the volcano town and capital of La Garrotxa. You will find reminiscences of medieval origin, although its old town was rebuilt in the century XV after two devastating earthquakes, and also a modernist architectural heritage ofearly 19th century. In addition, in the middle of Olot you can climb the Montsacopa, a volcanic cone of circular crater of 120 meters of diameter, on top of which there are two watchtowers and the church of Sant Francesc. From Montsacopa you will enjoy a 360 degree panorama of the city and the surrounding area.
For cycling and mountain biking enthusiasts, you can do the Olot Carrilet Route in Girona. A beautiful green road of 57 kilometers and little slope, which crosses 12 villages and the valleys of the Fluvià rivers, Brugent and Ter.
