What you can see on the Ordesa webcam
The camera looks across the slope from Broto to the waterfall. On the left, woods and terraced meadows with an old stone hut climb the hillside; in the centre, two grey limestone walls part to form a narrow gorge, and the water falls from the top of it down to the trees. After rain or in the spring thaw, it is a white torrent; in a dry autumn it can shrink to a thin ribbon. It is live video, with a 24-hour time-lapse below.
The Sorrosal waterfall in Broto
A hotel in Broto keeps this camera on the Sorrosal waterfall, which drops out of the limestone just above the village, on the road to the Ordesa valley. On the left, a steep slope of meadows, woods and an old stone hut; in the centre, two walls of grey, layered rock part to form a narrow gorge, and the water falls from its lip down through the trees; on the right, a forested slope climbs to more cliffs.
It plays as a time-lapse of the last 24 hours, so you can follow the light and the weather through the day. The fall is strongest in spring and after heavy rain, and dwindles to a thin thread in a dry summer or autumn.
The national park
Ordesa was declared a national park in 1918, making it the second oldest in Spain, and was later extended to cover the Monte Perdido massif, at about 3,350 m (11,000 ft) the highest limestone massif in Europe. Together with the French cirques across the border, such as Gavarnie, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pyrénées – Mont Perdu, since 1997. The river Ara, which runs past Torla and Broto, flows without a single dam for about 43 miles (70 km) down to Aínsa, a rarity among Spanish rivers.
When to watch Ordesa
Ordesa is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. Mornings are the best time to look, before cloud builds over the cliffs and the afternoon storms of summer. The waterfall is fullest in spring and after heavy rain. In autumn the beech woods of the valley turn copper and gold.
Around Ordesa
Torla, a stone village with a church above the river, is a few minutes up the valley from Broto and the start of the road into the park. The classic walk follows the valley floor from the Pradera de Ordesa to the Cola de Caballo waterfall, under the cliffs of the canyon. Aínsa, with its arcaded square, is about an hour's drive to the south-east.
Visiting Ordesa
In the busiest months the road from Torla to the Pradera de Ordesa is usually closed to private cars and a shuttle bus runs from Torla instead; check the park's official information before you go. The nearest airport with flights from the UK is Toulouse, about 168 miles (271 km) away, around four hours by car. Barcelona is about 198 miles (319 km).
