Sundial Lookout
Tristaina Solar Viewpoint
You can't miss in Ordino Arcalís the viewpoint–sundial located on the peak of Peyreguils, at an altitude of 2,701 metres and a few metres from the geographical border between Andorra and France. This peak is part of the Tristaina cirque, along with the Costa Rodona, Tristaina, Creussans, and Cabanyó peaks.
Named the Tristaina Solar Viewpoint ideologist and promoter of the project Joan Viladomat, the architect Toni Riberaygua, the civil engineer Sergi Riba and the structural engineer Lluis Moya. It consists of a suspended metal sphere 25 metres in diameter with a width of 1.25 metres suspended over the ground and with views of the lakes of Tristaina and the Ordino valley.
To enjoy these views, take the Tristaina gondola and then the Creussans chairlift. The first section, 10 minutes long, leaves L’Hortell and reaches the foot of the Coma restaurant: a very interesting panoramic trip. Then there is the second section, a 15-20 minute journey on the Creussans chairlift during which you can admire the natural and scenic landscape of the valley. At the top of the Creussans chairlift, a 15-20 minute walk will take you to the new viewpoint, which this year will also become the starting point for several hiking trails.
We recommend you to wear mountain shoes, appropriate for this type of terrain.
Sundial
The viewpoint, one of the highest in the Ordino Biosphere Reserve, is conceived as a sundial in which the central beam, 27 metres long and inclined at 42.55°, marks the time on the viewpoint's circumference. In addition, this inclination corresponds to the exact latitude of the point where the viewpoint is located according to geographical coordinates.
The idea of turning the viewpoint into a sundial came in a second phase of the project. It was decided upon as a way to pay homage to the meaning of Arcalís as a solar mountain and to the book of the same name by Bonaventura Adellach. In it he set out the discovery he made on this mountain in relation to the solar calendar used by primitive shepherds in order to have a notion of time.
The Solar Mountain
From the Tristaina Solar Viewpoint you can see the Pic d’Arcalís, also known as the Solar Mountain, where an extraordinary natural phenomenon occurs once a year. Every 7 August at 7:37 am, and from an exact point on the same mountain, the sun is visible for three minutes through a large hole in the rocks.
This natural phenomenon was rediscovered by Bonaventura Adellach during night expeditions to the Pic d’Arcalís but it seems that ancient inhabitants of these lands already knew of its existence.
Summer lifts
| SUMMER LIFTS | High season (from 27 July to 1st September) | Low season | Buy |
| GOLD PASS – Gondola Tristaina and Chairlift Creussans : ascent + descent* | €22 | €20 | Online |
| SIMPLE PASS – Gondola Tristaina our Chairlift Creussans : ascent and descent | €20 | €18 | Online |
| DESCENT PASS – Gondola Tristaina our Chairlift Creussans : descent | €10 | €10 | Ticket office |
| PROMOTIONS | Price by person | Buy |
| Family discount from the 2nd child | -15 % | Ticket office |
| Senior summer pass (from 65 years old) | -15 % | Ticket office |
| Baby Summer Pass (0-5 years) | Free | Ticket office |
- Pets are allowed on the Tristaina gondola during summer
- Bicycles are not allowed on the Tristaina gondola
- Children from 3 years old can take the Creussans chairlift, always accompanied by an adult.
- Groups from 20 people, ask for prices here
Age observations:
- Baby Summer Pass (0-5 years): children born in 2019 or later. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Direct sale at the ticket offices. Proof of age is compulsory.
- Senior Summer Pass: adults born in 1959 or before. On sale directly at the ticket offices. Proof of eligibility is compulsory. Price per day.