A Gavarnie Week Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and warm up hike
We pick you up from Tarbes or Lourdes airport (or a nearby train station) and drive to our beautiful guesthouse, which is situated right at the junction of several mountain valleys making for a perfect base for this most dramatic part of the high Pyrenees. Our itinerary for the remainder of the day depends on what time your flight or train arrived. If time allows then after lunch we will do a quick walk in order to warm up the muscles. The easy loop around and to the top of the dome-like Soum de Grum (1870m), is a natural viewpoint from which you can take in a huge swathe of the western and central Pyrenees. There are two easy options open to us depending on available time and your wishes. The first is a quick amble up to the summit, which takes little more than an hour. But, for a far richer mountain experience there’s a delightful loop around the mountain that supplies an endless stream of superb mountain views, a thrilling long ridge walk and the summit itself. In fact, as you stroll happily across summer sheep pastures, past crystaline lakes, and over flower meadows, you’ll be amazed at just how much variety can be packed into a walk that’s just a little over 3hrs long. We return back to our guesthouse for dinner in the village.
Day 2: Gavarnie Circuit (5hrs; moderate)
The Unesco World Heritage listed Cirque de Gavarnie, a vast, glacial carved semi-circular amphitheatre of rock measuring six kilometres across and with sheer walls towering 1500 vertical metres above the valley floor, is easily the most famous natural feature of the Pyrenees. Throw into that mix the Grande Cascade, which is said to be the highest waterfall in France, plus a year round coat of ice and snow on the multiple 3000m high peaks forming the cirque headwall and you have a sight that truly lives up to the hype.
But, the Cirque de Gavarnie is no secret, and in summer thousands of people line up to stare in awe at it.
So, how to enjoy this wonder without the crowds? Well, we’ll show you how on today’s fantastic five-hour loop, which follows quiet trails along ledges and over grassy plateaus on either side of the cirque. It gives unusual views of the cirque that are far more impressive and varied than those seen on the busy standard trail. And, best of all, this circuit is barely known to the huge majority of visitors who come to Gavarnie. We’re not saying that in August you’ll be all alone, but it’s guaranteed to be significantly quieter than the main path and in early summer you really might have it all to yourself.
At the end of a wonderful day of hiking we return to our accommodation for a well earned dinner.
Day 3: Pic de Madamete (8hrs; hard)
After a big breakfast we set out on our second full day of hiking. Lakes are a defining feature of the Pyrenees - there are thousands of them in all sizes and colours - but perhaps nowhere has quite such a concentration as the beautiful Néouvielle massif, which sits a little to the north of the main range. This long and varied circular hike along the Aygues Cluses valley, up to the summit of the Pic de Madamète (2657m), and then back down via silky blue lakes set within wild flower meadows, make this one of the best walks the Pyrenees can offer.
But, beauty comes with a sting. This is a very long and demanding hike. Walking at a solid pace and without stopping it will take seven hours. This means that we will set out on the trail early so as to give us plenty of time to admire the lakes and dawdle through the meadows.
Day 4: Brèche de Roland (6hrs; moderate)
If you want to get up into the frosty realms of the high mountains fast then you’re going to enjoy todays hike. One of the most distinctive geological features of the Pyrenees, the Brèche de Roland (2804m) is a massive natural gateway that pierces the rock wall between France and Spain and from which there are unforgetable views down toward Gavarnie on the French side and the stunning Ordesa canyon on the Spanish side. Getting to the Brèche means scrambling across scree slopes, wading through snow fields (early summer only) and tip-toing across the foot of a glacier. Although it sounds challenging there’s nothing technical about this hike (in early summer crampons might be needed, which we will supply) and plenty of people take on the challenge throughout the summer. If you have the energy then once we reach the Brèche we can continue on and up for another hour or so to the summit of the Taillon (3144m), which is one of the most technically simple three thousand metre peaks in the range but offers a view you won’t quickly forget.
Day 5: Lacs de Batcrabère (6hrs; moderate)
We takes things a little easier today with a delightful hike to the Batcrabère Lakes (2180m). Although this is an easier walk than those of the past couple of days it remains something of a showcase hike for the Pyrenees. Along the way the trail passes through forests, meanders past lakes that sparkle in the noon day sun, saunters past crashing waterfalls, scrambles up a miniature canyon and rolls across grassland pastures filled with cuddly marmots, before arriving at the Refuge de Larribet which is set in an impressive mountain cirque. For those who want a really easy day then we can simply turn around here and retrace our steps back down the valley (which makes for a four hour hike).
Otherwise, from the refuge, the trail clambers over loose rock and scree to a series of bijou glacial lakes set deep in a weathered valley at the base of the Balaïtous Massif, which culminates with the Pic de Balaïtous (3144m) itself. After admiring the different lakes we head back for a well earned dinner.
Day 6: Marcadu Valley(7-8hrs; hard)
Our last full day of hiking is perhaps our favourite hike of all. The long and infintely diverse loop up the Marcadu valley and then back past the Embarrat lakes really does encapsulate the Pyrenean hiking experience. From the roar of the huge waterfall at the Pont d’Espagne, to silent woodlands, sharp mountain spires speckled in snowd and an exciting pass crossing which leads to a string of luminous lakes and flower meadows laced with streams and rivers, this is a walk that delivers reward after reward. All things considered it’s hard to think of a finer way to end your Pyrenean adventure.
Day 7: Departure
Our journey finishes after breakfast when we transfer you to your departure airport or train station in a nearby town. If your onward connection is not until later in the day then, for an additional payment, do a short half day hike such as the four hour ramble up to the secluded lac Plaa de Praat before a late afternoon drop off. And if you’ve not yet got your fill of Pyrenean wonders then we can take you straight over to the Western Valleys for a week of hiking in the Ossau and Aspe Valleys or across into Spain to the maganificent Ordesa region.