Autumn in the Pyrenees: Hiking & Photography
Set departure group tour itinerary
Day 1: Arrival & Lac d’Estaing
We pick you up at midday in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes (or we can arrange transfers from nearby airports and train stations) and drive half-an-hour to our beautiful hotel, 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. After lunch we drive a short way to the stunning Lac d’Estaing. On calm days the lake is like a mirror reflecting the firey beech forests all around. We will make a slow amble around the lake as well as head a short way up the valley to an impressive waterfall. There will be plenty of time to take photos, make friends with the livestock that grazes the lakeshore and to do nothing more taxing than take in the stunning views of the big mountains filling the end of the valley.
Day 2: Gavarnie Circuit & Viewpoints (6hrs; moderate)
The Unesco World Heritage listed Cirque de Gavarnie is 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. The 3000m high summits rising up above the cirque are capped in ice and snow while a multitude of waterfalls tumble down the cliff faces. One of these waterfalls, the Grande Cascade, is said to be the highest waterfall in France.
But, in October and early November, the Cirque de Gavarnie has another, less celebrated, natural attraction. Incredible autumn colours. The floor and lower slopes of the cirque are covered in autumn-tinged beech forests, which you will get to enjoy while walking an easy, but wonderful, five-hour loop, along cliffside trails and grassy plateaus on either side of the cirque. The slightly raised vantage points this trail offers give fantastic overviews of the golden forests framed by the walls of the cirque and big mountains.
If time allows then after enjoying this walk and stopping to take lots of photos we will also stop at a more pulled back viewpoint that not many people know about, which gives an overview of the entire cirque and the little village of Gavarnie. At the end of a wonderful day of hiking and photography we return to our accommodation for a well earned dinner.
Day 3: Lacs d’Ayous (6hrs; moderate)
After an early breakfast we drive (1hr 40min) west to the Valle d’Ossau (Ossau Valley). At any time of year many people consider this one of the most beautiful and varied of the valleys in the western Pyrenees, but in October it really comes into its own. We will drive straight to the trailhead for the circuit of the Lacs d’Ayous (Ayous lakes).
This is one of those walks that’s always throwing something of interest toward you: pastures filled with docile eyed cows and sheep, soaring fang-like pillars of rock, mossy forests, streams filled with fat fish and so many lakes in a multitude of sizes that you’ll soon loose count of the number you’ve passed. But as the scenery around you changes by the minute one thing remains constant: the towering presence of the Pic du Midi d’Ossau just over the valley. The lower half of this walk is through vibrant beech forests and the trail crosses a fast flowing stream a number of times which allows for opportunities to photograph the rapids and cascades framed by autumn leaves.
The full hiking circuit takes at least 6hrs with 800m of altitude gain, but if the group as a whole is not up for such a taxing walk the we can do a shorter there and back walk to the most beautiful of the lakes.
At the end of the day we head to a small mountain village and check into the comfortable guesthouse where we will be based for the next couple of nights.
Day 4: Valle de Tena (4-5hrs; Easy/moderate)
Today we drive up to the head of the Valle d’Ossau (a spectacular journey with plenty of opportunities to stop for photos) and over the border into Spain’s Valle de Tena. With a mix of beech forest and poplars, searing blue lakes and dramatic mountainscapes, this is certainly one of the most impressive valleys for autumn colours and yet, surprisingly, it seems to be rather overlooked by most people. We explore a narrow side valley where the autumnal colours are at their finest. Most of the hike is a slow, steady and easy climb to a natural viewpoint that takes in the best of the valley. It’s a fairly short walk but the beauty of the surrounds means that we will likely stop often. If, however, time, energy and the wishes of the group as a whole allow, then we have the option of carrying on further up the valley to a huge lake just above the tree line.
At the end of the day we return back to France and our comfortable accommodation in the Valle d’Ossau.
Day 5: Lescun (4hrs; easy/moderate)
After breakfast we drive for an hour over the col de Marie-Blanque and into the Valle d’Aspe (Aspe valley) to the delightful mountain village of Lescun. Our search for autumn colours continues with a classic walk into the heart of the Cirque de Lescun. With its ragged sharks jaw of soaring rock spires, the Cirque de Lescun is one of the wonders of the French Pyrenees and todays walk reveals it at its finest.
This simple walk takes us up a valley crowded with beech trees coloured in near flourescent oranges, reds and gold. We cross sheep pastures and wild flower meadows and hop over streams to finally arrive at the stone Cabane d’Ansabère, a shepherd hut and hikers refuge, which is set right at the foot of some of the most dramatic rock spires in the cirque. From here we also have the option of following a steeper trail which runs up a lush mountain slope to the elf green Lac d’Ansabère. The still waters reflect the surrounding peaks and the edge of the mountain bowl in which the lake is set, offers a commanding panorama of the beech forests below.
Day 6: Lac de Lhurs (4-5hrs; moderate)
Today we explore a different side of the Cirque de Lescun as we head to the pretty Lac de Lhurs (Lhurs Lake). Along the way we have a huge amount of scenic variety to enjoy. There are the tangled and wild beech forests that are so symbolic of the damper, western Pyrenees, postcard worthy rural farming scenes, abundant wildlife (griffon vultures and marmots are commonly seen) and the delightful fish-filled Lac de Lhurs set against a backdrop of fearful rock spires. As well as plenty of time spent burrowing through the forest and stopping to photograph grand old trees, this trail also passes by several excellent view points which give us the wider picture of the Lescun forests.
After a great days hiking we return the way we came to our hotel and dinner.
Day 7: Departure
Our journey finishes after breakfast when we transfer you back to Lourdes. For those not leaving until later in the day then we can arrange a final short walk in the Valle d’Aspe (additional fee). From Lourdes we can arrange onward transfers to your departure airport or train station.