Central Pyrenees trekking

In the heart of the Central Pyrenees, this magnificient section of the Pyrenees crossing offers you to discover outstanding sites in the heart of the Pyrenees National Park. The first day of the hike will take you to the superb Gaube Valley, in the foothills of the Vignemale mountains and its majestic north face - a mecca for Pyreneism. You will then reach Barèges, walking through the Luz Saint Sauveur upper valley and the Riou pass, with an open view over some of the highest Pyrenean summits. Then, from Barèges to Saint Lary Soulan, the Nature is opening up to you. You will cross the Néouvielle Nature Reserve, with its outsanding and various turquoise lakes, in which the Néouvielle Peak granite ridges are plunging. Every evening, you will stop in villages renowned for their beneficial waters, with well-deserved relaxing moments in sight after a whole day hiking !

From Saint Lary Soulan and the Aure valley, you will go and discover some of the most beautiful hikes of this area and a little Pyrenean paradise. After gaining some altitude over the Aure valley, you will discover the Géla and Badet valleys, in the heart of the Pyrenees National Park , and the gems that they are hiding : Barroude Wall and Lake, Hourquette de Charmantas, Badet Lake, Soum des Salettes and its outstanding viewpoints over the Central Pyrenees... Then you will head to the Néouvielle Nature Reserve and its various glacial lakes, each one more beautiful than the last. You will hike through protected areas, in a gorgeous setting of lakes and pines. When crossing passes and climbing small summits, you will enjoy grandiose bird's-eye-views of those preserved landscapes and especially famous high summits such as the Néouvielle Peak (3091m) and its granite ridges plunging in the Aubert Lake. During this holiday, the nature and wildlife sanctuaries of the Pyrenees National Park and the Néouvielle Nature Reserve reveal themselves to you.

With this holiday in the heart of the Central Pyrenees, you will discover some of the most beautiful sites of the Pyrenean mountain range. Starting from Cauterets, you will go and discover two magnificient valleys that look a bit like Canada : the Gaube and Marcadau valleys. Untouched snowy landscapes, pine groves, small valleys, high summits and frozen lakes and waterfalls are the agenda. In the Luz St Sauveur valley, you will climb to two beautiful summits that are easily reachable and offer stunning bird's eye views over the main summits of the area : Balaïtous, Vignemale, Néouvielle, Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Taillon... and many more ! Another highlight of your holiday will be discovering the famous Gavarnie cirque and its numerous summits reaching more than 3000m of altitude, frozen by the winter. The Gavarnie cirque, that shelters the highest waterfall in Europe (423m) and offers a magnificient architecture, cannot be described : it needs to be discovered and gazed at. This natural glacial cirque is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage and impresses by its size and height - its walls are almost 1500m-high. In the Pyrenees National Park wild and protected settings, your itinerary will lead you on gentle slopes that are especially suitable for snowshoe hiking. After the hikes, the « Bains du rocher » thermal spa will offer you a well-deserved relaxing time !