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Trek the Pyrenees through France and Spain

7 nights
Challenging

Traverse the Gaube Valley, Ordesa Canyon and Gavarnie Cirque on this challenging trek through some of Europe's most epic scenery

What's Included?

Small Like-minded Groups

Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 8 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From

excluding flights
From

excluding flights

What's it like?

Ascend the Mirador de Calcilarruego - a natural balcony hanging 600 metres above the canyon floor

Tackle the famous Brèche de Roland (2800m), a dramatic 40-metre gap on the border between Spain and France

Get fresh under the high-pressure waters of the Grand Cascade, the highest waterfall in France

Key Information

Day 1

Arrival

Your host will meet you on arrival at Lourdes train station and transfer you to Cauterets (1000m), known for its toasty thermal spas. Meet up with the rest of your group for a dinner and chat through the trek with your guide.

Day 2

First look at the Pyrenees

Hiking

7hrs · 1150m up · 100m down

Kick off your adventure with a hike up towards Pont d’Espagne (1500m) via the waterfall path. This is a relatively gentle climb all the way with frequent waterfalls ranging in size from a few metres to 50m. Continue on to the crystal clear Lac de Gaube and surrounding glaciated valley. Your final stop is the Oulettes Refuge (2151m) where you'll be rewarded for your day's efforts with spectacular views of the north face of Vignemale and its small glacier.

Day 3

Cross over to the Spanish Pyrenees

Hiking

8hrs · 450m up · 1250m down

Fuel up on breakfast at the refuge before hitting the trail to cross over into Spain via the Col des Mulets (2600m). You'll be rewarded by your first big views across the peaks of the Spanish Pyrenees and then it's a long descent into the forest as you head towards the Bujaruelo Refuge. There will be plenty of time to recover with dinner and a good night’s rest.

Day 4

Mountain village of Torla (1000m)

Hiking

3hrs · 300m down

Today is going to be easier on the legs before returning to high altitude tomorrow. After a leisurely amble, you'll spend the afternoon relaxing in the Spanish mountain village of Torla (1000m) - a tiny alpine hamlet with the awesome peaks of the national park spanning the backdrop.

Day 5

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park

Hiking

6-8hrs · 1200m up · 100m down

After breakfast, you'll head toward the glacially carved Ordesa Canyon, part of the spectacular Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. From the plateau at the bottom, you'll climb the steep ascent to the viewpoint at the Mirador de Calcilarruego - a natural balcony hanging 600 metres above the canyon floor - before continuing to the next refuge at 2200m. You are now in high mountain territory with views of the canyon from above and mountaineers planning their ascents of the surrounding peaks.

Day 6

Brèche de Roland (2800m)

Hiking

8-9hrs · 600m up · 1435m down

Today you'll cross the Millaris Plateau and start climbing towards the famous Brèche de Roland, or Roland’s Breach (2800m), a natural gap on the border, 40m across and 100m high. Once through the Breche, you'll re-enter France and start the big descent (1450m) down to the village of Gavarnie with dramatic views of the Gavarnie Cirque. Arrive at your hut where a hot shower and a hard-earnt meal will be waiting for you.

Day 7

The Gavarnie Cirque

Hiking

6hrs · 700m up · 700m down

Your final day in the Pyrenees and it's likely to be a wet one. You'll head up and around the Gavarnie Cirque, and down into the heart of the cirque via a balcony path. Climb to the foot of the Grand Cascade, the highest waterfall in France at 423m and, if you’re up for it, stand under it for a celebratory high-pressure wash. Bid farewell to the high mountains as you are driven to Luz for a farewell dinner and a much-deserved drink.

Day 8

Au revoir

The adventure comes to an end today, your host will organise your outward bus transfer back to Lourdes train station ready for your onward journey home.

The Area

map

Logistics

Starts

Lourdes Train Station

Any time before 16:30 on Day 1

Ends

Lourdes Train Station

Anytime on Day 8

Transfers

Your host will meet you at Lourdes Train Station and transfer you to Cauterets - your start point for the trek. On the final day, your host will arrange for you to take a local bus from Luz back to Lourdes.

We recommend you fly into Lourdes Airport (LDE) - which is the closest airport. From Lourdes Airport you can take a local bus (25min) or taxi (10mins) to Lourdes train station. Or from Toulouse Airport there is a shuttle bus to the train station and then regular trains to Lourdes, which take around 2 hours.

Travel options

The closest airports are Lourdes (LDE) or Toulouse (TLS), which are accessible via various direct flights from the UK and mainland Europe.

For those who wish to avoid flying, Lourdes train station is well connected with high-speed trains from London via Paris. The journey will take an average of 9 hours and usually involve 2 changes.

Day 1

Mountain hut · Mixed dorm

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 2 – Day 6

Mountain hut · Mixed dorm

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 7

Hostel · Mixed dorm

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 8

Departure day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

What is the food like?

Breakfasts will be basic but filling, usually featuring bread, jam, tea and coffee and cakes. Dried fruit is often available and you can always bring a bag of oats if you like muesli. Lunch will be a picnic supplied from the refuge. Dinners are authentic Pyrenean cuisine - 3 and sometimes even 4 courses. In the mountain refuge, you'll keep fuelled up with various dinners that comprise of a starter (maybe a ‘potage’ or soup) followed by a meaty casserole, then some cheese and a dessert. There’ll always be plenty of 'stodge' such as bread or rice to fill you up and wine or beer will usually be available.

Vegetarian, vegan and most dietary requirements can be accommodated, please just let your host know upon booking.

What is the accommodation like?

Mountain Refuges

You'll spend 6 nights at different refuges within the Pyrenees, namely Eston Refuge, Oulettes Refuge, Bujaruelo Refuge and Goriz Refuge. You'll stay in mixed dorm-style bunk rooms, we recommend you bring a sleeping bag. The refuges will serve your evening meal and breakfast, and you'll also get your lunch for each day from the refuges before setting off. There are shared toilet facilities and showers available to use.

Hostel

You'll stay at the comfortable Gite Le Regain in Luz St Sauveur, a charming and traditional house nicely renovated as a hostel. The guesthouse offers small dorm rooms, each with their own bathroom.

This trip is brand new

We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.

Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear

In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.

What do I need to bring?

BAGS
Rucksack (approx. 50 litres)
Waterproof liner/drybag for rucksack

CLOTHES
Lightweight waterproof and windproof jacket
Breathable wicking layers
Fleece jacket or similar
Buff or neck scarf
Lightweight trousers/shorts/skirts for hiking
T-shirts
Underwear & socks
Swimsuit (your guide will do everything they can to find swimming opportunities!)
Sunglasses
Sunhat
Gloves
Something to sleep in
Hiking boots (worn-in)
Lightweight shoes for refuge

SLEEPING
Sleeping bag (2/3 season)
Pillowcase

OTHER
Universal travel plug adapter
Power bank or solar charger
Passports (and visas)
Travel Insurance documents
Suncream
Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc.)
Toilet kit (toilet paper, biodegradable bags to carry paper out to dispose of)
Quick-dry towel Alcohol hand-gel
Face mask
Headtorch or torch
2 x reusable water bottle (x1 litre)
Water purification tablets/treatment system

OPTIONAL
Earplugs
Energy bars and snacks
Trekking poles

No optional extras are available for this trip.

We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.

What's the number?
It works out on average at 208kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.

The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.

But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:

  • Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
  • A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
  • 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.

Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.

You can fill your bottles up at the mountain refuges every day and will need to carry what you need for the day.

Any excess luggage can be safely left at your accommodation on Day 1 and then be reunited with you on Day 7 in Luz.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.

Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

  • 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
  • 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
  • 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.

We've got your back

Guaranteed to run

All our trips are now guaranteed to run. Once you’ve booked your spot you can immediately make your travel arrangements, no uncertainty, no hanging about (excludes 'request to book' departures). Full details

Flexible payments

Secure your spot with the minimum deposit and pay off the remaining balance in as many instalments as you like, with no interest or fees. Full details

Happiness Guarantee

We’re so confident you’ll have an amazing time we’ll put our money on it. Full details

Full financial protection

To give you complete peace of mind we’re backed by ABTOT, ABTA and ATOL memberships. Full details

Tried & Trusted

We’re rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 1000 verified trip reviews averaging 4.8/5.

Connect before you go

You'll be invited to join a WhatsApp group to get to know each other before your big adventure together. Full details

DEPARTURE DATES

Contact support

Go private and split the bill with ease.

Forget complex logistics, we've taken care of all the details to ensure a hassle-free get together. All of the adventure, none of the faff.

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