Across the High Pyrenees

Hike from Spain to France and back again on ancient trails across high passes in the Central Pyrenees

Dates

From Mid-May to end of September

Level

3 - 4

moderate +

Guided

Accompanied by a professional guide

Accommodations

Day hikes sleeping in a hotel each night

10 Days/9 Nights

Can be longer or shorter

INTRODUCTION

This carefully crafted 10 day tour visits the most iconic spots of the Central Pyrenees in both Spain and France and features 2 exclusive hikes on ancient trails across the border from one country to the other – no passports required! This region offers superb hiking terrain, with a well-developed network of paths thanks to a long tradition of travel and exploration. You’ll be hiking in a magnificent natural environment steeped in traditional culture and fascinating history of two nations.

All of our hikes take place in national parks and other protected areas in both Spain and France and much of it within a unique UNESCO World Heritage site & Biosphere Reserve that spans the border.

Here is the Pyrenees’ most spectacular topography, including its highest peaks and most beautiful valleys, deepest canyons, Europe’s highest limestone mountain and one of its tallest waterfalls, as well as glistening alpine lakes, massive cirques, and an extinct volcano. The French and Spanish sides of the range are markedly different from one another, with an amazing diversity of geography, geology and ecosystems.

You’ll be well-taken care-of throughout the trip. Expert mountain guides will accompany you on all hikes, allowing the possibility of adjusting “on the fly” depending on conditions and your desires. We also provide full time transportation for the duration of the itinerary and will arrange comfortable and well-located accommodations in local family run small hotels and inns in quaint villages and towns.

DAY 1 ARRIVAL IN BENASQUE & POSETS-MALADETA NATURAL PARK

Morning pickup in Barcelona, the dynamic capital of Spain’s Catalonia region. Transfer northwards through increasingly spectacular scenery to Benasque. After arrival, we’ll head out for lunch, then set out on foot to explore the valley with an easy afternoon warmup hike to visit some waterfalls in the surrounding hills.

Overnight: 3* hotel in Benasque (1st of 2 nights)

DAY 2 ESTOS VALLEY – IN THE SHADOW OF POSETS

This first full-day explores one of the most attractive valleys in the Spanish high Pyrenees, rimmed to the north by the frontier ridge with France. Our day’s objective is to reach a mountain hut used as a base for mountaineers who climb nearby Posets, the 2nd highest peak in the Pyrenees.

Overnight: Benasque.

DAY 3 BENASQUE PASS – A SMUGGLER’S ROUTE FROM SPAIN TO FRANCE

Today will be our first hike across the international border – but no passports are required! We follow an ancient trail used by smugglers, bandits and travelers over the centuries to cross over a high pass to France offering fantastic views throughout of many of the highest mountains in the entire range, including Aneto and Posets – the 2 biggest. As soon as we cross the border, we’ll be in France’s Pyrenées National Park, where the trail drops alongside a chain of sapphire-blue lakes, where we’ll stop for a refreshment at a tiny mountain hut. At hike’s end, we transfer to our comfortable accommodations in the charming market town of Arreau.

Overnight: 3* Hotel in Arreau. (1st of 2 nights).

DAY 4 NEOUVIELLE NATURAL RESERVE

Today we’ll have an “easy” day, as we hike into the heart of one of France’s Pyrenean jewels, a protected area of high plateaus, granite ridges and over 70 glacial lakes, harboring a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It is especially well-known for its forests of mountain pines which grow here above 2600 meters, higher than anywhere else in Europe and for its over 570 species of algae found in the lakes. The views are sublime, and gentle trails allow us to enjoy great views and stretch our legs and take it easy after yesterday’s big hike.

Overnight: Arreau

DAY 5 REST DAY - COL DU TOURMALET AND PIC DU MIDI DE BIGORRRE

Today is a total “rest day”, as we leave Arreau, and transfer to our next overnight base in the spa town of Cauteretes. En-route, we drive via the legendary Col du Tourmalet, end point of one of the most challenging climbs in the Tour de France bike race. The col is also at the base of Pic du Midi de Bigorre, whose 2877 m (9439 ft) summit is crowned by an astronomical observatory and museum, offering unparalleled 360º views and reached by cable car. We’ll go up, have lunch at the restaurant at the observatory, then return to the col. After that, continue transferring to Cauterets, in the heart of France’s Pyrenées National park.

Overnight: 3* Hotel in Cauterets (1st of 2 nights)

DAY 6 PONT DE ESPAGNE & VALLEE DE GAUBE

A short transfer takes us to Pont d’Espagne, where we explore the valley leading towards the massive form of Vignemale, at 3298 m, the highest Pyrenean mountain in French territory. This lovely spot is very popular, and there is a hut serving snacks and refreshments. Some of the group might want to spend the rest of the day around the lake and nearby, while the stronger hikers will continue along the GR-10 to reach the mountain hut Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube at the head of the valley, with great views of the impressive north face of Vignemale ahead of us all the way!

Overnight: in Cauterets, as above

DAY 7 TREK FROM FRANCE’S GAVARNIE CIRQUE TO SPAIN’S ORDESA CANYON & MONTE PERDIDO NATIONAL PARK

Today we hike back into Spain, beginning in the tiny town of Gavarnie, at the foot of a massive cirque, an impressive natural amphitheater with one of Europe’s longest waterfalls, the most renowned spot in France’s Parque Nacional des Pyrenées. We’ll be following a trail across a high pass traditionally used by pilgrims, traders and smugglers, to enter España’s fabled Ordesa Canyon & Monte Perdido National Park. The 1st part of the hike offers great views of the cirque and its famous waterfall. A shorter variant begins near the pass itself, saving time, distance and elevation gain. We end our route by crossing a lovely Romanesque bridge over the pristine waters of the Ara River, to a mountain hut that was once an ancient pilgrim’s hostel founded in the 12th century. A short transfer brings us to our base for the next 2 nights, in the pretty stone-built village of Torla, principal gateway to the Western sector (Ordesa Canyon) of the national park.

Overnight: 2* or 3* Hotel in Torla. (1st of 2 nights)

DAY 8 ORDESA CANYON

Today’s hike is a true classic of Spain’s most famous Pyrenean national park, along a faja – a ledge-like trail along the Ordesa Canyon walls on our way to the pretty Cola de Caballo (“horsetail”) waterfall at the head of the canyon. This route has everything a hiker could ask for, with the ascent offering amazing views of the legendary canyon itself and of the national park’s most famous mountains – the Monte Perdido massif, known as “Las Tres Sorores” or 3 sisters. A beautiful beech forest and a succession of lovely waterfalls accompany our descent along the valley floor.

Overnight: in Torla

DAY 9 PIC DU MIDI D’OSSAU

Our last hike is definitely one of the best! Starting high up at a col on the main ridgeline, just over the Spain-France border, we’ll hike in the shadow of one of the most iconic mountains in European mountaineering – the majestic Pic du Midi d’Ossau, an extinct volcano with an unmistakable twin-summited silhouette.

Later we transfer to Pau, dynamic capital of the Pyrenean region of Béarn. A mainstay on the Tour de France, it is also on the Chemin d’Arles or Via Tolosana, one of the main Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes in France. Its location at the foot of the Pyrenees, gives access to 5 major valleys and provides an exceptional panorama of the range. We’ll walk along the famed “Boulevard des Pyrenées” for a final view of the magnificent mountains before meeting for a celebratory dinner.

Overnight: 3* Hotel in Pau.

DAY 10 DEPARTURE

After breakfast, you travel onwards. We can help arrange an airport transfer to regional airports: Pau (30 min) or Tarbes-Lourdes (45 min); Biarritz (1 h 30’); Bordeaux (2 h) or Toulouse (2h). Additionally, Pau is well-served by a major train line, with several daily departures to Bordeaux (2 h 25’), Toulouse (2 h 25’) and Paris (4 h 35’).

BENASQUE – Days 1 & 2: A boutique-style 3* family-run hotel in the historic stone-built village of Benasque, with a fabulous setting in the heart of the Benas Valley, Benasque is home to the headquarters of the Spanish Mountaineering School and is the hub of a dynamic local tourism industry centered around outdoor adventure sports, nature and culture; many refer to it as the Spanish Pyrenees version of Chamonix in the French Alps!

ARREAU – Days 3 & 4: A charming family run, 3* hotel in the pleasant little market town of Arreau at the crossroads of the Louron valley and the Aure valley in this region of the Pyrenees, often referred to as Luchon.

CAUTERETS – Days 5 & 6: A quaint 3* family-run hotel in the spa-town of Cauterets, in the heart of France’s Pyrenées National park. Since Roman times, Cauterets has been renowned for its thermal hot springs, and is the gateway to many excellent hikes and climbs among the high valleys, ridges and peaks of some of the biggest mountains in the entire range.

TORLA – Days 7 & 8: a 2-3* charming family-run hotel. An attractive stone-built medieval village with winding cobblestone streets, Torla has a superb setting on the pristine Ara river, with views of the lower reaches of Ordesa Canyon. As the main gateway to the most popular hiking areas in the Western sector of the national park, including the famous Ordesa Valley and the most well-used approach to Monte Perdido, Torla is also home to the national park's principal visitor's information center.

PAU – Day 9: A comfortable 3* hotel with an excellent location in Pau, the dynamic capital of the Pyrenean region of Béarn. A mainstay on the Tour de France, Pau is also on the Chemin d’Arles or Via Tolosana, one of the main Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes in France. Its location at the foot of the Pyrenees, gives access to 5 major valleys and provides an exceptional panorama of the range.

We will be happy to provide specific details of our accommodations upon request.

Overall Level: 3 - 4 or "Moderate" to "Challenging". Each day there’s are easier, shorter hikes and longer, more challenging ones. You’ll discuss the options with our guide to decide the best plan!

Distances: from 7.3 km/4.5 mi to 19 km/11.9 mi depending on route choice

Elevation gain &/or loss: from 270m / 886 ft to 1295m / 4249 ft. Most "harder" days average 500 - 600 meters. The hardest day is +930 m and -1295m (Day 3. Anyone not wanting to hike today can ride in the luggage transfer vehicle from Benasque to the hotel in Arreau.)

Time: from 2.5 to 7.5 hours, depending on route

Terrain: Mostly hilly with occasional steep and/or rocky ascents/descents (use of hands not required!). Typical walking surfaces include medieval “paved” paths and sheep drovers' trails, forestry tracks, grassy meadows & paths and rocky mountain trails.

We can pick you up at trip start in Barcelona or Zaragoza. Benasque is approximately 4 hrs. drive from Barcelona and 2 hours from Zaragoza. There are high-speed AVE trains from Madrid to Zaragoza, taking less than 2 hours.

We can arrange a private transfer from other areas of interest in northeast Spain such as Pamplona, Bilbao or San Sebastian.

At the end of the trip, Pau has a small airport and is also about 2 hours drive from Toulouse, which has a major international airport. We can arrange local transfers. The city is about 2 hours drive from Bordeaux, also with an international airport. Additionally, Pau is on a major high-speed train line to Paris.

Our trip includes 2 traverses, where we hike from one country to the other, via high passes over the main ridgeline on paths used throughout the ages by smugglers, pilgrims, travelers and livestock herders.

Hikes in Spain’s Ordesa & Monte Perdido National Park and the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park; France’s Pyrenèes National Park and Neouvielle Massif Natural Reserve.

Glorious views, exuberant flora, abundant fauna and impressive geology: this is one of the world’s finest locations for alpine flowers, including the famed Eidelweiss. Marmots and chamoix observe us from rocky perches and birds of prey soar overhead, including the Lammergeier – one of the Europe’s rarest birds of prey. Geologists consider the Central Pyrenees as an exceptionally interesting area, with a UNESCO Global Geopark established for protection, education and sustainable development.

Picturesque villages & towns: our overnight bases feature charming villages deep in the mountains with ancient churches, cobbled streets and traditional architecture.

History & culture: throughout the trip you’ll be immersed in an environment that reminds you of this region’s fascinating past & present as both natural border & physical barrier, yet also point of connection and communication between 2 of the world’s most historically powerful and culturally influential nations.

Excellent gastronomy: a diverse variety of cuisine always focusing on the freshest of local products washed down with the excellent regional wines of both countries.

BOOK, CUSTOMIZE OR CREATE

This sample itinerary has been designed to showcase just some of the main highlights of the Central Pyrenees of France and Spain. It can be booked just as described above, but it’s also 100% customizable and can be used as the foundation around which we can build a personalized trip just for you Make it shorter or longer. Add rest days or mix hiking days with other adventure or cultural interest activities. We operate in a variety of areas on both the Spanish and French sides of the Pyrenees as well as northern Spain in general, so we can easily craft a completely personalized trip, combining differing activities and experiences in various locations. We want to create a memorable travel experience just for you! No itinerary is too complicated for us to arrange…any number of days, at any time of year, for any size group. Pick this or another of our suggested itineraries and we'll customize it to meet your party’s criteria...or…let’s work together with you to craft a personalized, tailor-made itinerary to suit your interests, level of physical challenge or technical difficulty, and other criteria. Just send us an email or send in our contact form describing your idea in as much detail as possible and we’ll get back to you…and together we’ll start making your dream become reality!

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Hiking in the Pyrenees near Midi d'Ossau