The Pyrenees National Park

The Gavarnie Valley is home to three exceptional natural glacial cirques. TheGavarnie Cirque, with its waterfall – one of the highest in Europe – is the best known. The Troumouse cirque is the largest of the three, whilst the Estaubé cirque is the most unassuming… ThePyrenees–Mont Perdu siteis, moreover, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a natural and cultural landscape. The Val d’Azun, with its strong Pyrenean character, boasts a distinctive architectural heritage. The Estaing and Tech valleys are ideal for hiking, particularly in the Balaïtous massif. Finally, the Cauterets Valley and its Pont d’Espagne site form a truly stunning setting where torrents and lakes create breathtaking scenery. Lake Gaube, in the valley leading to the famous Vignemale, is a must-see destination.

Setting off to explore the Pyrenees National Park as a family is a great way to help the youngest members of the family appreciate the beauty of the area and understand how fragile it is. Marked trails criss-cross the area, to everyone’s delight. Discovering Lake Suyen in the Val d’Azun and the climb up to Lake Gaube are among the best walks to do with children.

Want to learn more? Take part in the activities organised by the National Park rangers in summer: learn to interpret the landscape and observe the flora and fauna.

No fewer than 2,500 plant species and 4,000 animal species are found in the Pyrenees National Park. Among the most iconic are the Pyrenean desman, the midwife toad, the capercaillie and the brown bear. As for the flora, the Pyrenean iris and lily, as well as the hook-needle pines, are among the most easily recognisable. To ensure that visitors can enjoy all this diversity,certain rules are in place within the National Park, such as a ban on picking flowers, swimming in the lakes and bringing dogs into the park, even if they are kept on a lead.