Argelès-Gazost-Val d'Azun-Hautacam

You will love

Argeles Gazost, a small spa town with a beautiful valley location.
The superb range of activities for families.
A charming way-marked walking path from the square in St Savin to the Notre Dame de Pietat chapel and a superb view over the valley
The intimacy of the Azun valley with its many mountain villages
The originality of the flora and the fauna at the Pibeste Nature Reserve

Leisure activities

Trois marmottes debout sur leurs pattes arrières, formant un cercle sur le rocher

Pyrenees Animal Park
Argelès Gazost. A presentation of the animals of the Pyrenees, the animals live in large enclosures in semi-liberty, bears, wolves, isards, marmots, otters, lynx, deer, squirrels. Observe them as you would in the wild! Play with Pilou, Noisette et Milka, the marmots, and the deer Bambi et Caline. Discover the underwater world of the otters Tarka et Luna.
Get close to a brown bear! You will be entertained by squirrels, the wily fox and the deer and the mouflons. Enter the mysterious world of a wolf pack, learn to recognise all the animals with the help of the keepers, follow the animal tracks trail, mould your own footprints of your preferred animals to leave with an unforgettable souvenir.

Mountain luge at Hautacam
This activity is unique to France, a cross between bobsleigh and a roller coaster with 700m of thrilling descent including many hairpin bends. Each can descend at their own pace. Open every day, all year round.

Donjon des Aigles
An internationally renowned raptor centre situated in the village of Beaucens. It is lalso an important historical site being a feudal C11th castle offering a superb view over the valley.
It offers an original and educational presentation with the most important collection of raptors in the world, each afternoon the handlers stage a spectacular show with the birds flying in total liberty, a wonderful unforgettable experience.

Spa and wellbeing - The Jardin des Bains

The Spa of Argelès Gazost offers baths with hydro-massage, baths with air jets, high pressure showers, water massage with a physiotherapist, foot treatments, jacuzzi baths.

The Jardin des Bains spa centre

Walks and treks

There are more than 200 kms of way-marked walking trails surrounding the villages of the Azun valley, with something for every taste, from strolls for all the family to high mountain treks.

The Tour of the Azun valley
The GR Azun valley tour is done in 5 stages, it is way-marked in red and yellow and passes from one valley to another with very different scenery each day, sometimes the unexpected, often grandiose. It is a typical ‘middle mountain’ itinerary and as such is accessible to anybody who possesses a reasonable level of fitness. The route is often quite wild but the villages are never far away if a rest is needed. It can be done with a guide, independently or even with a mule.

Walks at Hautacam
The Isaby lake is easily reached from the Hautacam ski station, a perfect walk with the family as it is only 30 minutes along an easy grassy path. It is particularly recommended for the excellent trout fishing in the lake. From the same starting point one can also easily explore the Ourrec lakes (1h30) and the Bassias lakes (2h) in the Lesponne valley.

The Hautacam ridge
By following the cross country ski trails a fine panorama opens over the whole Argelès Gazost valley with superb views towards the Pic du Midi and the Azun valley. Facing you is the Pibeste massif, an important nature reserve.

Thrills

The Azun valley is a superb natural flying site- you must try a paragliding flight!

Mountain biking
In the Azun Valley : it is part of the French Cycling Federation network (no.26)
There are 450kms of graded and way marked MTB trails in the Azun valley, from easy routes for all the family to sporty trails for experienced riders, a real mountain biking paradise! There is a practice circuit in the village of Arrens Marsous to hone your bike handing skills.

In Hautacam : there are 3 circuits from the ski resort- blue: for 11kms following the cross country ski trails with fabulous views over the Argelès Gazost valley, red: a 17kms descent towards Beaucens and the famous Donjon des Aigles, and black: the Davantaygue Traverse, 21.5kms of descent.

Local Heritage

The Abbey of Saint Savin
What is today the parish church dates from the 12th century, and up to the French Revolution was a Benedictine monastery with an enormous influence over the whole region, particularly during the Romanesque period. From this era there remains the Abbey church and the monks’ chapel. The abbey was constructed around the relics of St Savin, a hermit monk from the 5th century. Next to the monks’ chapel a safe room was constructed which now contains important objects of religious art particularly devoted to Saint Savin and the riches of the monastery.