Family activity holiday in French Pyrenees
| country: | France |
| location: | French Pyrenees |
| departures: | 2008: 5 Jul, 12 Jul, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug |
| price: | From £710 - £935 (8 days) per adult and £660 - £885 per child including flights from the UK. This trip can also be booked without flights. Price depends on number of activites chosen. Recommended minimum age 10 years |
| late availability: | Late availability on 12, & 19 July 2008 |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Pyrenees Orientales is officially the sunniest region in France with over 300 days of sunshine every year. It is also a stunningly beautiful area with a huge diversity of landscapes providing the perfect backdrop for what is probably our most challenging family holiday.
The activities take place amidst towering rocky peaks, alpine meadows, dense forests, mountain lakes and fast flowing rivers. This is a hugely varied activity holiday that will allow you to experience the best that this less visited part of France has to offer.
Accommodation: The base for this holiday is the 3-star Hotel Grand Tetras in the small town of Font Romeu, a popular ski resort in winter. In summer it provides a convenient holiday base with easy access to the starting points for a host of adventure sports. The hotel is located in the town centre and has 36 en-suite twin, double, triple and family rooms. Facilities include a small indoor pool with panoramic views over the local countryside as well as a sauna, jacuzzi and bar.
The activities take place amidst towering rocky peaks, alpine meadows, dense forests, mountain lakes and fast flowing rivers. This is a hugely varied activity holiday that will allow you to experience the best that this less visited part of France has to offer.
Accommodation: The base for this holiday is the 3-star Hotel Grand Tetras in the small town of Font Romeu, a popular ski resort in winter. In summer it provides a convenient holiday base with easy access to the starting points for a host of adventure sports. The hotel is located in the town centre and has 36 en-suite twin, double, triple and family rooms. Facilities include a small indoor pool with panoramic views over the local countryside as well as a sauna, jacuzzi and bar.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Flights, arrival and welcome. You will be met at Barcelona Airport from where the transfer takes us to our hotel in Font Romeu. Please note that if you want to make your own travel arrangements then a flight-exclusive discount applies. In the evening there will be a welcome meal and an introductory meeting hosted by Simon, our head guide for the week. |
| Day 2: | Gorge walk and thermal baths. We head to the jaw-dropping Gorges de la Caranca for a circular 4km trek. The reward for our endeavours is a series of truly spectacular views, not just of the gorge but also the surrounding area. As we follow the path which has been cut directly through the rock face it soon becomes evident that this is anything but an everyday walk. In the afternoon we visit the Thermal Baths of St Thomas for a chance to soothe any aching limbs. |
| Day 3: | Rafting & hydrospeeding. In the morning we will experience rapids of up to Grade 4 as we plunge down the River Aude in our white water rafts. In the afternoon those who are 12 years old and over can take to the river for an adrenaline filled hyrdospeed descent of the same stretch of river. |
| Day 4: | Mountain biking into Spain. We drive up to 2100m before starting a 17km descent through rolling countryside into the pretty Spanish town of Llivia. There will be a couple of hours to explore the town or enjoy a leisurely lunch and some sangria before transport is provided back up the hill! |
| Day 5: | Adventure Park. Today we will visit the ‘Parcours Adventure’ where the whole family can enjoy a high ropes course, tyrolean crossings and zip slides of up to 100m! The afternoon is free to relax at Lake Matemale where sailing, windsurfing, archery and horse riding are all available (pay locally). |
| Day 6: | Free day. You can choose from a wide range of additional activities (payable locally) such as paragliding, via ferrata, bouldering or climbing. Alternatively, simply relax or take the ‘Train Jaune’ to the historic village of Villefranche. |
| Day 7: | Canyoning. The canyon at Porte Puymorens offers a fantastic mix of slides, abseils and jumps into the deep, clear pools. Every year, without exception, this is the most popular activity of the week. A farewell dinner will be served in the evening to reflect on the week’s activities. |
| Day 8: | Depart or extend your stay. Transfers to Barcelona for your return flights. |
travellers' tales
All the activities were well planned and organised with good equipment provided and first class guides. The holiday provided a great balance between challenge and achievability and it was great to learn new skills and try out things that I would probably never have organised into one holiday myself. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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Our holidays are based in the newly formed Parc Natural which was made up of thousands of acres of existing conservation area. It is home to a number of rare and endangered fauna species including Lynx, Brown bears and the tiny Desman. To promote responsible tourism we try to keep to small sized groups, as we believe that the growth of adventure tourism can lead to the over commercialism and over crowding of these sensitive areas.
With small groups participating in carefully chosen locations, or walking on established marked out trails, we can introduce our clients to this spectacular area without compromising the environment and the finely balanced eco system. When out on a walk we will always discuss the impact that the increased footpath traffic is having on the environment, and our guides will lead by example in collecting litter left by less well informed parties along the way, and our clients are encouraged to do the same. We also try, wherever possible, to avoid tourist bottlenecks at peak times and a trip with us gets you away from the main GR hordes. During the holiday all clients are briefed fully on the correct procedures for taking their ablutions whilst in the wilderness, and are educated in the devastating implications of the incorrect disposal of waste. Our hotel is privately owned with as much purchasing as possible from local suppliers and where possible local agricultural produce and local market stall holders rather than supermarket chains. The majority of cheese used comes from the excellent local fromagerie. All house hold waste that can be re-cycled, is, through the local commune scheme. In introducing this area to the UK market we can help local economies that normally would not have a chance to benefit from this sector, in what has traditionally been a subsistence level farming community. This has allowed for greater opportunities and increased wages for younger people who now do not need to leave the mountains to search for careers, which means that the population of the villages are now actually increasing for the first time in over 100 years and the future of local schools and medical services are safe guarded. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |