Gorgeous Gavarnie

Waterfall near Gavarnie Village Where one enjoys the spectacular scenery of the highest waterfall in Europe.

The Pyrenees form a wonderful high mountain chain separating France from Spain. The spectacular panorama from the upper part of the Gavarnie valley includes snow-capped peaks, of which the Pic de Marboré is the highest at 3248 m (about 10,660 ft). But the weather can be variable in spring, so it is a good idea to spend several days in the area to maximise the chances of securing clear views of the pristine valley with its spectacular mountain backdrop.

Shallowtail feeding in a meadow above Gedre.

We opted to stay in a delightful family-run hotel in the small and charming village of Gavarnie, enjoying the fabulous view of the impressive waterfall directly from our first floor balcony. Yes, this was really a room with a view, but I was soon tempted to start exploring in much greater detail. The gentle hike from Gavarnie village up to cirque can be comfortably accomplished in just over an hour, but the real pleasure is to take it more slowly and savour the breathtaking scenery in ever-changing light and weather conditions.

We had arrived late on Friday and were soon enjoying majestic clear views of the beautiful cirque and waterfall directly from the balcony of our small family run hotel. It is difficult to describe the beauty of such a place in words, but I felt a very strong pull to investigate the place in greater detail, as soon as possible.

Hiking to the Cirque
Unfortunately, the following morning started with heavy rain and I began to get despondent by noon time, as it was still raining heavily. Fortunately, by early afternoon, the rain began easing and as I began the walk there was still heavy cloud cloaking the mountains. I stopped to enjoy some beautiful orchids in a field by the trail, then soon realized that there is an alternate travel option - the horseback trips up to the cirque from the village. The melting snowfields plus heavy rainfall had swollen the streams and waterfalls, so now all that was needed was some sunshine to enhance the photography.

However, it was not until I arrived close the base of the cirque that the clouds really began to clear: then we had it all fantastic blue skies with white clouds, rushing streams and magical waterfalls. The wildflowers and tree blossoms were wonderful, but the awesome scenery in all the changing light conditions really stole the show. By late afternoon, the weather had cleared and I was drawn back to a possible viewpoint which I spotted on the way up. Just by the racing river, I managed to get the shot I was looking for just before the sun dropped behind the huge mountains.

Marmot encounters along the ski road
More detailed exploration of the area soon revealed an equally exciting fauna and flora within these fabulous mountains. The sometimes confiding Alpine Marmots along the Gavarnie-Gèdre ski road and montane birdlife will enthrall many.

From this hotel we enjoyed the fabulous view of the impressive waterfall.

But the Alpine wildflowers soon captivated us – the jewel of which was undoubtedly the amazing Trumpet Gentian – a beautiful signature species of these high mountains. Though these are certainly not common, they are definitely worth searching out. We located good numbers of perfectly flowering plants in a boggy area, just off the side road leading to the Lac des Gloriettes. However, butterflies were not far behind, highlights of which included sightings of an approachable Swallowtail and an elusive Camberwell Beauty in beautiful flower meadows just above Gèdre.

In many respects, I even prefer this locality to Yosemite in California, since the main valley is delightfully traffic-free and the mountain scenery is equally awesome. With various European airlines flying to convenient nearby destinations in southern France, this is definitely a rewarding spring time long weekend trip option to be considered for those based within Europe or even visitors looking for a scenic side-trip with a difference. Driving conditions are easy and the beauty of self-drive is that you can stop whenever you like to enjoy the mountain scenery or a picnic in wonderful valleys.

Our short trip delivered some great nature watching and the highlights turned out to be butterflies, the cute Alpine Marmots and striking wildflowers, including the Trumpet Gentian: a signature species of boggier locations in these high mountains.