Horseback riding around mountain lakes

After preparing our horses and having a briefing on the equipment and the horses, we set off on our first independent walk with our horses. Then we mount up and begin our trek. We leave Porté and climb to the Puymorens pass. From the pass, we are very close to Andorra and ascend towards the Coume d'Angarie valley, then we cross the Lanoux pass. We enter the summer pastures where herds graze freely all summer long and come across the first mountain lakes. We pass by the edge of Lanoux and then reach a magical bivouac spot at the foot of Castel Isard for an exceptional evening under the stars.

We reach the shores of Lake Lanoux and then head back up towards the Porteille de la Grave pass, off the beaten track. We pass several high-altitude lakes, descend back down the Porteille de la Grave, and then climb again towards the Pérics peaks. We cross several ponds, including the Herbier and the dry ponds, and arrive at the Camporells ponds, where our refuge is located, where we will eat tonight and where we will camp for the night.

We leave the Camporells and descend towards Espoussouilles, either via the Ladre Valley or the Galbe Valley, depending on the weather. We retrieve our supplies and luggage and enjoy a pleasant night in a gîte before continuing our journey.

We'll pass by the Quérigut pond, then meet up with our support team at midday to collect our supplies and re-saddle the mule. We'll then ride up to the Rabassolles ponds at 2000 meters where we'll set up a superb bivouac. 5-6 hours on horseback.

From Rabassolles pond, we climb to the Blue Pond, then to the Black Pond, before reaching the Coumeille de l'Ours at the foot of Tarbésou (2364 m). We arrive at the Paillhère pass where we meet up with the support team and leave our self-sufficiency packs. From the pass, we stay along the ridge with an incredible view of the rest of the Pyrenees until we reach the Camurac ski resort, then we descend back to the village. The horses return to their summer pastures, and we are greeted warmly by Alain.

We took advantage of this last day of our star-shaped route to travel lighter and do some paces, maybe even a run or two. We crossed through Montaillou, an Occitan village steeped in history. We then climbed up towards the summer pastures of Pla de Sept Cazes, before descending to Comus, and finally Camurac, the end of our hike, for our last evening together.

Transfer of riders after breakfast to the La Marmite gîte for those who have left their cars, or to Porté station for those who are leaving by train (contact us for train times) or Toulouse airport (arrival at the airport around 12pm, plan a flight from 2pm).