Vallée d'Ossau

The valley south of Pau beneath the Pic du Midi d'Ossau

From Pau the valley runs south via Arudy, Bielle – the old capital of Ossau – and Laruns up towards the Col du Pourtalet (1,794 m) and Spain. At Aste-Béon, griffon vultures nest in the cliff face of the Falaise aux Vautours, a nature reserve since 1974, where cameras in the museum show the nests close up. From Fabrèges a gondola goes up to the Petit train d'Artouste, a narrow-gauge railway from 1924 that runs 10 kilometres at around 2,000 metres to the Lac d'Artouste – according to the operator, the highest tourist train in Europe. The spa towns of Eaux-Bonnes and Eaux-Chaudes and the ski resort of Gourette lie in the side valleys.

42.9831° N, 0.4161° W