8-day trek along the French Pyrenees GR10 (Stage 1)

Join UIMLA-certified leader Emma on stage 1 of the great GR10 Pyrenees trek. Ascend through picturesque green pastures, lovely seascapes and antique Basque villages.

Pyrenees

8 Days

Jun - Sep

High

Intermediate

Description

Set among the stunning peaks of the Pyrenees, join me on stage 1 of the GR10. Roll with the hills past green pastures, seascapes and beautiful Basque villages. Reach the peak of Cresta d’Iparla at 1,049m, and ascend superb red sandstone ridges.

The GR10, short for Grande Randonnée (Big Walk), is a classic long-distance route along the Pyrenees, past stunning scenery and picturesque villages.

Stretching from the Basque shores off the Atlantic to the southern French beaches of the Mediterranean, the GR10 covers 538 miles (866km). The entire trek would take 2 months! That’s why we broke the whole route into 8 1-week sections.

Stage 1 covers around 7-13 miles (11-22km) each day, lasting around 4 to 8 hours. We begin in the French Basque country commune of Hendaye, and follow the footpaths among beautiful sea views and rolling hills. Walking past picturesque villages the terrain becomes more mountainous as we reach Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

This 8-day trip contains 7 nights in hotels and 6 days of trekking. And with luggage access throughout the trip, we only need to carry day packs.

Due to the length of walks each day, and the ascents ranging from 300m to 1,260m, a good fitness level is required.

Reserve your place for an unforgettable opening trek on the GR10 in the French Pyrenees.

Price includes

Accommodation included
Breakfast
Dinner
Luggage transfer

Price details

This is the price to join one of our Group Tours.
Accommodation is on a twinshare or dormitory basis.
Breakfasts and evening meals are included (except on arrival day).
Not Included:
Insurance (mandatory for every participant)

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Hendaye

I will brief you about the coming days and answer any questions you may have at the hotel in Hendaye.

Day 2: Hendaye to Ascain

We begin in style by dipping into the sea at Hendaye Plage, the start of the GR10. We then pass through the village of Biriatou, rising rapidly above the Atlantic. We cross several cols before descending towards the village of Ascain. Depending on availability of accommodation we may need to take a transfer to our hotel.

Day 3: Ascain to Ainhoa

Today we will pass through the villages of Sare and Ainhoa, noted as “plus beaux villages de France”, and we’ll see a lot of traditional Basque houses dating back to the 17th century.

Day 4: Ainhoa to the Col des Veaux

A shorter day but is almost entirely uphill! We have a fantastic climb as we wind our way around Mount Errebí (583m), and then further past the Col des Trois Croix to Soporro (617m). We finally join the spectacular Gorospil ridge, and if the weather is good we can divert from the GR10 and take the ridge walk to the summit. In bad weather we’ll stay on the GR10 to reach the Col des Veaux.

Day 5: Col des Veaux to Bidarray

We pass underneath the Pic Iguzki to reach the Col de Mehatse (716m). We have a series of cols before we begin our steep descent to Bidarray. We’ll pass the Harpeko Saindua cave on the way down, whose limestone walls are said to have healing properties.

Day 6: Bidarray to Saint Etienne de Baïgorry

As we ascend to the superb red sandstone ridge, we reach the peak of the Cresta d’Iparla, at 1,049m. The view is exceptional, stretching from the Atlantic over 62 miles (100km) to your west, to the Pic d’Anie in the southeast.

Day 7: Saint Etienne de Baïgorry to Saint-Jean-Pied-dePort

Today’s climb takes us up to the Col d’Urdanzia (872m), followed by the Munhoa peak (1023m), with a panoramic view of Basse-Navarre down below. We descend through green pastures to the town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which is also the starting point for the Camino Francès, the most popular version of the Camino de Santiago.

Day 8: Departure day

Our trip finishes after breakfast.

Details

More info

Insurance

It is compulsory that you take out adequate travel insurance, and it is a condition of booking with us that your insurance covers the following as a minimum: medical expenses, injury, illness, death, repatriation, personal accident, mountain rescue including helicopter evacuation, along with cancellation and curtailment. Your insurance must be valid for the duration of your tour.

Meeting point

Our hotel in Hendaye

FAQs

What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?

We understand that finding the perfect place to stay is an essential part of your adventure experience. To help you with this, we’ve curated a list of three highly recommended hotels that offer comfort, convenience, and a touch of local charm. These accommodations are well-suited for adventurers looking to relax and rejuvenate after an exciting day of exploration

Residencia Universitaria Manuel Agud Querol San Sebastian Spain

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Hotel Palacio de Aiete San Sebastian Spain

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Hotel San Sebastian San Sebastian Spain

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About the guide

-Emma & Guides' team

4.8

(17)

Mountain Leader

I'm a qualified International Mountain Leader (IML) and I have been leading expeditions for the last 15 years. I have led the Tour du Mont Blanc over 40 times, the Everest Base Camp trek 27 times, Kilimanjaro 10 times, and I have also led trips in Nepal, Peru, Cuba, India, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Russia, Uzbekistan and Madagascar, amongst others. I work together with qualified mountain leaders like me, If I'm not available to guide you, one of my colleagues will take care of you.

I'm a passionate skier, in 2009 I made the first ski descent of Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world (8156m).

Fluent in French, Russian and Spanish, I also work as an interpreter and love to chat.

Languages

Russian | French | English

Certificates

UIMLA

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What people are saying about -Emma & Guides' team

The service Emma provided us was outstanding. Everything went well and as planned. Trip descriptions, route informations and Emma's recommendations was all provided in the App and hard copy. All we had to do was show up and hike. No worries about booking hotels and transportations. Hotels booked for us were all clean, comfortable with full breakfast. The dinners that some hotels provided was very delicious. I highly recommend Cloud 9 Adventure to anybody. Thank you Emma for an unforgettable trip!

We had an amazing day hiking with Jason admiring views of Mont Blanc, the Bionnassay glacier and waterfalls. Jason was knowledgeable about the history and geology of the area, and tailored the hike according to what we wanted to see as well as our physical capacity. We are grateful he brought us on a trail we wouldn’t have known about otherwise! Emma was also a great help with coordination and brainstorming ideas with us in the lead-up to the hike. Highly recommend!

Emma Jack- You are incredible. Nothing I can say here would justify the experience you gave us. I will just say thank you and we’ll be reaching out to you again to plan our future adventures.

Cloud 9 fit everything we were searching for. You can not find a better team with experience and care for service than Cloud 9. If you are looking for the hiking trip of lifetime, I urge you to look at the web site and send an email to Cloud 9 to learn more about their services for The Tour du Mont Blanc.

I had the time of my life on a Tour du Mont Blanc Trip organized by Cloud 9. I took the trip with my sisters and we were guided by Ronan, an experienced French guide. I could not have asked for a better experience. All of the accommodations were lovely, and Ronan helped ensure each day was magical regardless of the weather. I would highly recommend this tour company to anyone considering the TMB.