“EN CHEMIN” : WALKS WITH A DIFFERENCE
Walking tours in the Mediterranean Pyrenees with local guide
Detailed information
Our programmes are suited to individual walkers and small groups with different kinds of interests and levels of ability.
We want our guests to be privileged by discovering and exploring the best the area has to offer.
Christian, your tour manager and guide, is a specialist of Catalonia sharing his passion for Mediterranean nature, heritage and local traditions.
He leads visitors along the most ancient footpaths, often well off the beaten track, to make every walk a new experience of total merging into nature and history.
Walking holidays can be booked all year but late winter, spring, early summer and autumn are perfectly suited to walking and the best periods to fully enjoy the beauties of the Mediterranean Pyrenees.
CATALONIA : A MUSEUM IN THE OPEN AIR
Our base is in Roussillon, the sunniest region of France.
The walking areas are situated on both sides of the French/Spanish border, not far from regional capitals: Perpignan, Figueras, Girona.
This part of Catalonia offers an exceptional palette of dramatic sceneries as well as an outstanding historical heritage from the altitudes 0 to 2000 metres on both sides of the Pyrenees.
Nature reserves and preserved areas offer the richest and most varied concentration of flora of the Pyrenees, from the Canigou mountains to the remote Garrotxa, from the deep forests of Vallespir to the rocky cliffs of the Vermillion Coast.
More than 100 dolmens testify for prehistoric presence. Later, the Romans established ports and colonized the countryside along the Via Domitia and Augusta.
The Middle Ages witnessed the birth of the Catalan Romanesque Art and the expansion of a civilisation still alive 10 centuries later.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the emergence of a specific Baroque Art. Along the 20th century, the transparent light and bright colours of places like Céret, Collioure and Cadaquès were immortalised by Matisse, Derain, Salvador Dali and many others.
OPTIONS :
Easy Walks - 1 day or 1/2 day, for occasional walkers and eventually adapted to children. Plenty of time is left for breaks, sightseeing and tasting of local gastronomy and wines. Can be chosen as a self-guided day. (ref. EW)
Great Sites - The interest here is to reach outstanding natural and/or historical sites by foot. Walking time offers the opportunity to merge with history and legends of the area. Lunches can be taken at countryside “auberges”. (ref. GS)
Hidden Pathways - This selection takes you off the beaten track on both parts of the French-Spanish border. You walk in the steps of muleteers, shepherds, smugglers, highwaymen & refugees! (ref. HP)
Legendary Routes - 2 to 6 day trips "à la carte" are suited to individual needs with a more cultural approach. They offer a unique succession of unspoiled landscapes and a privileged introduction to 1000 years of Catalan history. (ref. LR)
OUR GUIDED WALKS :
- Cadaquès & the Cap de Creus Natural Park - GS (from 1 to 3 days)
- A Medieval Detour in the foothills of Besalú - EW / GS (1 or 2 days)
- On the Tracks of Smugglers & Highwaymen - HP (5 different day walks)
- Requesens: a mythical castle in the Catalan “maquis” - GS / HP (1 day)
- “Camino de Santiago” : the Catalan Route - GS / LR (3 days)
- Adventures in the Alta Garrotxa - HP / LR (2 to 5 days)
- To the very roots of Romanesque Catalonia - GS / LR (3 to 6 days)
These propositions can be mixed to make a special “à la carte” programme
OUR SELF-GUIDED TRAIL :
- “Mar I Muntanya” from the mountains to the rocky coast of Collioure (5 to 8 days)
GUIDING PRICES :
25 € to 30 € per day per person (individuals) depending on programme.
Special group prices (minimum 10) vary depending on number of persons.
INFORMATION :
"Walks with a Difference" are organised in cooperation with Association Destination Pyrenees and certified local guides and available for members when pre-booked only and subject to a minimum number participants.
We can tailor packages for special interest groups, and to different budgets.
Travel agents and art schools: please ask us for a quote.Return to En Chemin general information
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Return to Village Catalan main pageContact:
Le Village Catalan
F-66820 Vernet-les-Bains, France
Tel: 0468056571, Fax: 0468896820
International phone: +33 4 6805 6571 , Fax: +33 4 6805 6574
UK Freephone 0800 652 1255 - Fax: +44 709 208 7367 - US fax: +1-775-254-1421
Email: Village Catalan webmail - Website: www.actionsites.com
Text copyright © 2003-2004 Christian Piquemal for Village Catalan.com /Destination Pyrenees