The Best Of The Pyrenees

Bottled or filtered drinking water will be provided during the trip. We’d advise bringing your own bottle, to reduce plastic waste where possible. During the trekking day we also pass streams in various places that you can top up from if you should run out, so take purification tablets with you, should you wish to fill up.

The food is plentiful and of very good quality, often using locally sourced ingredients. Breakfasts consist of pastries, fresh bread and jams and you can expect hearty meals in the evenings. Packed lunches will be simple, but filling.

360 provides some snacks for your days on the mountain, however do bring some of your favourite snacks from home. Flapjacks, shortbread, sweets, nuts and chocolate are great, snacks that you’re going to really look forward to eating as well as give you energy!

You’ll be staying in comfortable, centrally located hotels in Luchon.

While out on the trek, we stay in the mountain refuges. The refuges are basic, these are inaccessible mountain huts – albeit large. They all have running water, so flush toilets are standard and most will have hot showers, but on a busy day that hot water will be in high demand and may run out.

Accommodation is in dormitories, so earplugs are recommended if snorers keep you awake! Food will be good with ample carbohydrate content – think pasta, rice, potatoes etc, but don’t expect a la carte, food often has to be flown in by helicopter! Given we are all carrying our own kit we don’t want to be weighed down by tents and cooking equipment, and as the refuges have beds and washing facilities they are considered the sensible and more comfortable option on these routes.

You’ll spend two days on a hut-supported trek. We love this style of expedition – slightly less to carry than when we’re fully self supported (so there is no need for us to carry tents, fuel stoves etc.), but we still get the freedom of trekking to our own route during the days, and when we arrive at our refuge / hut, we will get breakfast, packed lunch and dinner each day.

You will be carrying your own bag for these two days, with clothes and toiletries etc. so go careful with your packing – you won’t need to carry more than you need for the two days and can leave all other kit and clothing in the minibus.

A rucksack of around 30-40L should do you just fine – it’s better to have a bigger bag with space, than a smaller one with everything crammed in!

Your day sack should contain only the essential items you will need for the day and activities and your aim should be to keep it as light as possible. We’d recommend you carry at least: a warm layer, waterproof jacket, your packed lunch and snacks, spending money, water, camera, sun cream and personal medication.

If you are borrowing or buying a rucksack, ask someone to help you adjust it to fit your back. And ensure you are making these adjustments with weight inside it, not empty. Generally, it should sit reasonably high on your back so that the weight is acting vertically downwards, not forcing your shoulders back or drooping past your backside. Again, it’s about how you feel comfortable wearing it and important to get right.

Make sure too that it is either waterproof or you have a waterproof cover for your rucksack. It’s not a bad idea to pack your gear into waterproof stuffs sacs, in case of a deluge.

No, the hiking part of this adventure is a trek, so standard walking gear outlined in the kit list should suffice. For the adventure activities, all equipment necessary will be provided.

For the canyoning, all equipment necessary for your safety and comfort is provided for this day: wetsuit (with hood), canyon booties, harness, carabiner and helmets. You will also be given a waterproof barrel and specialist canyon rucksack to keep your belongings dry for the day.

For the rafting, you will be provided with all the technical equipment you need: wetsuit, booties, helmet and barrel for your belongings.

No, you’ll be spending one night in a refuge/mountain hut but blankets are provided. We would recommend packing a sleeping bag liner for extra warmth, comfort and hygiene (silk or cotton).

This is a fun few days of adventure combined with two days of trekking.

Although we’re not at altitude, or somewhere like the Himalayas, don’t underestimate this trek! The days are relatively long with reasonable altitude gains (and losses) each day. If you make an effort with fitness before coming out you’ll enjoy it far more than if you are struggling up every hill barely able to notice the spectacular views.

That’s the idea! They’ll be cold, but wild swimming is exhilarating. It’s optional, of course (chat to us for weekend adventures that just include trekking, if you’d rather), but it’s great fun!

Yes, all our instructors have the appropriate qualifications.

No previous technical experience is required to explore the canyon. Your 360 guide will be joined by a specialist canyoning guide for this day, and they will assure your safety throughout. You will be taught the basics of abseiling so you have the opportunity to see how to do this yourself, but the guides will further safeguard your descents by providing a safety rope in places where needed. The height of the jumps varies, though some can be more than 5 metres, but the whole day is designed around you and your comfort and experience, the guides are more than happy to lower you down on a safety rope should you decide not to jump. The emphasis today is on enjoyment rather than learning technical canyoning techniques.

It generally takes between 5 and 6 hours to descend this canyon though part of this is a picnic lunch on a small sunny beach in the middle of the canyon.

The focus of today is for you to enjoy this unique experience. Your guide will chat to you throughout, and you can decide which sections you’d like to jump. Should you wish not to jump certain parts of the descent then the guides will be more than happy to lower you down into the pool with a safety line.

It’s likely to be lovely and sunny, and reasonably warm (pretty hot lower down). However, we’re in the mountains, and not very far from the Atlantic, so there is every risk of rain, thunderstorms, and wind. Night time temperatures can be chilly.
The climate of the Pyrenees is generally better than the UK, but there is still the risk of inclement weather, so we advise in the kit list to pack accordingly. And, just like any other holiday, having a quick last minute look at the forecast before you come out can be a useful pointer of what’s in store.

We haven’t included flights as this gives you options from the UK. There are many flights that come to Toulouse daily from many different airports.

It’s important that we check flight schedules before confirming a pickup time with you, as we want to make sure you can actually make it to Toulouse on time. We will confirm what time you should aim to arrive in Toulouse as we draw closer to your departure date.

We will also check flight schedules before deciding what time we do an airport drop off.

Once you know our transfer times, please find flights that work for these timings, or plan to have the night before and/or night after in Toulouse.

If there are any issues with booking your flights, please let us know and we will try and help however it might mean getting a hire car/train or taxi to your start / finish point.

Bagneres de Luchon is a 1h 40 mins drive away.

We suggest that you get an early a flight as possible from the UK to Toulouse so if your flight is delayed this gives you options in being able to get to the starting point of your expedition.

At the point of sign up, 360 will have given you a pickup and drop of time. If you are wildly out of the time slot due to flight delays, 360 will always do what they can to arrange an alternative with you and have on occasions personally done the pick up. Thereafter the options will be to hire a car or jump on a train.

You must carry individual travel insurance to take part in the expedition, we cannot take you on the expedition without proof of insurance.

Your insurance details are requested on the booking form, however, this can be arranged at a later date. 360 Expeditions will be requesting your insurance details 8 weeks before your departure.

We have a partnership with True Traveller and recommend them as an option when looking for travel insurance for your trip with 360. Many other insurance providers are of course available and we do recommend that you shop around to get the best cover for you on the expedition you are undertaking. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate insurance for your intended trip, to include, at a minimum, medical evacuation and coverage up to the maximum altitude of this trip and for the adventure activities included.

In the cities, yes, out in the countryside, likely on and off! Most UK providers will provide coverage as part of your plan in France and Spain, but do check before you travel.

There will be plug sockets in the rooms in your hotel, but the charging points in the refuge can’t always be relied upon. We’d advise bringing a powerpack (we recommend PowerTraveller) to ensure your phones / cameras / other electronics are charged throughout!