Multi activity holidays in the Pyrenees with Mountainbug

Multi activity holidays france, pyrenees.

Our multi activity holidays are based in the traditional village of Barèges, at 1250m, in the heart of the Pyrenees. The village is ideally located for exhilarating mountain adventure sports, with walking and mountain biking routes right from the door, a paragliding centre based here in the valley, and wild rivers, crags, caves and canyons all close by.

We offer three different levels of multi-activity holiday, as well as customised trips tailored to your particular interests and abilities.

Follow the links below for:

Illustrated Multi-activity Holiday Descriptions

Adrenaline Pyrenees multi activity holiday
Suitable for adults and over 12s only

A non-stop week with 5-full days of activities. This is our most popular trip, including canyoning, adventure caving, paragliding, via ferrata, rock-climbing, rafting and hiking. Not for the faint-hearted!

Adventure Pyrenees multi activity holiday
Suitable for adults and over 12s

An exciting week with 4 full-days and 1 half-day of activities. This is an action-packed holiday to keep you on your toes. Activities include canyoning, adventure caving, rock-climbing, rafting, hiking and tree-top adventure park.

Action Pyrenees multi activity holiday
Suitable for adults and over 8s

A fun-filled trip with 2 full-days and 2 half-days of activities to keep you busy, but allow plenty of time to relax and explore. Activities include caving, rock-climbing, rafting, hot-dog and the brilliant Chlorofil tree-top park.

Custom Pyrenees multi activity holiday
Tailored to the interests and abilities of your group. Your choice of activities from:

WATER	canyoning, white water rafting, hair boat, hot dog, hydrospeed (river luge)
GROUND	walking, trekking & scrambling, caving, climbing, mountain biking, via ferrata, horseriding
AIR	paragliding (introductory tandem jumps or training courses)

FAMILIES: many of our trips are suitable for adventurous children. Click here for more information on our family holidays

Pyrenees multi activity holiday dates, Summer 2012

Prices are based on two sharing, or three or more sharing with a 50€ discount per person

See our calendar for Summer 2012 - our itinerary is flexible at the moment, so please enquire with your dates and choice of trip and we will do our best to help!
DATE	TRIP	PRICE/euros
7th-9th June	Canyoning long-weekend in the Sierra de Guara	975 €
7th-14th July	"Adrenaline" multi activity holiday - 5 day programme ADULT TRIP	*975 €
21st-28th July	Multi activity holiday	*750-975 €
28th July-4th August	Multi activity holiday	*750-975 €
4th-11th August	Multi activity holiday	*750-975 €
11th-18th August	Multi activity holiday	*925/975 €
18th-25th August	Action Multi activity holiday	855/905 €
15th-22nd September	Canyoning special 2-centre holiday	*975 €
Other holiday dates Please enquire!	Multi activity holiday	735-975 € (Your own choice of activities)

* Our calendar is FLEXIBLE at the moment. Please enquire with your trip dates and activity preferences and we will do our best to help!

Proposed	These trips are SUGGESTIONS but not fixed. The calendar is completely flexible with dates, trips and itinerary. Please email us and we will timetable a holiday to suit your needs.
Confirmed	These trips are CONFIRMED and guaranteed to run.
FULL	These trips are FULL. Both guided trips and accommodation options are fully booked.

Please contact us if you have your own trip to propose for next year. We specialise in the personal touch, and all our holidays are tailored to your particular interests and abilities, always and only using qualified guides and instructors. If shopping around for an activity holiday PLEASE check the qualifications of the leaders, for your own safety in the mountains!

Why choose MOUNTAINBUG?
All-inclusive holidays	Our holidays really are all-inclusive - there are no hidden extras.
REAL activities	We have carefully chosen REAL mountain activities for maximum excitement and experience. We offer five full days of action - no empty half days or museum trips disguised as adventure sports!
Qualified instructors	All our activities are with qualified guides or instructors and are personally accompanied by ourselves to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Local knowledge	We live in the Pyrenees year-round. We are a French company, support the local economy and know the area intimately - guaranteeing you the best routes and a seamless holiday.
Quality en-suite accommodation	Our own recently renovated house - three star accommodation, spacious en-suite bedrooms, comfy beds, sauna, lounge and garden. All facilities on hand in the village. No dormitories here!
Great food	Delicious home cooked food with coffee included with your meal. Visit our Mountainbug Menu page
Transport	All local transport is included in the price of your holiday.
Personalised trips	Our trips are specifically tailored to your interests and abilities - tell us what you want to do or see, and we will arrange it for you. We offer the personal care and attention that only a small company can give.
Responsible travel	Mountainbug operates a "responsible travel" policy; supporting the local community and economy, traditional methods, language and customs. We "tread lightly" in the mountains and leave no trace of our passing. We try our hardest to reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment. Visit our Responsible Travel page for details

The price of your multi activity holiday includes all activities with qualified guides/instructors, equipment hire, local minibus transport, food (continental breakfasts, packed lunches, afternoon tea and cakes, and delicious three-course evening meals with after dinner coffee) and lovely en-suite accommodation in our newly-renovated 3* village house. **Click here for dates for 2011**

Activity glossary

	Air boat - one-man inflatable kayaks specially designed for messing about on the river. These can be taken on the same stretch of water as rafts and hot dogs, so if you prefer to be your own boss (and probably totally out of control), hair boats are a good choice. You will almost certainly end up in the water, but don't worry because an instructor will always be on hand to help get you out!
	Canyoning - Following a rushing mountain torrent, make your way downstream every which way - jumping, sliding, swimming, abseiling or hurtling down a water chute. The mountain streams are icy cold, but you are well-wrapped up in a thick wetsuit. This area has a good range of technical vertical or aquatic canyons. Half-day or full-day trips are available.
	Caving - Journey deep underground in the limestone cave systems near Lourdes. Our adventure caving full-day is a through-trip, with 4 big abseils into a vertical pothole in the morning, then an afternoon exploring the mud-filled caverns below. The half-day trip is less technical, but no less fun; slithering and clambering through an underground assault course.
	Chlorofil treetop park - Set your inner-ape free at this exciting treetop adventure park. This really is an activity for all ages - from the special course for young children through green, blue and red routes, to the most challenging black course that even the most acrobatic of adults will find seriously tough. Scramble up cargo nets, balance on suspended logs, whizz across huge zip-lines and teeter on the tarzan jump. Great fun!
	Hiking - almost limitless possibilities for gentle strolls, tough day walks, rocky scrambles or long treks staying out at mountain refuges. This area is dotted with stunning mirror lakes, crowned by snow-capped peaks and littered with flowers in the alpine meadows. One of our favourite routes is an airy ledge walk above the valley of Gavarnie, ending in the famous cirque with a scramble up to the Grande Cascade - the highest free-hanging waterfall in Europe.
	Hot-dog - two-man inflatable kayaks similar to an Air boat but requiring some cooperation from your team mate! Again, a high-chance of getting wet, so good fun on a hot-day when you just can't resist a dip in the river. Wetsuits, buoyancy aids and helmets are provided, and an instructor is always closeby to offer guidance and rescue when you fall in.
	Hydrospeed - also known as river luge. Quite possibly the most silly way of travelling on the water. This involves donning flippers, clinging onto a float and setting off head first down the river. Best reserved for the early summer season, when the river has a lot of water.
	Mountain biking - a huge range of tracks and trails are just waiting to be explored, from easy cross-country routes in the Val d'Azun, to serious downhilling at Cauterets. Some of the ski lifts are running in July and August (including the Laquette chair just above Bareges), so this is the best time for downhill biking.
	Paragliding - possibly the most awe-inspiring of our activities. In tandem with an instructor you take off from the infamous Col du Tourmalet for a long flight all the way down the valley. The views are truly spectacular, and you may be lucky enough to soar alongside a vulture, or swoop down to scare a grazing marmot on the hillside. The closest you can get to flying.
	Pony trekking - this area has several horse-riding centres offering many different levels of riding from a half-day taster for very young children, to a full-day or multi-day trek. We recommend the half-day session exploring the Val d'Azun - an idyllic valley criss-crossed with farmers' trails and dotted with ancient barns and picturesque villages.
	Rafting - the classic way to descend a mountain river and great for groups. The instructor comes along for the ride, pointing out the best route and making sure everyone gets a good dunking - hang on tight or you'll soon be overboard. The Gave de Pau river runs very fast in spring and early summer, dropping to a good fun grade 2-3 later in the season.
	Rock-climbing - one of our favourite activities, this is a proper taster of real rock climbing with a local "Guide de Haute Montagne". There are several great sites close to Bareges, including the slabs above the Glere lakes - a great day out with a good range of routes for complete beginners through to expert climbers. After mastering techniques of climbing, abseiling and belaying, we recommend a refreshing dip in one of the breath-taking(ly) cold mountain lakes.
	Via Ferrata - or "iron road". These are man-made climbing routes including fixed metal pins, cables, ladders and wire bridges. Originally invented to aid access to the crags and caves of the Italian Dolomites during World War I, they have now become popular across Europe. We can offer two levels of via ferrata - an introductory trip beneath the spectacular Pont Napoleon, or a very challenging longer route in the Gavarnie valley. A head for heights is a must!

Typical multi activity holiday itinerary:

Saturday *- arrive mid-morning - free day* We suggest a leisurely stroll to the creperie at St Justin where you can enjoy a traditional French snack in the sunshine. The restaurant is on an isolated promontory looking out onto the lovely Bastan valley, the village of Barèges and the towering mountains on every side - it can only be accessed on foot.	Multi activity holiday Day 1 - free afternoon
Sunday -*peak ascent* We head up to Luz Ardiden to tackle the spectacular Pic du Viscos. An exciting, airy scramble takes us along an impressive ridgeline; the jagged divide between two valleys, which towers above the towns of Luz and Cauterets far below. After lunch we make the final ascent to the peak, where vultures soar beneath us and the mountains stretch away in every direction. The views don't get much better than this!	Multi activity holiday Day 2 - Pyrenees walking
Monday - canyoning and paragliding Start the day with an adventurous descent of a mountain torrent, with swimming, jumping, water slides and abseiling in a deep gorge. In the afternoon, we return to our valley to meet the paragliding school and experience a bird's eye view of the mountains, with a tandem jump from the Col du Tourmalet.	Multi activity holiday Day 3 - canyoning and paragliding above Bareges
Tuesday - rock climbing We head to the beautiful Neouvielle Nature Reserve with a UIAGM high mountain guide, to tackle the granite slabs and crags above the Glere lakes. You will learn the techniques of belaying, climbing and abseiling on bolted routes, then chill out with a refreshing dip in an icy lake...brrr!	Multi activity holiday Day 4 -rock climbing
Wednesday - day off Free day to discover the local attractions at your leisure. Unwind in the thermal spa, visit the Pic du Midi observatory and stock up on mountain cheeses, sausages and the wines of the south west at the Bareges market. Your choice!	Multi activity holiday Day 5 - free day
Thursday - whitewater rafting & via ferrata An exhilarating morning descending the rapids of the 'Gave de Pau' river, followed by lunch in the historic spa town of Argeles-Gazost (excellent icecreams!). In the afternoon we scale the cliffs below the spectacular Pont Napoleon bridge. Suspended high above the Gave de Pau river, we cling to the canyon walls on a via ferrata course of fixed ropes, pins and ladders.	Multi activity holiday Day 6 - rafting and via ferrata
Friday - caving An adrenaline-packed introduction to caving. We begin the trip with a 20m abseil into a deep cavern, followed by a full day of scrambling, sliding, climbing and crawling through an underground labyrinth. We even have lunch 100m below the surface - the strangest picnic spot you'll ever experience. Exciting, unpredictable ... don't worry - our guides know exactly where they're going!	Multi activity holiday Day 7 - adventure caving
Saturday - packing! We depart for the airport in the morning.	Multi activity holiday Day 8 - homeward bound!

MULTI ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS - NOTE

Some of these activities are weather dependent and may be changed at short notice. Other possible trips include extra days of walking (e.g the beautiful Neouvielle lakes tour with an optional swim in a chilly mountain lake), horseriding, a variety of other watersports (kayaking/hotdog/hairboat/hydrospeed/luge), Chlorofil adventure park (a suspended adventure playground in the trees), local walks and attractions such as the showcaves at Betharam, the Pic du Midi observatory, the Pic de Jer funicular and the town of Lourdes.

Our prices for the above multi activity holiday itinerary are 975 euros per person. This includes all activities with qualified guides, equipment hire, local transport, food and accommodation (please see our website for more details about our house and our cuisine). You must have your own insurance to cover these activities. This price will vary on your choice and number of activities, but will typically be 750-975 € per person.

KIT LIST FOR MULTI ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS
(All technical equipment hire is included in the price of your holiday)



Walking
Trekking
Multi activity
Paragliding
Canyoning
Cycling/MTB
Family holidays

Skiing
Ski touring
Snow shoeing
Ice
Spas








Snow report and events now on News