Étang de Soulcem walks

A day-long hike taking you to an altitude of almost 3,000 metres and offering splendid views of the French and Spanish Pyrenees. The hike starts in the valley at 1,926 m and gradually climbs to the peak at 2,902 m. Plan to spend the day with a picnic on the banks of the Soucarrane lake, which is very pleasant in good weather. Please note that some sections along the ridges are not recommended for people who are prone to vertigo.

Accessible via a route that takes climbers to the Pointe de Roumazet, this little-known pond is well worth a visit due to the uniqueness of its setting. Overhung by two sloping peaks shaped like gigantic horns, it is surrounded by scree slopes laden with iron ore, which explains the red colour of its waters. The aquatic plants lining its banks are a vivid fluorescent green, and the white deposit left on the stones by the stream flowing out of it (thus justifying its name, Riou Blanc) completes the palette of bright colours in this landscape that is both wild and intimate. The route, starting from Soulcem, first takes you to the Étang de Roumazet. Just before reaching it, turn right onto the path leading to the Port de Roumazet; you must then leave this path to follow the Riou Blanc upstream to the pass that overlooks the small plateau where the Étang Rouge de Riou Blanc is nestled.

Set in the vast glacial cirque of Soulcem, this walk takes you past several high-altitude lakes with crystal-clear waters and sumptuous rocky landscapes that make you forget the considerable effort required, both on the ascent and the descent. On the way back, a few Mérens horses and the magnificent Orris du Carla sheep provide a pleasant end to the walk. A minimum level of physical fitness is required for this mountain hike.