Garlaban and Taoumé via the Barquieu spring

A challenging 16 km circular route to discover the summit of Garlaban via the Scolopendres trail, the Barquieu spring near the Grand Ravin and the corniches of the Grand Vallon, the Puit de l'Aroumi via the Puits du Murier and Baume Sourne, which can be visited in full sunlight or with a powerful torch. Finally, the Pic du Taoumé and the famous Grosibou cave. Return via the Pas du Loup towards the Col d'Aubignane.

Details

7128222
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.03 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 853 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 847 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 710 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 258 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Follow the Éoures road (D44) towards Aubagne. Pass the large Font de Mai car park and the No. 10 bus stop "La Gastaude". After the small central reservation, turn left and continue to the end of Chemin de Ruissatel. Park in the large car park next to the Puits de Raimu.

(S/E) Continue along the tarmac road until you reach the junction with Chemin de la Font de Mai. Turn left towards Col d'Aubignane. Pass Mas de Massacan (Ugolin's house in the film "Manon des Sources") and continue along the road, which splits into two dirt tracks closed off by barriers.

(1) Turn right onto the track that leads to Font de Mai. Pass by a ruin, then arrive at a clear, shaded area where you will find the Puits de la Femme sans Tête (Headless Woman's Well).
Turn left at the signpost, heading towards Le Garlaban via the Scolopendres trail. Note the ruins on the right.

(2) After the ruins, turn left. Be careful, as the start of the path is difficult to spot due to the dense vegetation. The path is marked in yellow.
When you reach a crossroads, turn left. Pass over the previous ruins. The path turns right and then winds upwards. Be careful, there are many parallel paths, some of which disappear into the heath. Follow the yellow markings carefully.

(3) Be careful here: I lost my way and veered to the right, then had to turn left to find the right path and the yellow markings. This may happen to you too. Use the top of the electricity pylons as a landmark. That is the direction to follow.
Pass the electricity pylons and follow the track that joins the Draioulet track. Turn right towards Garlaban. Cut straight across the track that winds upwards.

(4) Point of interest: turn right to visit the rock carvings by Louis Douard at the end of the bend. Otherwise, cut across the track. There are other carvings further up on the right.

(5) When you reach the Col du Garlaban, keep to the right to pass by the Oratory of the Curé d'Ars. Climb to the summit of Garlaban. Take the opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved break. Admire the 360° view.

(6) Set off again to the left of the cross, following the ridges.
You will arrive at a large, flat, open area. Turn left at the signpost.
Turn right at the signpost towards Sentier des Dansaires and Source de Barquieu. The trail is marked in yellow.
Be careful, there is a difficult passage where you will need to use a cable fixed into the rock to descend.
Admire the Ravin de Garlaban on your right. Arrive at the Source de Barquieu.

(7) Turn left, walk over large limestone slabs towards the Puits de l'Aroumi, marked with yellow signs and directions indicated on a rock.

(8) Continue on the left, the path climbs along the hillside. You will come to a crossroads marked by a sign.

(9) Keep left, heading towards Puits de l'Aroumi. The markings turn blue, and you will reach a new crossroads.

(10) Turn right towards Puits de l'Aroumi, indicated on a rock on the ground. The markings remain blue.
After a difficult descent due to numerous rocks, the trail levels out and passes through the undergrowth. Follow the signs for Puits de l'Aroumi. The markings turn yellow again. Arrive at Puits de l'Aroumi.

(11) Continue and at the next crossroads, go straight ahead and follow the yellow markings. The path is difficult because there are many rocks; in fact, it is the bed of a stream.
When you reach the wide DFCI track, take it on the left to reach the Col du Tubé.

(12) Descend opposite the pass; the blue-marked trail leads to a clearing. At the end of the clearing, you will find the Puits du Murier on your right.
Immediately take thefirst path that climbs to the right. The markings become yellow. Pass in front of the Baume Sourne, visit it, then resume the route to reach the Col de Baume Sourne.

(13) Do not head towards La Treille, but take the next path on the left with yellow markings on the trees. After a few rocks to climb over, the trail becomes easier. Keep the Pic du Taoumé in your sights.
Follow the yellow markings to climb a few rocks and reach the summit of Taoumé.

(14) Continue downhill, quickly reaching the Grosibou Cave. Then head to the Pas du Loup. Turn left and then quickly right at a hairpin bend marked by a cairn. Leave the markings here and descend almost due south. You will see a clearing below with a grove of trees in the middle, which you will need to reach. There are no more markings. Cross the clearing on the left. Follow the path.
Cross the stream bed. Head for the Jas de la Badoque crossroads at the bottom of the descent.

(15) Be careful not to miss this fork. The path climbs and then descends for a long way to another clearing. Keep to the left. You will arrive at large rock slabs in the Vallon de Passe Temps.

(16) Turn left, then further on to the right, and rejoin the Chemin du Vallon des Piches to reach the Col d'Aubignane crossroads.

(17) Continue straight ahead, then further on, leave the DFCI and turn right to make a detour to the Ferme d'Angèle. Then rejoin the DFCI track that leads to the initial crossroads passed on the way out.

(1) Follow the same route as on the way out to return to the Puits de Raimu car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 277 m - Car park at - Puits de Raimu
  2. 1 : km 0.84 - alt. 286 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.59 - alt. 307 m - Ruins
  4. 3 : km 1.96 - alt. 406 m - Tricky crossroads (orientation)
  5. 4 : km 3.46 - alt. 580 m - The engravings of Louis Douard
  6. 5 : km 4.38 - alt. 628 m - Col de Garlaban (628m)
  7. 6 : km 4.75 - alt. 708 m - Garlaban
  8. 7 : km 5.69 - alt. 514 m - Direction Puits de l'Aroumi
  9. 8 : km 6.2 - alt. 545 m - Keep to the left.
  10. 9 : km 6.75 - alt. 623 m - Direction Puits de l'Aroumi
  11. 10 : km 7.21 - alt. 677 m - Towards Püits de l'Aroumi
  12. 11 : km 8.39 - alt. 628 m - Aroumi Well
  13. 12 : km 9.39 - alt. 688 m - Col du Tubé (691m)
  14. 13 : km 10.6 - alt. 625 m - Col de la Baume Sourne (623m)
  15. 14 : km 11.31 - alt. 663 m - Pic du Taoumé
  16. 15 : km 13.18 - alt. 312 m - Jas de la Badoque
  17. 16 : km 13.53 - alt. 259 m - Limestone slabs
  18. 17 : km 14.21 - alt. 330 m - Col d'Aubignane
  19. S/E : km 16.03 - alt. 277 m - Car park at - Puits de Raimu

Notes

Good walking shoes are essential. This hike is for experienced and trained hikers.
There are no water sources, so bring what you need.
The climb to the summit of Garlaban is steep.
Some descents are difficult because there are many stones, so be careful not to slip.
Towards the Barquieu spring (7), part of the descent is steep with a section assisted by a cable fixed to the rock.

Worth a visit

The Scolopendres trail is much less frequented than the main trail that climbs up to Garlaban.
The 360° panorama at the summit of Garlaban.
The Puits de l'Aroumi is very popular.
The interior of Baume Sourne, which can be entered without difficulty. All you need is sunlight or a powerful torch.
The Grosibou cave for the more agile.
Le Pas du Loup with some rock carvings to discover.
On the way back, take a detour to Angèle's farm and, for the bravest who still have some energy left, climb up to the ruins of the village of Aubignane (Pierre Tchernia trail).

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Lili_Rousse
Lili_Rousse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Completed with three dogs, all related.
Very beautiful route, but the start of the route is busy and littered with rubbish left by "tourists". Lots of tissues and human waste on the ground, even on the paths, so watch where you step...
Otherwise, the rest is superb, much quieter and more pleasant! There are some lovely views to enjoy!

Machine-translated

jpcherbr
jpcherbr

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
Hike completed on 17 November 2024.
Very nice sunny weather with a fairly cold mistral wind, especially at the summit of Garlaban.
We had some difficulty following the trail, especially after Taoumé and particularly after the Pas du Loup.
I think we took a wrong turn and didn't take the Vallon de Passe-Temps, but we ended up at the Col d'Aubignane.
We didn't see the Jas de Badoque.
But the hike was very good, hard on the joints but, like in Ventoux, lots of stones, rocks, etc.
A little bonus of the hike was that we got to meet and chat with the artist and author
Louis Douard, who creates rock engravings.
He is a very friendly person who is happy to talk about his work located at the foot of Garlaban.
Having problems with his knee, he has stopped engraving.
We would have stayed longer to chat with him, but we had to continue on our way, which was still quite long.
Thank you to the creator of this trail in the land of Pagnol.
JP

Machine-translated

Claudio61
Claudio61

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in 4 hours at a brisk pace. Perfect description and magnificent route with superb views of Marseille, Cassis and Sainte Victoire.
Very few people.
We had a wonderful time 👌😁

Machine-translated

Maryma
Maryma

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

There are people on the wide paths, but not too many. Few, when you find yourself on single-track trails.
A beautiful, challenging route that I recommend for first-time visitors to the Garlaban massif. I have nothing to add to the previous comments, with which I agree.
Thank you for sharing!

Machine-translated

GWEN1322
GWEN1322

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike this Sunday, 19 February (departure around 10 a.m.). Groups of walkers/hikers on the main paths, but few people on the smaller trails where the markings are sometimes difficult to find. Lunch break at the top of Garlaban. I find the tags/graffiti on the cross disrespectful...
Arrival at Baume Sourne (12), the entrance to the cave is now prohibited (closed since the end of 2022), protected by Natura 2000 for the restoration of bat populations).
A beautiful route, thank you.

Machine-translated

gegemft
gegemft
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike on this sunny Saturday. It seems that the route is less crowded on Saturdays than on Sundays. The climb up to Garlaban via the Scolopendre trail is more picturesque than via the DFCI track. The 360° view from the top of Garlaban offers a wonderful panorama of Sainte Baume, Sainte Victoire, Plan de l'Aigle, Marseille and the sea. Be careful on the descent to the Garlaban ravine (pt 7) as it is made dangerous by the presence of moisture on the rocks, which are already well worn by numerous passages. I recommend stopping for lunch at the Aroumi well, which has a beautiful esplanade where you can relax. The other high point of this route is the Pic de Taoumé, which offers a superb 360° view, particularly of Garlaban and Sainte Victoire. Be careful not to miss the climb up the limestone slabs (pt 16) towards the Col d'Aubignane. This hike is not recommended in the height of summer as the trail is very exposed to the sun. Thank you for this beautiful route.

Machine-translated

Denis Ehret
Denis Ehret

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I agree with the reviews: magnificent, great diversity, every section is interesting. I noted that it was very busy because I came across a very large group on a very narrow path ;-), but nothing serious! Reasonably tiring.

Machine-translated

petele
petele

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a must-see in our beautiful region...

Machine-translated

Nadaude
Nadaude

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a variety of fascinating points of interest. A must-do!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.