Lichos walks

Forty-fourth stage of the Camino de Santiago. During this stage, you leave Béarn for the Basque Country. A very long stage, mostly along country roads and paths through woodland. As you do not pass through any large villages, it is best to stock up on provisions at the start.

A beautiful stage that ends in a grand finale in a superb valley.

A lovely stage through Soule (Xiberoa) to its capital, Mauléon-Licharre (Maule-Lextarre).

This hike takes you along one of the most beautiful sections of the Compostela trails in the Basque Country. You will pass by the Stele of Gibraltar at the crossroads of several paths and you can enjoy a stop at the open chapel of Soyarce, ideal for taking in the panorama of the Basque Pyrenees and for a picnic break.

Forty-fifth stage of the Camino de Santiago. This stage is the last of the French section. The ever-changing landscapes of the Basque Country, each more wonderful than the last, will leave you with unforgettable memories. By the time you arrive in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, you will have already covered approximately 1,150 kilometres in 45 days of walking, with 12,750 metres of elevation gain. Something to be proud of! Remember to visit the pilgrims’ reception office with your pilgrim’s passport to have your visit to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port certified, before crossing the Pyrenees, and to pick up useful information for your journey through Spain. Make the most of a rest day to recharge your batteries and enjoy the town, which is listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France thanks to its typical and well-preserved Basque architecture, its green landscapes opening out onto the Pyrenees, and the expertise of its producers and craftspeople.

This circular route allows you to discover a farming world that is still very much alive. The farms scattered across the valley floor are still in operation, with their numerous meadows. You can gain a better understanding of this multifaceted agro-pastoral culture as you cross the forests and then the pastures of the mid-mountains. The Saint-Antoine chapel overlooks the Col d'Osquich, a popular spot for wood pigeon hunting in autumn. From the summit, there is a breathtaking view of the Soule Valley, the Haute-Soule mountains, the Arbailles karst massif and Basse-Navarre.

This beautiful circular loop in the foothills offers a wide variety of landscapes. Meadows with their traditional stone huts, woods and fern-filled glades dotted with pollarded oaks follow one another, not to mention the streams over which mills have been built. This allows one to better appreciate the riches of this multifaceted Basque agro-pastoral culture. There is no shortage of views: the nearby Arbailles karst massif, the flysch hills and the summit of La Madeleine, as well as the mountains of Haute-Soule.

A very pleasant short walk in the Béarn des Gaves, through woods, fields and villages. Beautiful views of the Pyrenees.

A lovely circular, mostly shaded and offering beautiful views of the Pyrenees. Discover two pretty chapels on the Way of St James.

A pleasant walk starting from a Basque village in Béarn. Beautiful views of the Pyrenees range from the Pic du Midi de Bigorre to the Pic d’Orhy. Marked trail, a little muddy at the start, with lovely houses on the ridges all along the route.

A beautiful, easy route in the Basque Country, starting from the village of Ossas-Suhare. The route passes through the village of Suhare, nestled at the foot of the Arbailles massif, with views over the Soule countryside.

Starting from the pretty little village of Bunus, this hike off the beaten track allows you to discover a pastoral mountain offering an original panorama of the Larceveau valleys and the sources of the Bidouze. The village of Bunus has the particularity of being "cut" in two by the D918 road. The town hall is therefore quite far from the church district, the starting point of this route. Be sure to visit the church porch, where you can see three ancient tombs.

A family walk on the hill overlooking the Gave d’Oloron valley, a land where legends and superstitions converge. View of a fine example of Eiffel architecture spanning the Gave.

Located between the provinces of Basse-Navarre and Soule, the secret Arbailles massif offers many attractions for curious hikers. This limestone massif is renowned for its karstic relief, which is ideal for caving. Located in the northern part of the massif, the Beltxu route offers beautiful views and a challenging and varied hike. The view stretches far into the distance and is well worth the extra effort.

This peaceful route through the woods offers walkers the chance to discover a rich natural heritage. The flora and fauna along the route are particularly rich, with white-backed woodpeckers, Alpine longhorn beetles, beautiful specimens of beech trees and a wide variety of ferns. In addition to these natural curiosities, information panels on Basque mythology are dotted along the route. Finally, the arrival at the source of the Bidouze and its resurgence in a porch carved into the cliff will delight young and old alike.

A short, easy walk next to the Aramits adventure park. Beautiful views over the plain and the mountains: Anie, Madeleine, etc. Picnics possible at the summit. The route alternates between woodland and meadows, with a few signposts except for the summit.

On a sunny plateau overlooking the Bidouze river, Arancou is a village with white walls and a remarkable architectural and human heritage. A historic stop on one of the hiking trails to Santiago de Compostela, the Via Turonensis, Arancou built its reputation around a hospital-priory that welcomed pilgrims from the 13thcentury onwards. There are also a few mansions, once dedicated to hospitality, whose architectural details can still be appreciated. In the village, the Church of Notre-Dame is also worth a visit for its style, which combines a long Romanesque plan with Gothic vaults and capitals. Along the trails, the surrounding hills promise fresh air in the forest, where you can see beautiful hundred-year-old oak trees, while the Bidouze valley offers peace and quiet and cool riverbanks.

To the east of the Saison valley, stretching from Mauléon to Tardets, a range of hills faces the Arbailles massif to the west and the imposing wall of the Pyrenees mountain range, dominated by the Pic d’Anie to the south. The summit of Erretzü marks the furthest point of this range. This position affords it a breathtaking view of the mountains of Béarn and Haute-Soule. The route is very varied. It starts in the undergrowth alongside a lovely stream, then emerges into open ground through fern-filled glades dotted with pollarded oaks. Like the ferns that cover it, the summit changes colour with the seasons, eventually cloaking itself in a flamboyant red in autumn.

This walk via the Col d’Oxibar offers a particularly interesting feature: it opens up the Arbailles karst massif. The geology lends the landscape a distinctive character – at once mysterious and unique – with a cultural dimension rooted in protohistory. After passing through a small wood, the first open slopes already offer a lovely view of the ‘Ibar Esküin’ valley, Alcay, Lacarry and the high mountain ranges of Soule and Béarn. Even at this stage, the nature of the ground gives an indication of this type of limestone terrain, leading to a beautiful promontory where several piles of stones are heaped up: ‘Maide Korralea’, a testament to Soule’s ancient history. After the Oxibar Pass, on the descent, admire the old barn with its shingle roof, made of those old wooden tiles.

This route follows paths that are open and maintained by local volunteers. Much of the walk is on dirt tracks with beautiful views of the region and the Pyrenees.

This walk takes you to the Bois de Gouloum around the Col de Bugalaran. This lovely route offers stunning views of the village of Aramits along beautiful hillside paths.

A short, easy walk that can be combined with the Soum d’Aulis, or, alternatively, shortened by descending via the road from the Soum de Rut. Beautiful views of the Pyrenees from the summit.

A short, pleasant walk where you can have a picnic at the summit. Beautiful views of the Anie and the scattered settlements on the borders of Béarn. No difficulty. A few yellow markers to help you find your way.

Seen from a distance, the silhouette of Behorleguy gives the impression of an enormous peak and of being difficult. In fact, this is misleading and when you arrive on its southern face, it has a rather rounded shape. It is an enormous limestone fold that heralds the Arbailles massif. Magnificent view from the summit with the Pic des Escaliers to the south and the Arbailles massif to the north.. At the Col d'Aphanize, you can see a vertical chasm 500 m deep, one of the deepest chimneys in the world.