Ravin and Col du Perthus

de fr

Seeing the Estérel differently is the aim of this hike. This is the Estérel from the inside, the one with the ravines.

Technical sheet

n°56277
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.89 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 307 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 307 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 248 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 38 m
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Photos

the water lilies of the Gourin pond
A few rocks among many others
Hiker scarecrow?

Description of the walk

Parking at Col de Belle Barbe, accessible from Agay towards Estérel and follow the sign "2 km, you're there".

(S/E) Head towards Mistral.

(1) Just after the Pont du Gratadis, turn left for about 80 m and go up to the right. Follow the winding path, which follows the road (closed to traffic) until it crosses the road.

(2) Follow this road to the left until you reach the Pont du Perthus bridge.

(3) Turn right and follow the path in the ravine that runs alongside the stream.

(4) At Pont des Cantines, turn right and take the path that runs alongside the Torrent du Gabre de Guourin, which will take you to a small pond. Be careful! Take the small path on the left before the concrete ford.

(5) At the pond, retrace your steps, cross the ford on the left and follow the path which climbs slightly to theGR®51.

(6) At theGR®51, turn left and climb for 300 m.

(7) Leave theGR® and take the path on the right, which takes you around La Grosse Vache to rejoin theGR®51.

(8) Follow it to the Col du Perthus.

(9) Ignore theGR® trail that descends and take the path opposite that leads to the Col du Baladou.

(10) Then descend to the right towards the Col d'Aubert.

(11) Take the path in front of you and follow it for 20 minutes.

(12) Take the path on the right, which will lead you safely back to your car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 42 m - Parking - Col de Belle Barbe
  2. 1 : km 0.42 - alt. 39 m - Pont du Gratadis, on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.02 - alt. 93 m - Road on the left
  4. 3 : km 2.97 - alt. 57 m - Pont du Perthus, on the right
  5. 4 : km 4.5 - alt. 84 m - Pont des Cantines, on the right
  6. 5 : km 5.91 - alt. 130 m - Pond, ford
  7. 6 : km 7.22 - alt. 179 m - GR51, on the left
  8. 7 : km 7.55 - alt. 202 m - Fork in the road, take the path on the right
  9. 8 : km 8.54 - alt. 205 m - GR51 - Baisse de la Petite Vache (205m)
  10. 9 : km 9.23 - alt. 194 m - Opposite - Col du Perthus (190m)
  11. 10 : km 10.08 - alt. 165 m - On the right - Col du Baladou (165m)
  12. 11 : km 10.59 - alt. 113 m - Opposite - Col Aubert (100m)
  13. 12 : km 11.04 - alt. 121 m - Turn right onto the path going uphill
  14. S/E : km 11.89 - alt. 42 m - Parking. Col de Belle Barbe - Agay (fleuve)

Practical information

Good shoes, pebbles, rocks and fords.
Plenty of water.
A camera.
Comments on this route.
Be careful during rainy periods as you will have to ford a stream twice. Know where to stop and look up. The small pond will be worth your attention in July and August, when the water lilies will delight you with their three colours. On theGR®51, you are in a biological reserve, so no picking is allowed.
And above all, bring your camera, as your winter evenings with friends will be... There are no words to describe it.

In the nearby area

The Col de Belle Barbe is ideal for numerous walks lasting 3 to 5 hours.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 32 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Joli soleil
Joli soleil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very beautiful hike

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Ryden
Ryden

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very pleasant walk out of season, landscapes that offer variety from the coast, moderate elevation gain

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Annick84
Annick84

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

As usual (for me), I only trust the trail, and there are no problems except perhaps at the water lily pond. We decided to go back down to the previous fork to find the trail

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alexkatori
alexkatori
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant hike. Although the crowds at the car park gave rise to fears of overcrowding, this proved not to be the case after the Perthus bridge. Heavy rain in the previous days had swollen the streams and brooks, adding an undeniable charm to this route. There are some beautiful landscapes and views of the magnificent Estérel mountains. I recommend this moderately difficult hike. At the end, you can avoid returning directly to the car park (at point 12) by doing the Pic de Baladou loop. It's only a few hundred metres extra, but it avoids a slightly steep and rocky descent (although not particularly difficult).

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Emmanuel Nice
Emmanuel Nice

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk with varied landscapes.
A bit crowded at the start and finish, but otherwise few hikers or mountain bikers encountered.
This is indeed the Col du Perthus and not the Col du Perthus.

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Angella Darliing
Angella Darliing

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Hello,
This hike is simply magnificent, done on Sunday, 7 May 2023.
However, I think it is the Col du PERTHUS and not PERTHUIS , which at first made me doubt the accuracy of my location . It's not a big deal since I've been back
. The Etang Aubert is indeed very flowery at this time of year, even though not all the water lilies are in bloom yet. I recommend this hike, but make sure you bring plenty of water as it gets very hot.

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Pcours
Pcours

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

A beautiful day, a peaceful walk through hidden corners and ravines. The vegetation was very dry at the end of summer, which was a shame as there weren't many views. Thank you for the information and suggestions.

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fd82
fd82

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice route. Be careful at point 10, do not go down to the right as indicated in the description, but go straight ahead

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Christophefaudot
Christophefaudot

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful, easy hike through varied scenery. There were few people out on the day we went, but the weather wasn't great for a short weekend walk.
As always, remember to wear your orange vest when crossing a hunting area for your safety and to ensure good relations with our friends the hunters.

A hike worth doing.

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SCharron
SCharron

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

We used the app and the phone's GPS, so there were no particular issues with navigation, apart from the network signal being weak at times. The walk was easy at the start, but a little more challenging towards the end. Good footwear is essential as there are lots of stones. The landscapes are varied, starting between two "mountains" and ending on ridges with a small view of the sea in the distance. The lake at the end of the walk isn't very interesting in February, but the area is quiet and peaceful, even if you come across other hikers and cyclists. I recommend it...

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Iza E.
Iza E.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk amid beautiful autumn colours and arbutus trees. It is also worth visiting in spring to see the water lily ponds (I extended the route slightly). The start and end are quite busy, but otherwise it is a lovely, peaceful walk.

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Sticot
Sticot
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful hike in the heart of the Estérel.
Taken in May after rain, the mountains were green and the streams were full.
Photos of the hike h ttps://www.instagram.com/p/CALSxeDhOh9/

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The user account associated with this content has been deleted.

circuitrando
circuitrando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike, we were blown away. I downloaded it onto my phone with no problems, otherwise I think it would have been more complicated. Thank you very much

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solo2017
solo2017

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant route with a beautiful pond (in bloom) at the end. We decided to go straight from 6 to 8. No particular difficulties for the Baladou and Aubert passes, except that you do need to take your time to find your bearings, as the signs can be misleading (I can't remember now what adjustments we had to make).

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