Sainte-Victoire : Bau Cezanne - Garagai - Deux Aiguilles de l'Anchois

A physical loop hike along Sainte-Victoire, a climb to Prieuré Sainte-Victoire / Croix de Provence through Bau Cézanne and going back through "le Gouffre de Garagaï" and "les deux Aiguilles".

Technical sheet

175092
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:

Caution, this route is Extremely difficult

This route has some very challenging sections, most of which are aerial. It requires excellent physical condition and is not suitable for those prone to vertigo.

  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.04 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to author: 4 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Extremely difficult

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 765 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 759 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 937 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 301 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/F) Start from Pont de l'Anchois car park and take the forest trail that goes east.

You'll come across Red waymarks, follow them up a smooth slope towards Refuge Cézanne.

(1) A few dozen metres after the shelter, you'll come across the GR9 (Red and White waymarks). Follow them to the right over roughly 100 metres.

Yellow Waymarks
(2) A Yellow waymarked path heads off to the left, take it, rapidly tackling Saint Victoire foothills.

(3) 'Pas de la Savonnette', is a vertical slab of roughly 10 metres that you'll need to climb with arm strength and a chain. You can go around this slab via a Yellow dotted waymarked path.
The trail becomes more and more mineral and at times quite steep, bordering rock climbing. A good deal of areas demand the use of your hands.

Red and White Waymarks
(4) Reaching the ridge marks the end of the Yellow waymarks. Regain the GR9 which goes along the ridge a few dozen metres below and head right.
Go past Prieuré Sainte-Victoire on the left and follow the GR towards the cross. Leave the Red point waymarked path head up to the Croix de Provence to the right and continue on the GR.

No waymarks
Leave the GR to follow the ridge for a hundred odd metres, you'll arrive above the Gouffre de Garagaï.

Green and Black Waymarks
(5) Head down the abyss, be careful the rock is quite slippery, and follow the trail that goes across large slabs.

Black Waymarks
(6) Let the Green waymarked trail head off to the right and continue to follow the black waymarks. The waymarks can be faint at times but the path is quite obvious. Towards the end, the vegetation increaces in density and you'll come across a Brown waymarked trail.

Brown Waymarks
(7) Head to the right and follow the Brown waymarks along the foot of the cliffs. A sign indicates the way to the Oppidum Untinos, keep to the brown trail.

No Waymarks
Let the Brown trail head off to the right and take the trail to the left, this trail will meet up with the trail taken at the beginning.

Red Waymarks
Follow the Red waymarked trail going left and head down towards the car park (S/F).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 302 m - Plan de l'Anchois car park. Close to the - Bayon (torrent) Affluent de l'Arc
  2. 1 : km 1.08 - alt. 442 m - Refuge Cézanne
  3. 2 : km 1.16 - alt. 454 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.64 - alt. 631 m - Pas de la Savonnette
  5. 4 : km 2.26 - alt. 870 m - End of yellow markers and GR junction
  6. 5 : km 2.44 - alt. 884 m - Prieuré de la Sainte-Victoire
  7. 6 : km 2.8 - alt. 925 m - Garagaï chasm
  8. 7 : km 3.08 - alt. 767 m - Follow the black markings
  9. 8 : km 4.2 - alt. 502 m - Turn right and follow this signposted path
  10. S/E : km 7.04 - alt. 301 m - Plan de l'Anchois car park

Practical information

A very difficult hike, with aerial passages and other areas demanding a minimum climbing skills.

Only for trained hikers.

N.B: access to the mountain range can be regulated from June 1st through to September 30th. More info: http://www.bouches-du-rhone.gouv.fr/Actu...

 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.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.4 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Marco13
Marco13
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

I've lived near Sainte-Victoire for a very long time and I'm a hiking leader. I know the massif very well, as well as all the trails there.
The proposed route is magnificent, but difficult and currently forbidden (there was a major landslide last December and others are threatening).
Note: the description is correct, but the associated map contains a major error: it says:
- Point 2: Pas de la Savonnette: this is in fact the spot (above the Cézanne refuge) from where the yellow route to the Pas de la Savonnette starts off to the north.
- Point 3: Pas du Berger. This is a big mistake: it's actually the Pas de la Savonnette (which has been off-limits since 2009). The Pas du Berger (a well-known and much-frequented route) is not on this itinerary, but further west on a path marked in red that starts from the Cézanne refuge; it ends at the crest of the Pas du Moine and not at the Bau Cézanne.
The Pas du Berger is a slightly technical but not difficult climbing route. It's currently open and I climbed it about ten days ago with some friends.
It is definitely not on the route described; the map and its legend are completely wrong on this point!
Marc Lassalle

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JoG
JoG

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Despite the closure, there were enough people on the course today.

It was great, it's quite difficult and not at all extremely difficult. I did it with my 9-year-old son without any problems.

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RedfishTheCat
RedfishTheCat

However, I can confirm that on the black/green route, the passage through the Hirondelles cave (petit/grand Garagai sector), and several other passages along the route, is clearly tricky.
On OSM, this passage is listed as T4 (sac_scale), i.e. "Alpine Hiking".

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nonotfrance
nonotfrance

Yes 👍, thanks for the clarification.

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RedfishTheCat
RedfishTheCat
• Last modified:

The question doesn't arise anyway, as the yellow path has been banned by municipal by-law for years (2015).
So there's no reason for you to go there...

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nonotfrance
nonotfrance

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Be careful not to lose the markings, and watch out for rockfalls or you could end up off-piste. The passage through Garagaï can be complicated for the uninitiated and the climbing part can also be technical. I wouldn't go with children who are sufficiently armed.

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RedfishTheCat
RedfishTheCat

Just as a reminder, the yellow path is currently banned by municipal order dated 25 March 2019.

Personally, I was not aware of this, I went down the red path today and took the link path for the yellow path... no signpost when I went that way.
So I unwittingly went over the pas de la savonnette on the way down.

It was hot (and so was the chain ^^), and the air was heavy and clammy, just like my hands.
The footholds were nothing more than a few completely smooth bowls, no better for the hands and the chain was totally slippery.
I had to descend by putting a finger of each hand in the chain links, alternating and changing fingers regularly to get tired (all the weight of the body on the fingers)... and there was no way to take a break during the descent, no footing to rest on.
I'm a qualified climbing instructor, so my fingers are very muscular, and I was wearing FiveFingers... I don't even see how a hiker in hiking boots, even an experienced hiker but not a good level climber, can go up there (and even less so on the way down) in hot conditions (slippery chain).

Note that the yellow route no longer goes via the pas de la savonnette (no more markings). The bypass route (previously marked in dotted yellow, apparently) has become the default path (classic yellow markings).

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ed04
ed04

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

superb route
for hikers with mountain feet and no fear of heights
be careful with your footwear too, take mountaineering-type shoes

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pz57137313
pz57137313

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

great outing with friends, two sections a bit 'hard' for experienced hikers. hands are often needed and, above all, you need very good shoes
the route description is very detailed and you can't get lost
we had a great day, and on the way back we looked down on the route of the Sainte Victoire, it's impressive to see where we've been
we went out with 'pasapaspaca'.

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pasapaspaca
pasapaspaca

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The map wasn't detailed enough for us, so we mainly followed the written advice, which was very detailed.The hike isn't easy for everyone, as there are some tricky sections to reach the summit. The passage with the chain for people with little experience and two or three passages bordering on pure climbing. Nevertheless, we reached the summit on a sunny and very hot day. We returned via the Pas de l'Escalette route. It was a three-hour climb for those of us in our sixties, but we didn't waste too much time. In any case, thank you for the directions. The markings are very well done, so don't lose sight of them on the way up.

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RickyH5
RickyH5

I did it in 2 hours 20 minutes on 24 October...
Well, I'm far from being a tourist and I'm used to very sporty walks, it's true, but there's one thing that makes all the difference: I'm alone... With another good walker, the time would be different and it would take slightly longer and so on.
With another good walker, the time would be different and it would take slightly longer and so on. The more people there are, the longer it takes, that's an observation.
If you're a good walker, I'm sure you'll do it in less than 4 hours.

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Kha12
Kha12

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It was a very nice hike, the second time I'd done it.

I just wanted to point out that doing this loop in 3 hours 50 minutes is not for everyone! Or maybe my friends and I aren't "average hikers" but a happy band of dreaming snails...

Excluding breaks (meals, stops at the priory, etc.), I think you should plan on a 5-hour "walk" without dragging your feet too much, or getting lost along the way. So, unless you're an ultra-trail runner as well as a seasoned climber, it's best to avoid setting off too late, especially in winter! For your information, including breaks (meals, visits, photos, etc.), it took us 7 hours the first time and 6 hours the second.

This hike deserves its "very difficult" classification, and it's not easy to find certain passages the first time (the entrance to the chasm, for example). Some climbing steps can be difficult for people who are not used to climbing.

That's all, or nearly all: thank you for this guide!

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slinky
slinky ★

Hi RickyH5,

Thank you for your comment.

I also know the Sainte-Victoire very well and all these tours are a delight every time.

I've corrected "l'Anchois" to Plan de l'En chois, we'd missed it!

Thank you for pointing it out.

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RickyH5
RickyH5

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 24, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

In the Ste V climbing category, I have to say that I really enjoyed myself.
I did the route yesterday in fine weather.
First point: if it's windy, if it rained the day before or a few days before, avoid it as there's a lot of exposure and the pas de la savonnette is aptly named!
Secondly, you need to have some knowledge of climbing: even if it's not at a very high level, it's still pure climbing at times, so we're not really doing classic hiking here, and the slightest mistake will be fatal.
A length of rope may prove reassuring for those unaccustomed to this kind of exercise.

Thirdly, and rather amusingly, this is not the "pont de l'Anchois" (I dare you to look it up on your GPS )
==>> Le pas d' En Chois To be corrected.

Thank you for the topo, it's really nickel chrome. Note that the black markings on the descent are not at all easy to follow, so don't end up in the Forcioli...

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cairn84
cairn84

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 16, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I enjoyed this walk on a fine day with no wind (I wouldn't do it on a mistral day).
Very aerial and mineral, but it's an original way of climbing Sainte Victoire.

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