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Languedoc 8-day guided hiking tour, Occitanie

Amazing landscapes in Languedoc
Languedoc 8-day guided hiking tour, Occitanie
Hiking tour in Languedoc
Hiking tour in Languedoc

Discover the unique landscapes and nature of Languedoc, in the Occitanie region, combining this hiking trip with a relaxing stay and naturopathy treatments in a fantastic health center. Sylvain, an ASAM guide, takes you on this great tour in France.

Not specified

7 Days

May

Occasional

Beginner


Description

Lodévois-Larzac is a wild, colorful and warm land in the Occitanie region, 60 kilometres away from Montpellier. Several climatic and geological influences meet here, in the Languedoc Mediterranean, creating great natural diversity. I invite you to join me on a 8-day hiking tour, to discover the unique landscapes and plants of this area, combined with a relaxing stay with naturopathy and health treatments in the Oleatherm Care Center.

The daily programme includes herborization hikes, with information on nature and plants in the area and their use, and on ecology in general. Every day, we will explore a different and unique landscape of Lodévois Larzac. The goal is to combine pleasure and knowledge.

Every morning we will have a picnic in nature, and the afternoon will be devoted to personal and health care activities in the Oleatherm Care Center, with a naturopathy check-up and optional treatments. (You can see the options below in “Extra Information”)

This region is located between the Larzac steppe ridges, the black basalt of the Escandorgue and the red lands of Salagou. Our base will be this charming health center, nestled in the middle of an olive grove, near a small traditional village. It is the ideal setting for a relaxing stay and the best plan to recharge your batteries!

Our daily hikes are planned in the area around the Oleatherm Center, our base during the trip. They are aimed at beginner to intermediate level walkers. They last on average from 4 to 7 hours,  with 10 to 15 km of walk.This is a mid-mountain terrain, with low altitudes between 150 meters and 770 meters maximum. The hiking difficulty is mainly related to the limestone nature of the land.

This stay is ideal for nature lovers looking to discover the Languedoc Mediterranean and Larzac, willing to learn about plants and their uses, and for those who want to take care of their health and relax in a unique natural setting.

You will have the opportunity of doing a personal health check at the Oleotherm Center, with individualized care advice and recommendations on diet and lifestyle. A treatment protocol will be proposed to the participant in order to improve their health.

In case you are not interested on the treatments, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the swimming pool (covered if necessary), gardens, reading space, review notes or do nothing and just savor the moment.

If you find this proposal tempting, just send me a request! Book your trip and join me on this unique trip in the beautiful Occitaine region. If you are looking to discover other countries in an authentic way, check out my Calabria 8-day hiking and agrotourism tour in Italy, or my Tinos island Mediterranean gastronomy tour in Greece.

Price includes

- Accommodation included

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Lunch

- Dinner

Price details

The price includes 5 consecutive care treatments (you can check the options below). A meal in a restaurant of traditional Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Salagou is offered on the last evening of the trip. Transportation is provided for the return trip to Montpellier station, and for travel during the hikes./// The price does not include expenses and personal drinks (not included in the evening at the restaurant), additional care, insurance. Towels and pool towels are not provided.


Itinerary

Day 1: The garden of Escoubilles

Arrival on Saturday  afternoon at the train station of Montpellier.  Transfer to Oleatherm Center. After everyone has settled in, Raphaël Colicci will present his universe, the care center: a labyrinth of scents, a place for relaxation and communion, a reserve of trees, path of cultures and other secrets. He will also introduce his friends, olive trees and bees. We will finish this day by tasting some local products.

Walking time: 2 hours. Difficulty: none.

Day 2: The Cirque at the End of the World-Larzac Plateau

The Cirque du Bout du Monde is the least known of the foothills of the Larzac plateau. Formerly covered with vines, it is the example of Larzac terraces reforestation, due to agricultural decolonization. We will travel to the pine forest to climb its crest, in the soil of the barren and juniper and then we will cross the rough and mineral plateau, in a pastoral walk, to a unique point of view over the Cirque and much further.

Distance: 13,5 km. Walking time: 7 hours. Altitude difference: 1000 meters. Altitude max: 702m. Intermediate level.

Day 3: The Salagou Ruffes

A far-west landscape made of wadis and a canyon, and red land as far as the eye can see. This is a paradise for geologists and paleontologists. The Ruffles is a carmine ocean hammered by centuries of erosion that offers an open-air cinema setting. Arid lands and plant life adapted to this drought. The wreaths of yellow flowers of the Spanish broom are sharp in this mineral blood universe. We will sail between past and present, the most attentive will be able to observe footprints and traces from another time, the most contemplative will be able to imagine walking alongside animals of another age. At the end of the hike, still under the shock of this amazing landscapes and scorching smells, we will taste another flavor of this terroir: biodynamic wine. On the way back, we will meet a village made of sandstone, ruff and basalt on the shores of Lake Salagou.

Distance: 11 km. Walking time: 4 hours. Altitude difference: 370 m. Altitude max: 430 m. Level: beginner to intermediate

Day 4: Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert village

We will start our walk by a pagnolesque road. We will be in the limestone scrubland with thyme and rosemary, where aridity is palpable, it is the environment of aromatics. A beautiful walk awaits us and will lead us to the village of Saint Guilhem, passing in and above the circque of hell. In Saint Guilhem, we will admire an authentic village, a Mediterranean pearl near the gorges of the Hérault. The return will offer us a view over the wild immensity of the Mediterranean oak grove.

Distance: 12 km. Walking time: 7 hours. Altitude difference: 950 m. Altitude max: 540 m. Intermediate level.

Day 5: The Cirque of Mourèze 

The Cirque of Mourèze is a zone of mineral chaos, where dolomotic monsters (the Lappiaz) compete in engineering to offer us the most beautiful natural sculptures. A remnant of ancient times irradiated with UV where the pines defy the stone. This world is Mediterranean, almost African. Ecology is a mixture of plateaus, alpine, Mediterranean and sandy areas, together with rocks and wadis. It is the homeland of rosemary. At the top, the look towards the North dominates the red landscape of Lake Salagou, in the South, the whiteness of dolomitic limestones. We will idly finish our walk to meet the beautiful village of Mourèze nestled at the bottom of the cirque, between these colossal limestone.

Distance: 7 km. Walking time: 3,30 hours. Altitude difference: 430 meters. Altitude max: 535 m. Level: Beginner to intermediate.

Day 6: Escandorgue and the Cirque of l'Abeil 

Between limestone and basalt, on the western part of the Larzac, there is the cirque of the Abeil and the plateau of the Escandorgue. Beech trees torn by the harshness of the environment, wild boxwood gardens, and remarkable flora. The view is breathtaking. It comes from the Cevennes to the sea. Up there, on the plateau, it is a world of silence, austere, authentic, rough and true. We will discover all the beauty and  treasures of this amazing region.

Distance: 8 km. Walking time: 4 hours. Altitude difference: 200 m. Altitude max: 770 m. Beginner level.

Day 7: The Larzac Terraces

The terraces of Larzac are my sacred place. This is a hike through  my stronghold, on the limestone escarpments of the large plateau. It is the territory of wild lavender on the dry and stony lawns of limestone slopes. We will admire the panorama view over  Sète, city of Brassens and the Pyrenees. Without transition, we will continue our journey in the scrubland made arbutus and heather arborescent. We are in the acidic, ascetic lands, where the wastelands of sarsaparilla and green oaks. We will stop in an Occitan village, perched in the bush, where time no longer exists.

Distance: 11 km. Walking time: 5 hours. Altitude difference: 400 m. Altitude max: 702 m. Level: Beginner to intermediate.

Day 8: The Lodève market 

How leaving this region without discovering Lodève and its Saturday morning market? This traditional market is a showcase of this  country flavors, between plateaus and Mediterranean plains. Moreover, it brings together the people of this land, meeting at  terrace cafe around the halls. This is an opportunity to greet each other, to stroll around. We will walk to Lodève, charming city at the gates of the Mediterranean, and then we will also stroll through the stands between olives and sheep’s cheese. At noon, we will taste some oysters from the Thau basin with a glass of white Languedoc. For those who want to leave, I will drop you at Montpellier station, with the sun in the eyes and a smile on your face.

 

Details

More info

-The diet will be healthy, mainly organic and will favor local products. Special diets will be taken into account if you let us know before the trip.

-You should bring good hiking boots and a good windbreaker, as winds are common in this region.  

CARE TREATMENTS They take place at the Oleatherm Health Center. A discovery programme is offered with five consecutive treatments, with the following options: -HAMMAM, with essential oils and black soap with olive oil. A true moment of relaxation, it prepares the body to receive the beneficial assets of the olive tree. -JACQUIER AIR BOWL: An ingenious method for capturing the strength of pine forests in minutes, on a daily basis or by repeated treatments. This unique and powerful method improves tissue oxygenation and therefore optimizes the quality of our wellness care. -PEDI-WELL: Foot reflexology treatment that gives you a kneading and crushing effect on the feet and hands. The blood flow is stimulated, the reflex zones of the feet and hands in contact with the massage surface are activated, the tension zones disappear while the whole nervous system regains its calm. -CHI MACHINE: It eliminates accumulated toxins and discovers a healthy body with a balanced and harmonious functioning. -BODY SCRUB: With olive stones and olive juice followed by a wrap. -BODY ENVELOPMENT: Revitalizing treatment: application of Olive Totum (integral olive juice) with various natural clays, seaweeds or marine mud. -PRESSOTHERAPY: Comfort treatment with a feeling of lightness and freshness improved by the application of appropriate plants for better blood circulation. Pressotherapy boots act against watery cellulite, chasing water retention. -FLOATING BED: The flotation bed offers the possibility of a weightless massage, lying on a bed of water. Care that provides a complete relaxation of the body and mind, conducive to the beneficial action of treatments. Massage by 24 hydrojets all over the back. Eliminates the feeling of heaviness, calms the mind, provides deep relaxation. A divine moment! -WELL-BEING MASSAGE with Oleatherm repair balm. This massage will be adapted to everyone's needs: relaxing, toning and draining.

Meeting point


About the guide

Guide profile image

Sylvain

Mountain Guide

Passionate about botany and ornithology, trained in ecology, I have long worked in environmental protection, rural development and adaptation to climate change in the Sahel.

Coming from a family of (small) farmers in the West of France, my initial training focused on the management and protection of nature. My associative activities have also allowed me to develop a solid naturalistic culture.

My professional career began with a regional development project in the Alpes de Haute-Provence. Afterwards, I was an ornithological animator in the Eastern Pyrenees. At 25, I went to Niger and worked there for 7 years, first as an international volunteer (France volunteers) then as a technical advisor for the German cooperation services (DED/GIZ). After a brief return to France and a visit to Canada to perfect my English, I went back to West Africa - this time to Senegal where I coordinated a climate change adaptation project for a French NGO.

Tired of the contradictions of the associative and institutional milieu, I finally chose to fly on my own while keeping a privileged link with nature. While my stays in so-called "developing" countries have led me to grasp the fragility of life, it is quite naturally that I wanted to take a closer interest in health.

I then trained in naturopathy with the Herbothèque (Quebec) and the Mandorle School (Switzerland), and specialized in scientific aromatherapy with Dominique Baudoux. I also returned to my first loves: botany and the study of plants. Settled in Switzerland since September 2015, I also trained as a mountain leader at the Saint Jean d'Anniviers school in Valais. I opened my naturopathic practice in Neuchâtel in the summer of 2016 and am a member of the Syndicat des professionnels de la naturopathie (SPN) and the central committee of the Association suisse des accompagnateurs en montagne (ASAM).

Two caps - naturopath and herbalist and hiking guide - for the same passion: nature. My vocation today is to share and transmit it in many ways.
I propose "nature and health" or "nature and culture" stays, cooking-nutrition courses, herbal walks, botanical walks. It's about walking, discovering a region, its nature, learning about wild plants, who they are, what they do. A complete naturopathic check-up can be integrated into the program. This allows individuals to have a complete view of their health status and to obtain an individualized health optimization program.

The proposed destinations are regions to which I am strongly attached and/or that I know well for having lived there: the Mediterranean basin, West Africa, South-West and West France, Switzerland :

France: the Languedoc Roussillon Mediterranean and its causses, the eastern Pyrenees, the Grenoble region with the Chartreuse and Vercors, the Charente Maritime, Brittany, the Southern Alps.
Southern Italy, Naples region.
Greece: Cyclades and Parnitha Natural Park
Sahelian Africa: Northern Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso.
Morocco: from Essaouira to the South of the Atlas Mountains
Switzerland: Vaud, Neuchâtel and Bernese Jura, pre-Alpes, Valais.

The stays take place either from a fixed point in a gîte, or while roaming. In both cases, healthy local cuisine will be at the party.

Any reservation of my stays abroad for my Swiss clientele is made through the travel agency "Le goût du voyage". This partnership is based on mutual trust and a shared travel ethic. The organization of the pre-trip is thus delegated to competent and experienced professionals, which allows me to concentrate on my work as a guide and to secure this activity on the legal level.

Other tailor-made offers can also be proposed. Feel free to contact me.

The past and present programming of my health hiking activity can be found on the "Events" page.

A blog also presents articles on hikes or stays proposed to inspire you (choose the "hiking trips" category).

Languages

French | English

Certificates

ASAM


What people are saying about Explore-Share

Kumari

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I’m extremely happy with the ease with which I could book via your site reliable and experienced guide. Thank you so very much, and I’ve started to recommend your site to my friends. Dimitris is not only an awesome guide, but a wonderful person who was always looking out to give me the best experience I can have when he found out how much I love climbing! He is the Best!

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I am very pleased with Explore-Share! This was my first international climb, and the communication and response time were great. Herbie is a very skilled guide and very efficient. The entire booking process & payment was smooth. I will definitely use Explore-Share again. Thank you.

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I was looking for a local guide for a hike I was planning and came across Explore-Share. They seemed to have good reviews and so decided to give them a try. The experience was very positive and completely happy with their service. I will be using them again for next trip.

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Easy to set up and find the perfect trip. Informative site that is easy to use. Guides are all great to work with and communicate all arrangements needed. As simple as can be!

Lesley

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Thank you explore-share for a wonderful via feratta experience. We have been wanting to learn for a long time but don't have the facilities in Scotland. The guide Mitja was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, answering all my many questions and providing advice. On the day head to take another group but he quickly arranged another guide Borut, who was brilliant. We had a fantastic morning learning via ferrata at Hvadnik in the gorge. It gave us the confidence to later hire our own equipment and go out in Mojstrana. Altogether a five star + experience. Thank you.

 

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