The proximity of the town of Lourdes to the Pyrenees offers great nature exploration opportunities to tourists visiting Lourdes. Thus, tourists might find Lourdes does not come down to sanctuaries of religious significance, but it is also a place replete with sanctuaries of wild untamed nature. Nature aside, the surroundings of Lourdes are also dotted with museums and modern leisure opportunities which in no case should be overlooked.
The Pyrenees National Park (Parc National des Pyrenees) is the most impressive complex of attractions in the surroundings of Lourdes. It strikes both by its dimensions (it fills and area of 500 square kilometers) and by the diversity and richness of faunal and floral patrimony. Above all, the sights yielded by the rough landscape are more than words can express. The eye of the explorer is the only one which can grasp with genuine adequacy the staggering beauty of the park. The so-called Pont d’Espagne is said to be pegged out by the most majestic waterfalls in the Haut-Pyrenees region. The steep and rough relief is naturally extended by the mild scenery opened by the Gaube Lake. The entire vista is overtopped by the Vignemale peak, incidentally the highest peak in the Pyreneans. Lake exploration should not come down to the Gaube Lake only. The Pyrenees National Park is more than generous in terms of lake scenery, fauna and flora. The Cirque du Gavarnie and the adjoining Roland’s Gap constitute a complex sunken in the solemn peace of the glacier and in the legendary atmosphere surrounding the formation of the so-called Roland’s Gap. The Pic du Midi de Bigorre, despite or, perhaps, precisely by force of its seclusion, is one of the most sought destinations nearby Lourdes. The access is possible by means of the cable-car which, on its trajectory offers visitors the possibility to admire stunning views.
Detailed information on the whereabouts of the main highlights, as well as to the means of access and the like are to be found by resorting to the following indications. Tourists should keep in mind there are plenty of other branch offices of the Park able to provide useful information:
49, Route de Pau, 65000, Tarbes, France