Grande Traversée du Massif Central, Tarn Gorges - Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

A route for experienced walkers. No particular technical difficulties, with 5 to 7 hours of walking per day on good forest tracks and trails. This section, number 4 of the Grande Traversée du Massif Central, is longer than the others in terms of consecutive walking days, and the daily stages and elevation changes are also more substantial.

Depending on the option you choose, luggage transfers are included. You carry only what you need for the day, along with your picnic lunch, in a small backpack or bag. Your luggage will be waiting for you at the hotel in the evening.

From 2 people. Solo walkers can also take part for a supplement.

10 days, 9 nights, 8 days of walking.

Departures are possible from mid-April to the end of September.

We provide a detailed route map, step-by-step directions and access to our GPS app.

Accommodation

Hotels and guesthouses

Hotel ratings

In France, increasing numbers of hotels and guesthouses choose not to have an official rating, including establishments that were still rated one or two years ago. This does not mean their quality has declined—far from it. Many of the guesthouses are charming places to stay.
If we indicate, for example, a comfort level of “3* or equivalent”: this means that the establishment may not have an official rating, but offers comfort comparable to a 3* hotel.

Meals

Half board. Dinners and breakfasts are served at your accommodation.

Start

On Day 1 in the afternoon at your accommodation in La Canourgue.

Finish

On Day 10 after breakfast in St Guilhem.

An extra night with 1/2 board is available in La Canourgue or St Guilhem le Désert.

By train

Outbound: Banassac-La Canourgue SNCF railway station, on the Paris - Clermont-Fd - Béziers line. The station is in La Mothe, 3km from the centre of La Canourgue.
Return: From St-Guilhem-le-Désert, we recommend taking the scheduled bus service to Montpellier, where connections to many cities and TGV services are available. Bus fare: 2 € / journey. Information and timetables are available on 0434888999 or at Hérault Transport, St Guilhem-Montpellier route no. 668.
You can check timetables and fares at https://www.sncf-connect.com/

By car

Getting there: La Canourgue is in Lozère, on the A 75 motorway linking Paris, Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers, 180km south of Clermont-Ferrand and 160km north of Béziers and Montpellier. The motorway is toll-free between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers, except for the Millau Viaduct.
You can check your route on ViaMichelin.

Parking your car

In La Canourgue, you can leave your vehicle in the hotel’s private car park during your walking trip, or in the town’s car parks.

Returning to your car

By bus and train:
The shuttle is the easiest and quickest option, departing from St Guilhem le Désert at 10:30: 65 € per person.

From St Guilhem le Désert, travel to Ceyras or Clermont l’Hérault on the St Guilhem–Montpellier shuttle bus no. 668, 2 € for the journey; then continue to Millau on the regular Montpellier–Millau bus service no.234/681.
For information and timetables, call 0434888999 or visit https://www.herault-transport.fr/
From Millau to La Canourgue, take an SNCF TER regional train; see https://www.sncf-connect.com/

By taxi:
Taxi Burtin in St Jean de Fos on 0467579810 or 06.09.38.78.78, or yvanallo-taxicab.com lina@nyyb-gnkvpno.pbz.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either along the day’s route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we emphasise that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; you therefore swim under your own responsibility and at your own risk.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As a member of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector move towards more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the traveller’s ethical charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and make meaningful connections with others.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible environmental, ethical and sustainable management practices, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a demanding international certification programme, recognises our practical actions in support of responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

Carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition, or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, limited to 15kg

Find out how to pack your hiking backpack in our magazine.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top) such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration) + a sweatshirt or fleece jacket + a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. In general, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which holds moisture close to the body (and takes a long time to dry), and choose suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a good lugged sole, a supportive heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable technical shorts
• T-shirts or technical base layers (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article or how to choose your hiking poles

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool garments have also become available; they perform very well and are comfortable to wear, with the added advantage of not developing sweat odours!

For your picnic lunch

• Your eating kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – mandatory –; an insulated flask for winter

Protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly waterproof trousers

After your hike

• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and a small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (if specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile dressings and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin, etc. (please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs).

Find these tips in our article #"what to take with you on a hike".

This list is intended as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you are travelling.

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

For carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt for carrying your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition, or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, limited to 15 kg

Find out #how to pack your hiking backpack in our magazine.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top) such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration) + a sweatshirt or fleece jacket + a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. As a general rule, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which holds moisture close to your body (and takes a long time to dry), and choose suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a good treaded sole, a supportive heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (made from quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable technical shorts
• T-shirts or technical base layers (made from quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), which are very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article, or find out how to choose your hiking poles

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the added benefit of resisting perspiration odours!

For your picnic lunch

• Your eating kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – mandatory –; an insulated flask for winter

For protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain cape or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and optionally waterproof trousers

After your hike

• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and a small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (where specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile compresses and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin, etc. (please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs).

Find these tips in our article #"What to take on a hike".

This list is provided as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you are travelling.

France

Travellers, including minors, must carry a national identity card or passport (EU nationals).

Aubrac aux Gorges du Tarn Tourist Office
18 Rue de la Ville
48500 La Canourgue
Telephone: 0466328367

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Tourist Office
2 place de la Liberté
34150 Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
Telephone: 0467575883

France: +33.

There may be no mobile reception on some sections of your hike.

No time difference: GMT +1.

Like the landscapes, the regions along the route and their climates are varied:

The climate on the Causses and in the Tarn gorges is fairly harsh and dry. It can be very hot in summer, and windy and cold when a northerly wind blows, similar to the Mistral.

Mont Aigoual has a more mountainous climate and is cooler even in summer, with temperatures moderated by the forest and altitude; take care early in the season, in April or even May, as substantial snow may remain after a harsh winter. Mont Aigoual is home to the country’s very last staffed weather station and holds a whole series of weather records…

Further south, as you return to the Blandas and Larzac causses and the scrubland of the Séranne, a Mediterranean climate prevails: very hot and dry in summer, very pleasant in spring and autumn, with heavy rain when a weather system moves in from the sea.

Environment

The route runs partly through the protected area of the Cévennes National Park, the only national park with an inhabited core zone. All activities must therefore comply with its charter, particularly its conservation principles: respect for the natural heritage, cultural heritage and local residents, and natural resources (water, soil, habitats, wildlife, flora and climate).

A national park’s purpose is to protect heritage and biodiversity, educate young people, and promote this heritage through human activities – agriculture, forestry, tourism… – that respect these remarkable natural areas and can help preserve the park’s character

The forests of the Cévennes and Aigoual are particularly vulnerable to forest fires in summer. Their Mediterranean flora is very fragile, and many plant species are strictly protected.

It is important to stay on the tracks and paths and follow the recommendations of the French National Forest Office’s Forest Walker’s Charter, which sets out the rules for this area: fires and smoking in the forest are prohibited; respect the animals (this is their home) and do not pick plants (an uprooted flower will not grow back!); take your litter away with you.

The Mediterranean flora of the Causses and scrublands is rare and very fragile. Do not pick plants (an uprooted flower will not grow back!).

Water can become scarce in the Cévennes in summer. Please avoid wasting it unnecessarily: it is essential for people, livestock and firefighting.

At its 35th session on 28 June 2011, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee adopted the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value for the Causses and the Cévennes, a cultural landscape of Mediterranean agro-pastoralism, on the World Heritage List.

More than 4.000 years later, just a few days ago, they were still practising the ancestral tradition of transhumance on some of the most sparsely populated land in France. Woodland once covered almost the entire area. Extensive livestock farming and cultivation in dolines (circular depressions) or on terraces opened up the land and brought unity to contrasting landscapes: to the west, the imposing limestone plateaux of the Causses (Larzac, Causse Méjean…), cut through by the gorges of the Tarn, Dourbie and Jonte; to the east, the wooded valleys of the Cévennes; in the centre and to the north, the granite massifs (Mont Lozère, Mont Aigoual), which rise to 1.699m and are home to France’s last staffed mountain weather station.

• Green Guide, Gorges du Tarn, Cévennes, Bas-Languedoc, published by Michelin Guide to Lozère, published by La Manufacture
• Cévennes National Park, GALLIMARD Travel Encyclopaedia guide Routes of St James, GALLIMARD Travel Encyclopaedia guide Cévennes and Grands Causses (Alain Gas), published by Presse du Languedoc A Silence on Earth: the Causse, published by Éditions du Rouergue
• The Cévennes – From the Mountains to Humankind – Éditions Privat The Sparrowhawk of Maheux by Jean Carrière
• The Fools of God and all books by Jean-Pierre Chabrol
• Cévennes Suite, The Camisard of the Aigoual, and all books by André Chamson