Cirque d'Estaubé, Natural glacial amphitheater in Hautes-Pyrénées, France.
Cirque d'Estaubé is a glacial basin in the central Pyrenees with towering limestone cliffs and peaks exceeding 2,800 meters (9,200 feet). The formation encloses a valley containing a mountain stream and marks a natural border between France and Spain.
This mountain cirque formed through glacial erosion over millions of years in the Pyrenees. The process created the steep walls and deep valleys that shape the landscape today.
The cirque serves as a traditional crossing point between France and Spain, connecting mountain communities through established hiking paths.
A marked hiking trail leads from the dam parking area into the basin with moderate uphill stretches. The walk takes roughly three hours for the round trip and requires sturdy footwear on rocky terrain.
The Gave d'Estaubé river originates within the cirque and feeds a reservoir before tumbling steeply into a lower valley. These cascades and rapids develop because of the significant elevation drop between the basin floor and the valley below.
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