Butterflies
of the French Pyrenees
A guided butterfly week with Mark Brown
Our guided butterfly holiday … a week for butterfly enthusiasts of all levels led by the entertaining Mark Brown, Mark is an expert on the butterflies of the Pyrenees, having observed and photographed in the local area for over 20 years. Back in the real world, Mark is one of the UK's leading classical record producers and in an earlier life was one of Monty Python's famous lumberjacks!
Mark's superb picture of a Purple-shot Copper at St Justin

Mark in action

Amanda’s Blue

Butterfly Week
Enjoy the dramatic scenery of the Hautes Pyrenees with time spent at the Cirques de Gavarnie, Troumouse and Estaube, magical places of high peaks, crashing waterfalls, rushing streams — a grandiose landscape carpeted with alpine flowers.



Photos from our recent
Butterfly Weeks
During the week we will take you to many of our favourite places, mostly within the Parc National des Pyrenees; woodlands, hay meadows, high alpine pastures, rocky outcrops. We will visit a variety of altitudes to maximise the diversity of species.
We have been living, observing and offering wildlife holidays here for 23 years, nobody knows the terrain better!

Hotel de Londres


Hotel de Londres
Particular attention will be paid to the superb flower-filled hay meadows of the Bareges valley. It is a testament to the superb unspoiled nature of our local countryside that certain local meadows have produced over 40 species in a single afternoon. To date we have recorded 120 species in the Bareges valley alone. Of particular interest we should find Purple Edged Copper, Gavarnie Blue, Large Blue, Queen of Spain Fritillary and Clouded Apollo.

Purple-edged Copper

Picnic at Gavarnie

High Brown Fritillary
All walking will be very gentle and the week should appeal to both experts and beginners alike. We shall also be keeping an eye out for interesting birds and flowers, at this time of year the alpine flowers are at their splendid best. We will enjoy helping you identify the many raptors including Lammergeier and Golden Eagle, and with a bit of luck we might even find a Wallcreeper and a Black Woodpecker.
Your holiday base is the historic village of Luz St Sauveur, a lovely little village in an area of great natural beauty. You must visit the fortified Knights' Templar church, the C9th castle, the lively weekly market. and treat yourself to a soak in the wonderful 'Luzea' spa baths. The hotel has a superb location on the banks of the river.
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