Gorges de Kakuetta

The Kakuetta stream has cut a slot into the limestone of the Basque Pyrenees that in places is only a few metres wide and hundreds of metres deep, and the walk into it is one of the more improbable things in the range. For about two kilometres the route runs on steps, footbridges and metal walkways bolted to the rock wherever there is no bank to stand on, with the water directly below. The walls are wet, mossy and in shadow most of the day, so it stays cold whatever the weather outside. At the end there is a waterfall of some twenty metres and, past it, a cave hung with concretions.

What you actually see

• The great gorge - walls hundreds of metres high standing only a few metres apart.
• The bolted walkways - metal footbridges hung above the stream where no bank exists.
• The waterfall - a fall of around twenty metres at the head of the walkable section.
• The cave - a chamber of stalactites at the very end of the marked path.

When to go

The gorge opens seasonally, roughly from the middle of March to the middle of November, and closes outside that. Late spring carries the most water. It shuts after storms and when the stream rises, so check before driving out. Daylight reaches the floor only around the middle of the day. Two hours covers the return walk.

Honest expectations

Everything underfoot is wet rock, steps and metal, which rules it out for small children and anyone unsteady. It is charged, and the walk may take you ninety minutes. The last stretch involves scrambling. Even in August it is cold, dark and dripping. The drive in is long, narrow and slow, and there is nothing else at the road end.

Nearby

The Sainte-Engrace church and the Holcarte gorge with its footbridge are close by.