Cascade d'Oô

Oô

At the bottom of the glacial valley of Oô, in the Haute-Garonne, a waterfall of more than 300 meters pours from a suspended plateau straight into the Lac d'Oô, at 1,507 m altitude — one of the highest and most photographed waterfalls in the Pyrenees. The site, already depicted by the traveling painter Eugene de Malbos around 1840, owes its present form as much to nature as to man: between 1918 and 1921, a gravity dam was built to artificially enlarge the natural lake, bringing its capacity to 13 million m³ to feed the Oô hydroelectric power station, with an output of 30 MW, still in operation today. This pioneering project of Pyrenean 'white coal' illustrates the rise of mountain hydroelectric power in the early 20th century. Now reachable in an hour and a half of easy walking from Granges d'Astau, above the village of Oô, the site draws hikers and anglers, the waterfall coming into view from the far shore of the lake, forming one of the most spectacular sights in the central Pyrenees. The most determined walkers can carry on to the Espingo refuge, 300 m higher, to look down over the whole site.

Getting there : From Bagneres-de-Luchon, take the D618 then the D76 to the car park at Granges d'Astau (Oô, Haute-Garonne), then a 1h30 easy walk.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound