Refuge de Basse Rua

VARS - Altitude : 1760 m - Capacity : 24 persons - Mid-June to mid-September
In an exceptional setting, very close to the restored chapel of a village in ruins, the Basse Rua refuge invites you to spend the night in a teepee or dormitory, or enjoy a reinvigorating meal or snack (traditional local specialities and homemade pastries).
As far as possible, we cook with organic products (bread, eggs, milk, pasta, rice, flour, etc.).
We also use fresh produce (vegetable soups), quality produce (red-label meat), and local products and specialities (cheeses and Queyras honey).
In the daytime, a food menu and drinks are available from 12pm, including some mountain specialities.
The refuge is located in the Escreins valley municipal nature reserve which was created in 1964 and is now within the Queyras Regional Park on the Haute Ubaye boundary.
Standing right on the Tour de la Font Sancte trail (3,385m - the Park’s highest peak), the refuge is also your departure point for a whole multitude of hiking routes.
It has 3 dormitories for 4 people and another to sleep 10.

Booking on line

Click on the green boxes below to reserve this refuge :
Caption: refuge ouvert disponiblebeds available refuge completrefuge full refuge fermérefuge closed
on the map
Gaëlle ZALIO
Val d'Escreins 05560 VARS
05560 VARS
Tel. (Mobile): 0622665821
Website

Services

Half Board, Picnic, Lunchtime meal, Evening meal, Breakfast, Free tap water, Hot water for Thermos , Bread for sale, Small groceries for sale

Services offered

Baggage transport, People transport, Free hot showers, Weather information, Electricity (220v)

Facilities

Bar, Terrace

Languages spoken

French, English

Payment methods

Bank Cheque, Cash, Holiday Vouchers

Services located close by

Taxi
The Basse Rua refuge is a 5-minute walk from the car park on the Col du Vars road towards the Escreins valley.
It can also be reached from Guillestre on foot in 3 hours.
The Escreins valley is the ideal base camp from which to enjoy a whole host of hiking possibilities.
Please contact us for advice and ask about our preferential rates.
Half-board: €44 to €50
Children under 12 years: €37
Children under 5 years: €28
Tourist tax: €0.75
During the day the Basse Rua refuge proposes traditional local cuisine, homemade snacks (blueberry tart, raspberry tart and much more), drinks, icecreams, etc.

Long-distance hiking routes from this accommodation:

One-day hikes from this accommodation:

Font Sancte's peak from Basse Rua

"The Font Sancte, the highest peak in the Queyras Regional Nature Park, takes its name from a very ancient legend which says that a shepherdess from Escreins (hamlet destroyed by fire in 1916) discovered, while following her white goat, a beautiful spring of clear water emerging from a circular hole in the rock which looked as if it had been made by a cannonball. So the spring was named ‘Font Sainte' (holy font). The Font Sancte summit is the highest point of a mountain chain that reaches elevations exceeding 3,000 metres, from Pointe de la Saume (3,406m) in the east to Pic des Houerts (3,236 metres) to the west. This hike demands an excellent level of physical fitness. There is often snow in the couloir leading to the summit so crampons and ice axes may be required. Even when the snow has gone, falling rocks are a hazard to be wary of. Whatever the conditions, you should set out at daybreak. "
Level of difficulty: Difficult
Elevation gain: 1700 m
Distance: 16 km
Duration: 10h00

Lac des 9 couleurs

This is the perfect hiking route for families. Much of it is in the very beautiful Laugier valley. This valley offers a gentle uphill walk to the mountain pastures occupied by multiple colonies of marmots, and up to the Serenne pass (2,674 metres) where you'll enjoy the magnificent view over the upper Ubaye valley. The lake is just below the pass. This lake surrounded by huge blocks of stone is impressive not by its size but by its splendid colours that vary throughout the day. Adventurous hikers can continue to the top of Pointe de la Mortice (3,169m) for a superb panoramic view of the upper Ubaye valley, the Escrin valley and Font Sancte, as well as Vars and the Parpaillon mountains.
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
Elevation gain: 960 m
Distance: 16 km
Duration: 6h00

Loop of Crêtes de Vars

The Vars ridge runs between the Escreins valley, an ancient glacier valley with sharp peaks often exceeding heights of 3,200 metres, and the Vars villages occupying a flatter valley which is more conducive to farming. This hike takes you exploring each of the mountain levels which their own specific features, yet it remains accessible to most people.
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
Elevation gain: 650 m
Distance: 11 km
Duration: 5h00