Visit to the Caviar Nacarii Fish Farm, in Les

At Les, beside the Garonne and at kilometre 181 of the N-230, Caviar Nacarii raises sturgeon in a cold mountain-water fish farm and produces from them a fresh caviar that it sells in its shop and online. It opens the facilities for guided visits: an outdoor tour among the sturgeon pools, separated by age, with a guide who explains where caviar comes from and how it is made. It is a short visit, and works as well for food enthusiasts as for families with children who want to see big fish up close.

From the pool to the tin

The guide tells the history and origin of caviar, how the sturgeon lives in the wild and in captivity, how the fish are selected, how the roe is extracted and how caviar is made and matured, and what to look for to tell a good product. The visit alone lasts about 50 minutes and groups are 25 people at most. As it is outdoors, dress for the weather and bring a waterproof or umbrella if rain threatens: it runs in the rain too.

With tasting or without

• Guided visit: €15 for adults, €7 for ages 6 to 10, free up to 5. Groups of more than 20 pay €10 per person.
• Visit with tasting: 40 minutes of guided tasting of two of the house's caviars, with a glass of cava or vodka, are added to the 50-minute visit. It costs €40 for adults; children pay €7 and don't taste. In a group of more than 20, €35.

If afterwards you want to take caviar home, the house sells it in several lines; the smallest tins of the Tradición line start at €22 in its online shop.

Days, times and booking

The visits are handled by Aran Experience, the Vielha booking centre, on 973 64 00 87 or on its website, where you choose the day and time on a calendar, pay by card and receive the voucher with directions. You must be on time: the visit starts punctually.

The fish farm does not publish a calendar for 2027. The latest, for 2024, gave visits in April and from June to September: Wednesday to Sunday at 10:00 and 16:00, and the tasting one Wednesday to Saturday at 16:00. Check the open dates on the booking calendar before planning your day.

For bookings of up to five people, cancelling more than 72 hours ahead gets you a full refund; between 72 and 48 hours, half; after that, nothing.

Garonne in the morning, Bossòst at night

Les is the starting point of the Garonne rafting, and the plan rafting, caviar and signature cooking combines the two in a summer day. For dinner, Er Occitan, on Carrer Major in Bossòst, a few kilometres along the N-230.