Marmot Tours has based itself in The Ariege,  a little known region of Southern France that straddles the Pyrenees from Comminges in the east, the principality of Andorra in the south, and the area of Rousillion in the west.  Neil Lands, in his book on 'The History, People and Places of the French Pyrenees', stated that it was in fact his favorite region of the whole area, "because it is full of little hidden valleys with castles and towers", amongst wild and beautiful scenery. 

The area is rich in natural beauty and history and remains wonderfully unspoilt, despite being only 90minutes from Toulouse, and as such is a perfect base for many types of holiday.

History: 

The Ariege has been inhabited for thousands of years.  Prehistoric man left his mark here in the form of some of Europe's oldest cave paintings (bison, horse and ibex) at the famous Grottes de Niaux in the Vicdessos Valley.   Later, in the Middle Ages, the religious sect, the Cathars, were linked to the Grottes des Lombrives, in the local village of Ussat les Bains, where local folklore says, during the Albigensian Crusades, 600 Cathars were walled up to die.

During the middle Ages the area was ruled by the powerful Comte de Foix, who earned their fortune from mining iron ore in the Vicdessos valley.  This seam was so rich that it was only worked out in 1931.