The Adour is a river in the Aquitaine Basin in the South-West of France, classified as a Natura 2000 site (SIC/pSIC). With a length of 307.1 km, it takes its source in the Pyrenees massif of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, at the Col du Tourmalet (Hautes-Pyrénées, Occitania) and flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Bayonne (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) between Tarnos (Landes) on its right bank and Anglet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) on its left bank.
From the Pyrenees to the ocean, the Adour drains a watershed of 16,912 km2 covering a multiplicity of environments, landscapes, economic and cultural activities.
Departments and towns along the river include:
- Hautes-Pyrénées: Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Tarbes, Maubourguet
- Gers: Riscle
- Landes: Aire-sur-l’Adour, Dax, Tarnos
- Pyrénées-Atlantiques: Bayonne
The main tributaries of the Adour are, from source to mouth:
- Adour de Gripp (also Adour du Tourmalet, 15 km)
- Adour de Lesponne (19 km)
- Échez (64 km)
- Arros (130 km)
- Léez (56 km)
- Gabas (117 km)
- Midouze (151 km)
- Louts (86 km)
- Luy (154 km)
- Gave de Pau/Gave d’Oloron (191 km)
- Bidouze (82 km)
- Aran (48 km)
- Ardanabia (26 km)
- Nive (79 km)
See also France travel guide
See also Spain travel guide
See also Pyrenees travel guide
See also Andorra travel guide
