During this hike in Botassart around Le Tombeau du Geant you will witness some of the most beautiful nature spots in Belgium. This hike is only for people seeking for adventure as there are plenty of daring trails and river crossings. Enjoy!
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Hike Description
Distance: The total distance for this hike is 17,5 kilometers (loop hike)
Elevation gain: The total incline was 700 meters
Moving time: My moving time was 5 hours and 5 minutes.
Difficulty: I would rate this as a rather hard hike. The trails are very technical and sometimes you need to go offroad without a clear path is visible. Also very important to mention is the fact that you will have to cross the Semois river twice. Only follow this route when the water level is low enough.
Address parking: Moulin du Rivage, 6833 Bouillon. As this is a well known tourist spot there’s plenty of parking available.
The easiest way to get there is to use the pinned location on the Google map below and navigate straight to the start.
How to get to Le Tombeau du Géant?
The best way to get to Le Tombeau du Geant is by using your own car (or a rental). With the car it is about 2 hours to get from Brussels to Le Tombeau du Geant in Botassart.
As this is a very remote place in the Ardennes in Belgium Google doesn’t even find a route to get there with public transportation.
If you’re staying in Bouillon this could be a perfect day trip, it’s just 20 minutes away by car!
What is the easiest way to hike in Botassart at Le Tombeau du Geant?
Generally speaking for all hikes, the easiest way is to download a gpx file. You can view such a file on a gps device, a smartphone or smartwatch. It will tell you step-by-step how to walk. It also includes an elevation profile which can help you to decide if this hike is for you or not. All the hikes on this blog are being tracked on Strava (sports tracking smartphone application) and Wikiloc (community based hiking smartphone application).
For this route in particular I would definitely recommend to use a gpx viewer. This route is based on one of the hardest routes from the website originelewandelingen.be. Definitely do not underestimate how hard this hike is!
Download the GPX file right here: le-tombeau-du-geant-in-botassart.gpx
Another hike in the same region that is a bit less adventurous (but longer) that overlaps a bit with this one: Best hike in Bouillon Belgium is the 14 Panorama route (28 km)
Le Tombeau Du Géant panoramic viewpoint
The legend goes that there is a Gallic Hero burried there. In fact it’s a panoramic viewpoint over the meandering Semois river. Because of its beauty it is classified as natural heritage in Wallonia since many years. There is plenty of parking available and there’s a small bar/restaurant that serves ice-cream, snacks and drinks.
I’ve been visiting this place lots of times ever since I was a child. I remember kayaking and swimming there with my parents. I loved it!
A similar viewpoint that is a bit smaller in scale and less impressive is Le Tombeau du Chevalier in Herbeumont. I also did an adventurous hike there, read all about it: Adventurous hike in Herbeumont – Le Tombeau du Chevalier (15 km)
How was hiking at Le Tombeau du Géant
The hike in Botassart starts by actually walking away from the viewpoint Le Tombeau du Geant, soon you’ll be hiking in a dense forest surrounded by small water streams. As this hike was based on the hardest hike on the website originelewandelingen.be I knew it would be a real adventure. I’ve been postponing this one for a few months because of the Semois river crossings and also because nature just looks so much better mid-Spring, beginning of Summer. During early Autumn days it could be possible as well. If you would like to do this route I would suggest to only do it if there hasn’t been a lot of rainfall in the days/weeks prior to undergoing this adventurous hike in Botassart.
If you follow my GPX you’ll notice that a few times that all of a sudden I take an unexpected direction. In some cases there is not visible path and you just have to use your common sense to find the next trail. I started noticing this pattern with hikes from Originele Wandelingen. They would send you to a viewpoint to then send you off road to reach another path. They are basically connecting two different paths without a known trail in between. I’m not sure if this is actually allowed as you’re leaving the marked paths. Always use common sense when doing these kind of hikes!
Viewpoints during the hike around Le Tombeau du Géant
One of the main reasons that I hike (and you maybe as well) is to see beautiful viewpoints. In the Ardennes there are plenty! And of course you could drive your car to the official Tombeau du Geant viewpoint, have a look for 10 minutes and leave again. In my opinion it takes away a bit of the magic if the viewpoint is easily accessible.
During this hike in Botassart there are lots of places where you can enjoy stunning views without having to share with 50 others. Okay, I admit you do have to work for it but believe me it’s worth it!
The Ladder Hike from Rochehaut
For a while you will be hiking on a trail shared with a very popular route in Belgium called De Laddertjes Wandeling or La Promenade des échelles. This 5 kilometer hike starts in Rochehaut which also has some amazing viewpoints. Many websites and magazines call it the most spectacular walk in Belgium because of the ladders you have to climb along the way. I agree, the Ladder Hike is quite adventurous but if you have some hiking experience or you did some of the hikes from the website originelewandelingen.be you will think differently. If you’re interested in following this route, it starts from the church in Rochehaut and is marked as number 43. Check out this article from another belgian blogger that describes it a bit more in detail: The Ladder hike described by Wonderful Wanderings.
The Semois river crossing during the hike in Botassart
During this hike you will have to cross the river Semois twice. Because of this it is recommended to only follow this route during the dry months (May till October usually). Pointy rocks on the bottom of the river can make it quite painful to cross barefoot. I advise you to bring some flip-flops or water resistant shoes. Also make sure to waterproof your gear as much as possible. For me it’s always a bit of an adrenaline rush when I cross a river with a drone, a camera and some other expensive gear in my backpack. In the end it’s all worth it though! Just make sure to know your limits and check water levels before actually crossing with all your belongings. When we crossed the Semois river in the month June it was just above knee level.
Be careful for ticks while hiking in Belgian nature!
One thing that really annoys me while hiking is the constant danger of ticks. Especially when you go a bit offroad you have to deal with this a lot!
Ticks live by feeding on blood of humans and animals and they locate potential hosts by sensing odor, body heat, moisture, and/or vibrations in the environment. If you walk through longer grass or bushes it’s almost guaranteed that you have a few on your legs or other body parts. Usually they creep around a bit before digging their head into your skin and start sucking your blood. An anti-insect spray based on deet should protect you against them. I must say I never tried this spray but I will buy it soon because these ticks creep the hell out of me!
Once they are attached and digged into your skin it’s very important to use a special pincher to take them out. Do not try pulling them out because there are potential dangers of doing so. I’m not an expert by any means but do your research and inform yourself about this!
Conclusion about the hike in Botassart around Le Tombeau du Géant
If you’re looking for a hike that is a bit more adventurous than most routes in Belgium this is definitely for you. It’s not and easy route and there are plenty of points where you will be confused about where to go but in the end all the amazing views and daring paths are worth it! I can guarantee you that the hike in Botassart at Le Tombeau du Géant is more spectacular than the Ladder Hike in Belgium!
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