Mazaye: Hiking, Volcanic Landscapes and Saffron

Mazaye lies at the foot of the Puy de Côme, west of the Chaîne des Puys. Several distinct themes are available to help you plan your trip: hiking, the volcanic landscape, local stoneworking traditions and saffron cultivation. You can choose your focus depending on whether you are planning a longer route, want to explore the Cheire de Côme or are looking for an introduction to saffron cultivation.

The Cheire de Côme and its features

The Cheire de Côme is 9 km long, 2 to 3 km wide and up to 130 m thick. It consists of eight superimposed basalt lava flows with layers of scoria in between. These measurements describe its extent and maximum thickness; the sequence of lava flows and scoria layers offers further insight into its structure. The “pierre signée” also stands out in the heart of the Cheire. Alongside the formation’s dimensions, this brings a named feature within the Cheire into focus.

Hiking and orienteering

The Boucle des Dômes passes through Mazaye. Its stage from Mazaye to Laschamps is moderately difficult, 19.6 km long and listed as taking 7 hours 30 minutes. The Saint-Pierre-le-Chastel circular hike passes through Mazayes-Basses and returns to its starting point. The routes therefore differ in form: the stage names Mazaye and Laschamps, while returning to the starting point is part of the circular hike.

Mazaye also offers orienteering courses in the Cheire de Côme, used by professional teams and amateurs. This makes orienteering courses another specific activity in the area, alongside hiking. The route information offers different points of reference for your planning: a graded stage with a set duration, and a circular hike whose description highlights the route through Mazayes-Basses and back to the starting point.

Building stone and lava

Mazaye is known for its local building-stone production. There is also a workshop for enamelling lava. These are two distinct craft traditions: building stone on the one hand, and lava enamelling on the other. Together with the Cheire de Côme, they add local themes of material processing to the picture of the landscape. For travellers interested in materials and how they are worked, as well as in the routes, these aspects offer a focus of their own.

Saffron cultivation and visits

Safran des Volcans has been producing organic saffron in Mazaye since 2012, in the Parc des Volcans and the Chaîne des Puys UNESCO area. A guided visit to the saffron fields lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. Safran des Volcans also offers a tasting of saffron products. Cultivation and tasting appeal to different interests: the visit focuses on production, while the tasting focuses on saffron products.

Planning your time

The duration of the hiking stage and the saffron visit can be compared directly: the Boucle des Dômes stage is listed as taking 7 hours 30 minutes, while the guided visit lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. This gives you two clearly different timeframes to consider when deciding whether a longer hike or a shorter introduction to saffron cultivation better suits your stay.

Discover more destinations: Blot-l'Église, Les Pradeaux, Neuf-Église, Ménétrol, Saint-Victor-Montvianeix, Chambon-Sur-Lac, Auzelles, Saint-Flour.

For the broader travel guide: Puy-De-Dôme.