The commune of Oô is the starting point for the emblematic hike from the lake of the same name to the Espingo and Portillon lakes. The Pic Perdiguère rises to 3,222m. It also boasts a fine signal tower dating from the 10th and 11th centuries.
Oô is situated at an altitude of almost 1,000 m, and its houses and barns still evoke the rural life of yesteryear, while of course benefiting from all modern comforts. Today, the people of Onésiens make their living mainly from tourism (Lac d’Oô is the second most visited site in the Pyrenees after Gavarnie), while agriculture and pastoralism play an important role in the lives of the mountain dwellers.
With a school, a nursery service (RPI Cazeaux-de-Larboust – Oô), school transport as well as a playground and sports fields, shops and services, and plenty of rental accommodation, Oô offers a pleasant and peaceful quality of life for residents and holidaymakers alike.
Oô, situated on the left bank of the river Neste d’Oô or One, is a charming little village and the gateway to the high valleys and peaks of which the Pic de Perdiguère at 3222m is the highest point in the Haute-Garonne. The concentration of peaks over 3000m in altitude makes it a must-see site in the Luchonnais Pyrenees.
The natural glacial lake has been dammed since 1921, making it an essential water reservoir for the hydro-electric power station based in Bagnères de Luchon. The site has also been listed as a French Heritage Site in the Grands Paysages category since May 1927. It covers 42 hectares and has a capacity of 13 hm3. The lake was originally called Lac de Séculejo until the 19th century, and the name Oô probably comes from a local form of Aragonese or Gascon “iu” or “èu”, meaning “mountain lake”. As for the name of the village’s inhabitants (onésiens and onésiennes), it probably comes from the name of the river l’One, which is a confluence of the Neste d’Oô that flows through the commune.
