Mercantour National Park 6-day hiking trip
Explore France’s wonderful national park of Mercantour with UIMLA-certified leader Chantal on a 6-day hiking trip.
Group
6 Days
Jun - Sep
High
Intermediate
Description
Discover the rich heritage and beauty of France’s Valley of Wonders that lie in the heart of the Mercantour National Park.
Through the alpine meadows, larch forests, lively wildlife and flora, we’ll discover pure natural beauty while hiking.
The park is also home to the marvellous engravings carved out of the rocks that date back to the Bronze Age. With some 37,000 engravings, representing a range of figures such as cattle and weapons, it is the largest site in Europe of rock engravings.
As we pass the landscape, the whistles of marmots will catch our ear, while we observe wild ibex and chamois. And glimpsing upwards we’ll see buzzards and golden eagles.
The cultural hike will take us past Lac des Mesches as well as the deep history of mining on the Bego massif, which was also a sacred site for the Liguri tribe.
As we cross the route towards Valmasque, stunning landscapes of the valley appear, as well as lovely tranquil lakes.
We’ll continue to roll with the valleys, ascending and descending, all the while in the company of the regions lush flora. Holm oak, olive trees, firs Swiss pines and larches populate the valleys.
Get in touch now to reserve your place among the naturally rich natural park of Mercantour for an adventurous 6-day hiking trip.
Price includes
- Accommodation included
- Guiding fee
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Luggage transfer
Itinerary
Day 1: Tende - The Mesches
We leave the valley of Roya for the valley of Minière which marks the entrance of the famous Valley of the Wonders. The Chemin de Valaire leads us to Lac des Mesches. We will discuss the history of the first hydropower productions of Italy from the beginning of the century and the very ancient history of mining on the Bego massif.
Day 2: Traverse from the Valley of Merveilles to the Valmasque Valley
The Valley of Merveilles (Valley of Wonders) is a real open-air museum. We leave for 3 days and 2 nights for the exceptional scenery. Many lakes, high peaks, and rock engravings of more than 3,500 years. It offers memories of the first Mediterranean civilizations. It is a pleasure of the eyes with contrasts of colors, lovely flora and a rich and present fauna.
Day 3: Ascent to Mont Bego and then to the refuge of Valmasque
Depending on the weather, we can go back and forth on one of the mythical summits of Mont Bego (2,872 m). This place exudes a special atmosphere. We then make the crossing to the refuge of Valmasque: this route is one of the most beautiful of the Valley of the Merveilles with the discovery of many lakes and present fauna.
Day 4: Sabion Collar crossing
After a short descent we will discover some vestiges of the region’s military history. Then we take the small path that leads to the Sabion, which has recently been debated by the Mercantour Park who wanted to give back wild areas to wildlife and limit tourism. Only a few professionals venture into this valley of exceptional beauty. This site is privileged for the panorama of the Mercantour Park and its Italian twin, the Alpi-Maritime Park.
Day 5: Cross the Valley of Fontanalbe by the Cime de Chanvrairee
We return to the altitude to discover the valley of Valmasque, a true sanctuary for fauna. It is at the edge of the Green Lake that we discover the site of the engravings. We cross the Baisse de Vallauretta to climb the Cime (optional) where the chamois and ibex frequent. Then back to the pass and a nice descent to the valley of the mine where we stayed the first night.
Day 6: Hike between two passes
We complete this tour with an exceptional hike between two uncrowded passes. This wild path is not marked and offers unique panoramas. From the Pas de la Nauque (2,130 m) a short descent takes us back to the cottage before reaching the parking lot at Lake Meshes for a transfer to Tende station.
About the guide
Chantal
Mountain Leader
I am the director of a trekking agency based in the Queyras Regional Park and specialized in guided and self-guided walking, snowshoeing and cycling trips in the southern alps.
I created my agency with 3 other mountain leaders 20 years ago. Who in the present work with me, and we as a team, take care of all the trips.
Please get in touch with me, if you want us to organise you a great trip in the Alps !
Languages
French | English
Certificates
SNAM | UIMLA
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.
Joshua
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
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