Mercantour National Park, France, Guided Hiking Lakes Adventure
Join UIMLA certified guide Fabrice on a full day of exciting hiking in the beautiful Mercantour National Park in France, and admire the gorgeous Vesubie valley.
Alps
+1 Days
Jun - Oct
High
Intermediate
Description
There are 10 national parks throughout France. And on these day trips, I would like to take you hiking through one of them, the Mercantour national park.
The Mercantour national park is located only an hour and a half drive from the French Riviera. The Riviera is home to some amazing places including Nice, Cannes and Monte Carlo.
With an area of over 100 square kilometers, there is an abundance of beautiful natural scenery and landscapes to see within the enormous park, including the Vesubie valley, which is where we’ll be hiking through. The Vesubie valley is full of gorgeous lakes, including the Trecolpas lake. This sparkling body of water is absolutely stunning and well worth the visit.
Along with the lakes, you will also get to see several magnificent peaks, meadows, and forests. There is also a lot of wildlife that you may get to spot as well, including chamois!
I also offer the option to visit the Wolf park after the hike as well, which will take an additional one and a half hours.
We will be trekking at a comfortable pace. Hence giving you every opportunity to see as much of the park’s beauty as possible. However, because we will be hiking throughout the day, you should be in good physical condition.
If you would like to see and explore some of the natural beauty of France, you can’t do much better than the Mercantour national park. To join me, all you have to do is send me a request. I look forward to hearing from you.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Price details
- There is the option to have a picnic lunch as well for an additional 10 Euros per person.
- Note: on the 11/07/2020 open group date, we will go to Grand Capelet.
Details
More info
Participants should bring good hiking shoes, warm clothing, sun screen, and sun glasses.
Meeting point
FAQs
What is the timing of the day? For how long are we going to hike?
We usually start hiking from Saint-Martin-Vésubie around 10am, and we finish around 4pm. We’ll do a break of one hour and several short stops on the way.
If you are based in Nice, you should leave around 8am, and you’ll be back around 6pm.
Where is the meeting point?
We’ll meet at the parking of the "Vesubia Park" in Saint-Martin-Vésubie (1 hour 20 min drive from Nice).
Do I need to bring food with me?
Take a picnic with you and water.
Can you organize transportation from Nice, Villefrance, Monaco or Antibes to the starting point of the hike and back?
I can help you organize the transportation from Nice, Villefrance, Monaco and Antibes, to the starting point of the hike (Saint-Martin-Vésubie) and back.
What equipment should I take with me?
Please have with you the following
- good hiking shoes, protecting the ankles
- warm clothes appropriate for a hiking tour
- sunscreen
- sunglasses
- food and water
Do you organize other hiking tours in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes departments?
I organize other hiking tours in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes departments, around:
- Peille (Baudon Peak)
- Eze and la Turbie
- Saorge (French Riviera)
- Cap Roux (Esterel)
- Vence
- Caussols & Gourdon
- Les Calanques (En Vau, Port Miou, Port Pin)
- Sainte-Baume
- Ramatuelle & Saint-Tropez
- Mandelieu-la-Napoule
- Sainte-Victoire
- Utelle
You’ll find all the details here https://www.explore-share.com/mountain-guide/fabrice-morel/
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
About the guide
Fabrice
4.9
(50)
Mountain Leader
I am a hiking guide (International Mountain Leader) who has been working all over France (including Provence and the Alps), Italy and Portugal since 2001. I speak fluent English due to my frequent trips to Taos Ski Valley (in New Mexico, USA where my family runs a great hotel and ski school), and my hiking trips in the American Southwest.
I live mainly in Nice (French Riviera), but I also move all over the Alps working in different alpine valleys. I often visit Martinique (French Caribbean island), where I enjoy rainforest and tropical hikes.
When I´m not guiding, I also work as a photographer, and like to climb, ski, play tennis, or kitesurf in my spare time. Additionally, I really enjoy botany and history.
I can guide you for a half day or for as many days as you like. I´ll take you to discover my favourite French Riviera alpine region, and the wild and large Mercantour National Park (counting 8 different valleys) near Nice, Monte Carlo and Cannes.
In my region we can enjoy the Mediterranean landscape at sea level. As we move into higher altitudes, we will discover alpine lakes, larch or pine forests, orchids and alpine flowers, open meadows, spectacular medieval perched villages and old baroque chapels and churches, with great historic value.
We can also discover the hiking hotspots in Provence such as Calanques National Park, Verdon gorges, Sainte Victoire and the Var region, with Saint Tropez a particular highlight.
I also love to hike in Italy in the very famous world heritage Cinque Terre (the amazing national park of the "Five Lands"), or in Liguria near San Remo.
And finally, I always enjoy taking my guests to the northern Alps: to Chamonix and Mont Blanc´s amazingly large panoramas or to the great Vanoise National Park, the largest in the heart of French Alps.
Languages
French | English
Certificates
UIMLA
What people are saying about this trip
Julie
Great experience ! Beautiful view !
Mark
Great hike. Great guide.
Ashley
The trip was great! Fabrice was a wonderful guide and I’m contemplating further trips with him and explore share.
Liam
Superbe randonnée au lac de Fenestre. Le guide Fabrice connaît vraiment bien son sujet, le parc du Mercantour, qu’il commente bien, et la randonnée en général. Il su très bien s’adapter à mon niveau (très moyen). Je recommande vivement !
Elias
Had a wonderful hike with Fabrice as our hiking guide. Highly recommend! If you are from the East Coast of the U.S., recommend going one skill level down from what you think is the right fit for you, since the elevation/altitude of the Alps makes the hike harder than you are likely used to (less oxygen in the air). I did the "moderate plus" thinking it would be easy for me--it was a serious workout! :)
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