Allos Lake (Lac d’Allos), 2-day hike in the Mercantour National Park

Fabrice, an UIMLA-certified Mountain Leader, takes you on a 2-day hike to the Allos Lake (Lac d'Allos), in the heart of the Mercantour National Park, near the French Riviera.

Private

Alps

2 Days

Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

Occasional

All Levels

Highlights

* Discover the the biggest alpine lake in Europe!

* Enjoy the view of amazing landscapes with lakes and impressive high peaks

* Hike along an area with abundant alpine fauna, like chamois and Ibex

Description

Hike to the biggest lake in the Alps! The Allos Lake is considered the biggest natural alpine lake in Europe. It is about 3 kilometers long (2 miles).

This beautiful lake is situated in the Mercantour National Park, in the southern French Alps. It is about 3 hours drive from the French Riviera, Nice, Cannes and Monaco.

On the first day, we can enjoy a very nice easy day hike to reach the lake and go all around it to enjoy the views. It is a great hike for families or for easy going outdoorlovers.

For sporty people, it is possible to get much higher to enjoy amazing views. This is one of the most scenic hikes in the southern Alps region! I propose you to visit three other lakes, enjoying great views!This option involves a 700-meter ascent and a 5-hour hike**.**

On the second day we can hike to another lake as an easy option. The area has a very abundant fauna, with species of chamois and many Ibex (mountain goats), marmots, birds of prey and many other alpine animals.

Many options are available for sportier hikers (intermediate to sunstained level). You could even get to the highest peak in the area, at 3000 meters (9000 feet) to enjoy the largest view over the southern French Alps.

An alpine cabin is available right by the lake or you may enjoy a little hotel or a nice alpine refuge in a very scenic valley in the well preserved Mercantour National Park. It is worth it to spend few days in this area, so you may also enjoy a 2-day or 3-day program here.

If you want to join me on this 2-day hike in the Allos Lake, just send me a request and book your trip. If you don’t have much time, it is also possible to join me on a 1-day hike in the Allos Lake.

Many other hikes are possible in the Mercantour National Park, in the Valley of Marvels or in the Vésubie Valley. Also, check our 3-day programs in the northern French Alps in Mont Blanc and Vanoise.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

Price details

Price per person for groups from 8 to 10 people: 80 EUR / Price per person for groups from 11 to 12 people: 65 EUR / Picnic on the first day can be provided by an extra cost of 12 EUR / The price does not include meals and lodging (also for the guide, 40 €).

About the guide

Fabrice

4.94

(18)

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

Request more information

What people are saying about Fabrice

Ava

5.00

We loved our hike with Fabrice! My family and I had the best time and he was so knowledgeable on the area we were hiking with regards to the history and flora/fauna. Afterwards he even took us through a beautiful town and local winery. This experience was the highlight of our trip in France!

5.00

We had an amazing trip, we wanted to explore the Mercantour region, reconnect with nature, and spend quality time as a couple. Fabrice understood the brief, was clear in his guidelines to prepare the trip, proposed different options, and, ultimately, adapted the hikes on a day to day basis based on the weather. For example, instead of having us hike all day in the mountains in pouring rain on the first day, he adapted the program and took us for a hike all around Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat along the riviera coast. The hikes were stunning, especially at this time of the year (fall) with amazing lights and colors. We highly recommend Fabrice as a guide, he is very knowledgeable on the fauna&flora, local history, on wolves. He also initiated us to some key principles of Nordic walking and mindful walking. Thanks Explore & Share team for connecting us. We definitely will do it again and recommend to friends.

Sue

5.00

Fabrice is a first-class guide! Taking into account last-minute weather changes and after assessing our fitness, he quickly customised an exciting itinerary that led us from the Préalpes to the beautiful hilltop villages of Gourdon, Tourettes-sur-Loup and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. He pointed out great photo opportunities, so we managed to take plenty of nicely-framed photos on our smartphones. Fabrice also introduced us to the game of pétanque and thanks to him, we were able to understand and appreciate the games as they were being played by the locals during our trip.

Daniel

5.00

Fabrice was a wonderful guide with a wide knowledge of not only the history of the area but the flora and fauna of the French Mediterranean coast. The hike provided beautiful views of the cities along the coast as well as the mountains behind them. Highly recommend both the hike and the guide.

Angie

5.00

Thanks again, it was one of our favourite moments from the holiday!