Discover the mimosas in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Half-day hike near Cannes

Join Fabrice, a certified and local mountain guide, for a fun and scenic day exploring the renowned mimosa forests near Mandelieu-la-Napoule, in southern France, at the peak of their bloom.

Private

1/2 Day

Feb

Intermediate

Highlights

* Explore one of the biggest mimosa forests worldwide.

* Enjoy colourful Mediterranean landscape and sea views.

* Take advantage of one of the best winter hikes in France.

Description

In the forests around Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, mimosa flowers from January to March offer a spectacle of colours and unforgettable scents!

Originating in Australia, mimosa was introduced to Europe in the middle of the 19th century. It thrived on the Côte d’Azur due to the warm climate.

The ‘mimosistes’ (mimosa growers) multiplied in the region, in Mandelieu and the Tanneron Moutains. Markets developed and wagons full of mimosa left La Napoule station every day for the north of France and abroad.

Having thus participated in the development of the local economy, mimosa is celebrated every year by the inhabitants of Mandelieu-la Napoule. Officially celebrated for the first time in 1931, the Mimosa Festival has since been a great success.

The Tanneron Mountains are covered with mimosa plantation and we will wander in mimosa forests as we enjoy lovely sea views. We may also have the chance to admire the snowy alpine mountains of Mercantour Nal park.

Your guide, who is also an expert of botany, will also tell you many local stories.

There are two options for the hike. I offer a full-day option that lasts for four hours, starting near Mandelieu. We will be able to take an easy or intermediate route, depending on your preferences.

I also offer a half-day hike that lasts between two and three hours. On this hike, we will take an easy route.

So what are you waiting for? Book now for a fun and scenic half-day of hiking through the stunningly beautiful mimosa forests of southern France!

If you like the look of this trip then I think you will also enjoy my full-day seashore hike along Ramatuelle and Saint Tropez! You can also take a look at my hike in Cap Roux, Esterel.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Drinks

Price details

Price for 8 to 10 people: €22/person

Price for 11 to 12 people: €20/person

Details

More info

Check List: Walking shoes or boots. Breathable Jacket Micro fleece and mountain tee shirts, if possible avoid cotton tee-shirts. Cap. Water bottle (1 liter/person). Sun protection, eye protection.

Meeting point

Mandelieu near Cannes

About the guide

Fabrice

4.90

(39)

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

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What people are saying about Fabrice

Mark

5.00

Highly recommend hiring Fabrice as your guide for exploring southern France. As someone unfamiliar with the region, I wasn't up to the task of planning a hike on my own. Particularly a hike in the winter. Fabrice made it all easy. He is incredibly knowledgeable of the region's geography and weather and so was able to tailor a hike just based on the next day's weather forecast. A critical skill for hiking in December. I learned about the natural landscape, vegetation and even how to hike with less stress on my knees. He also taught me about Nordic hiking which is something I definitely want to try again. For sure, I'll be hiring Fabrice again on my next trip to France.

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.

5.00

The trip was great! Fabrice was a wonderful guide and I’m contemplating further trips with him and explore share.

5.00

We spent a day hiking with guide Fabrice in Mecantaur Park. It was a great hike with different levels of difficulty. We rested at the lake at around 2000 meters and then made our way to the mountain pass high above. We were rewarded with a lot of wildlife sightings and even a patch of snow in August. Patrice was great and gave us a lot of information about the area and the flora and fauna. He was also great at pointing out historical events that took place in the area in the past.