Valley of Marvels hiking day tour, Mercantour National Park

Valley of Wonders hiking tour. Mercantour National Park

Discover the stunning alpine scenery of the Valley of Marvels (Vallée des Merveilles), a famous archaelogical site in the the Mercantour National Park, along an IFMGA-certified guide.

Private

Alps

1 Day

Jun - Oct

Intermediate

Highlights

* Discover amazing alpine landscapes next to the French Riviera

* Visit one of the most famous archeological areas in the Alps

* Enjoy the view of beautiful alpine wildlife and flowers

Description

The Valley of Marvels, or Vallée des Merveilles, is a famous alpine place to visit in the southern Alps in France. Located in the Mercantour National Park, it gathers some of the most beautiful landscapes and it is a very important archeological site at the same time.

The Valley of Wonders is situated in the southern french Alps, near Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and the beautiful French Riviera. The Fontanalbe area is the easiest way to get to the Vallée des Merveilles, located at about 2100 meters above sea level (around 7000 feet).

Here we find one of the largest amount of open-air Copper and Bronze Age petroglyphs in Europe, a great evidence of the first human being presence in the Alps. Many great lakes, alpine meadows, colorful rocks, and high peaks compose an impressive alpine landscape you will enjoy.

Moroever, as the Valley of Marvels is a highly protected area -only a certified guide can take you there- there is a great chance to observe typical wildlife of this area, as chamois (or shammy), ibex, marmotts and other alpine animals.

We usually meet at Saint Dalmas de Tende and our hiking tour starts in Casterino. You can see how to get there on our “Meeting Point” box below. Also please note this can be an easy or an intermediate level hiking tour.

Send me a request if you’d like to join us on this wonderful hiking tour in the Mercantour National Park. You could also discover the Valley of Marvels with a 2-day hiking tour. We can also propose 3 to 5- day hiking excursions in this beautiful valley.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

Price details

Picnic is not included in the price. It can be provided by additional 10 EUR per person.

Details

More info

PRICE PER PERSON Group of 8 to 10 people: 30 EUR Group of 11 to 12 people: 25 EUR

CHECK LIST. Good walking boots-Breathable Jacket and rain vest (It can be hot and cold in the same day in the high altitude mountains)- Micro fleece and mountain tee shirts (if possible avoid cotton tee-shirts)- Cap- Water bottle (1 liter/pers)- Sun protection- Sunglasses -Walking sticks if you need (for the petroglyph area)- 2 pairs of walking sticks can be provided.

Meeting point

We usually meet in Saint Dalmas de Tende. Our hiking tour starts in Casterino. HOW TO GET THERE: -You can drive from Nice and from the French Riviera to Saint Dalmas de Tende. In the Roya Valley through Nice and Vintimiglia (Italy). -Train is available from Nice to Saint Dalmas de Tende. Then, we have a 30 min. drive to Casterino. -Nice is the closest airport. *If you wish, I can pick you up from a number of different places, from Nice or other places on the French Riviera. In this case, 40 to 60 EUR will be asked for transportation cost.

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 this trip

Liberty

5.00

Fabrice is an amazing guide! We would definitely recommend Fabrice for any hiking in the area. He was very knowledgeable and fun to talk with. We had such a good time, we hired him for a second hike while we were in the region.