Mercantour Natural Park

Although the Mercantour has gained a certain notoriety due to the return of the white wolf to its mountains, it offers a natural space of great diversity, with plains, plateaus and mountains, just a few kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea.With the summit of Gélas, the highest peak in the Mercantour at over 3100m, its six valleys and majestic mountain ranges, the national park offers a grandiose mountain landscape filled with breathtaking sites such as Lake d'Allos, the largest natural high-altitude lake in Europe, or the Authion massif and its numerous fortifications.

The Vallée des Merveilles (Valley of Wonders ) is aptly named, since it alone justifies a trip to the Mercantour Park, with its 40,000 engravings dating back to prehistoric times. A major archaeological site, the Vallée des Merveilles is nonetheless a breathtaking landscape, whose mysteries are still being unraveled by leading specialists. There are also many typical villages nestling in the valleys, such as Colmars-les-Alpes and Roubion, where architecture, tradition and gastronomy have been preserved.

Suitable for all mountain activities, summer and winter alike, whether Hiking,mountaineering, Cross-country skiing or wildlife observation, the Mercantour National Park is a territory with a thousand facets, now on its way to becoming, with its Italian counterpart, a European park.