Vallée des Merveilles 2-day guided hike

Vallée des Merveilles. Photo: Maarjaara (Flickr)

The Vallée des Merveilles, or Valley of Wonders, boasts the largest amount of open-air Copper and Bronze Age petroglyphs in Europe. Richard, an UIMLA Mountain Leader,takes you on this guided hiking tour in the Mercantour National Park.

2 Days

Jun - Oct

Description

If there is a place that fascinates both archeology enthusiasts and naturalists, it is the Vallée des Merveilles. The beautiful Valley of Wonders -its English name- is located in the heart of the Mercantour National Park, in the south of France, and it has the largest amount of open-air Copper and Bronze Age petroglyphs in Europe.

On rocks colored and polished by glaciers, we can see these enigmatic engravings, left by our ancestors about 4000 years ago. More than 35.000 of these enigmatic figures, symbols of the beginnings of a form of writing, mark smooth slabs in a grandiose setting. Here the chaos of rocks fractured by erosion contrasts with the silence of the place.

Many interpretations of these engravings have emerged in recent decades, and I will not fail to share them with you. I am authorized by the Mercantour National Park to guide you through this archaeological area classified as a Historic Monument.

The Vallée des Merveilles is also an exceptional place to observe wildlife. We can see marmots, chamois and ibex sharing the site while the shadow bearded vulture or golden eagle hover in the sky.

It is strongly recommended to make this hike on 2 days, with a half-board night at the refuge des Merveilles. This will allow you to soak up more of the magic of the place. I remain at your disposal for more details on a route in 2 days or more with a loop of 3 or 4 days. The altitude difference is 7oo meters.

You need to add a hiking distance of 2.30 hours and and altitude difference of 700 mto a guided tour of the site. Therefore it is strongly recommended to make this hike on 2 days, with a half-board night at the refuge des Merveilles. This will allow you to soak up more of the magic of the place. It is also possible to make a loop, doing it in 3 or 4 days.

If you want to visit this unique valley, send me a request. I will be happy to guide you on a great tour in the Vallée des Merveilles. If you are looking for more hiking options in France, you can check my profile page.

Price includes

Guiding fee

About the guide

Richard

5.0

(1)

Mountain Leader

Nature is for me a fabulous field of investigation . Colors, scents, sounds are always present and reveal us so many sensations.
My hometown is Nice on the French Riviera and I explore my region from the Mediterranean shores to the highest peaks of the Mercantour National Park. In the summer time on foot, and in the winter with snowshoeing.

I am looking forward to guiding you in my region, sharing the vision of chamois, marmots and ibexes, on the tracks of wolves, and with a golden eagle in the sky.

Languages

French | English

Certificates

UIMLA

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

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Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

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Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

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