walking & adventure holidays

New Year in the Alpes Maritimes

Get away from the festive hype this year and join us here for some super days out in the hills coupled with a warm welcome and food that will make your mouth water even after you've returned.

This year, we're offering a fantasic all inclusive seven day winter walking and snowshoeing holiday over the week. The Mercantour National Park encompasses most of the Alpes-Maritimes, boasting breathtaking unspoilt alpine countryside. Join us in off the beaten track walks and snowshoe treks surrounded by majestic peaks rising to over 3100 metres against clear blue skies – see for miles in this stunning corner of South East France, where tranquility is guaranteed, and other humans are a rarity on our days out.

Centered in and around the Vésubie valley, and Valdeblore, the locality offers several destinations for starting circular walks which are just a half an hour drive from your accommodation.

In the valley of La Madone de Fenestre, which lies on the old salt trading route between the French coast and the Piedmont plain, you can snow shoe from the mountain refuge at the Madone Sanctuary over the Baisse de Cinq Lacs and around the impressive bowl of the Lacs des Prals, in the shadow of the Cime de Gelas – the highest peak in the Mercantour.

Trek over the Col de Salese and visit the village of Mollières – totally cut off from motorised transport during the winter months; or snow shoe over Camp Soubrane to Lac Negre, spotting various animal tracks in the snow, including those of wolves, now once again flourishing in the area.

Visit the old town of Utelle, with its sanctuary at the Madone d’Utelle, and enjoy its obvious relationship to Templar activity during medieval times.

Walk the GR5 over the Brec d’Utelle with fantastic views of the length and breadth of the Alpes Maritimes.

Testimonials

It's hard to say what was the best as it really was non-stop and all wonderful. Great Activities! Great Adventures! Great Company! Great Food - It was just GREAT!!! Dan Spence - Parc Sans Frontieres +, August 2007.

Season

Winter only

Departures to date

2011 - Dec 31 to Jan 7 - for a different date span, contact us.

Pricing

Standard weekly package :

Chambre d'Hôte full board - £680

Gîte based full board- £560

contact us to discuss our more flexible options. Read about our flexible way of working.   How to book...

Walking Grades

grade

Your Accommodation

Gîte

Enjoy the beautifully secluded situation of La Zourcière in the small hamlet of Berthemont les Bains in the Vésubie valley. The gîte sits on the ground floor of the house and is fully self contained. There are shops about 10 minutes drive from the hamlet, and an organic farm just 200m down the road from the house. Follow this link for more details.

Hotel or Chambre d'Hôte

Le Chalet or La Bonne Auberge are situated in the town of St Martin Vésubie, a thriving small community that has been the centre of life in the valley since the 12th century. There are plenty of local shops and restaurants to choose from, and the Bonne Auberge has its own restaurant.
Le Grand Chalet is a homely chambre d'hôte run by Christine and Luc and is situated overlooking the small village of St Dalmas Valdeblore. A good week of outdoor activity is well fuelled by Christine's great cooking, crafted from home made (mainly organic and local) ingredients. Vegetarians are welcomed.

Other accommodation options can be found here

What's included

8 day trip, 7 nights accommodation, including breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal.

Hotel/Chambre d'Hôte full board : All meals, inclusive of packed lunches. The evening meal consists of an apéritif, five courses with carafe wine, coffee and digestif. Special New Year's Eve Dinner inclusive. Transport to and from all venues. To and from Nice airport.

Gîte Based : Self catering with a twist, with two evening meals cooked for you. We provide you with all your food and wine for the week, all inclusive, you just have to assemble it! Transport to and from all venues. To and from Nice airport.

Activities : Six days guided walking/snow shoeing with a qualified International Mountain Leader. Snow shoes, not poles.

Itinerary

• Day 1 Pick up in Nice, and transfer to Le Grand Chalet, Valdeblore (chambre d'hote full board), or la Zourciere, Berthemont les Bains (gîte based full board).
• Day 2 New Year's Eve - Madone d'Utelle - a circuit that starts in the medieval village of Utelle, and climbs up to the Sanctuary offering fantatsic views of the length and breadth of the Mercantour National Park. New Year's Eve Dinner.
• Day 3 New Year's Day - Snow shoe up to Pic Colmiane, and then follow forest tracks directly back to le Grand Chalet, via St Dalmas Valdeblore.
• Day 4 A visit to Le Boreon and snow shoe up to Col Salese, and Les Adus - a day in the heart of the mountains of the Mercantour, chamois, ibex, deer and even wild wolf tracks.
• Day 5 We visit the Col de Turini, and the old Napoleonic forts at Authion, where we can mix a day walking and snowshoeing. On clear days the mountains of Corsica are visible on the horizon.
• Day 6 Snow shoe through the forest tracks that lead up to the refuge at Madone de Fenestre, then spend time in this magnificent cirque before descending via a different route.
• Day 7 We return to Le Boréon, and walk/snowshoe up to the refuge at La Cougourde, and if conditions are good climb up to Lac Trecolpas.
• Day 8 Depart from Valdeblore or Berthemont for transfer back to Nice airport.

Suitable for

Your welfare & protection

As a small enterprise, it's very important to us that our guests are professionally looked after during their stay with us.
Your protection : our operational base is in France, and our company in France is registered as a tour operator (habilitation touristique) and holds business failure cover and public liability cover.
Your welfare : all our activities are led by fully qualified local Mountain Guides and International Mountain Leaders (Accompagnateurs), thus ensuring that you receive not only top professional care, but that you will also benefit from their in-depth local knowledge of the regions that we operate in.