Activity holiday in France
| country: | France |
| location: | Mercantour, French Alps |
| departures: | 2010: 10 Apr, 29 May, 10 Jul, 31 Jul, 21 Aug |
| price: | From £645 (8 days) excluding flights. 7 day family break from £560 |
| more info: | Holiday is also available as a 7 day family break from £560. Dates 31/7 - 21/8. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
check out similar holiday ideas...
introduction to Activity holiday in France
For adrenaline junkies we are pleased to offer a non stop adventure week. Try out some of the best Via Ferrata around, then test yourself with easy rock climbing. Swing high at the High Level Forest Adventure park, shoot down the fun summer luge, launch yourselves into cold water canyoning, test your nerves cross country biking, and take 2 days out for great walking and scrambling – staying over in a refuge.
The picturesque medieval town of St Martin Vésubie sits at the head of the Vésubie valley. It is a quintessential French mountain village nestling amongst steep pine clad slopes and overlooked by the towering peaks of Cime du Gelas and Caires de Cougourde – two of the highest points in the Mercantour Park.
It is the perfect base for exploring this central area of the park. During your stay with us, we will spend time on the boulders and rock faces of Valdeblore, and will be exploring some of the main valleys that converge onto the Vésubie for scrambling routes. The Vésubie valley itself has several deep gorges that run into it where well tried canyoning routes of various grades can be found.
On each evening, we will give a description of the following day’s activities, and the following is a short account of these. It is impossible to be precise about what will be selected on any particular day, because it is highly dependant on prevailing weather conditions. More often than not we can keep to our schedule because of the predominantly clement weather, however the mountains have a funny habit of surprising us from time to time.
All activities are lead by fully qualified mountain leader/specialist activity personnel. Accommodation is in comfortable self catering gite, B&B or hotel options. Weekend and short breaks also available. Activity content and length of stay can also be tailored to suit your requirements.
The picturesque medieval town of St Martin Vésubie sits at the head of the Vésubie valley. It is a quintessential French mountain village nestling amongst steep pine clad slopes and overlooked by the towering peaks of Cime du Gelas and Caires de Cougourde – two of the highest points in the Mercantour Park.
It is the perfect base for exploring this central area of the park. During your stay with us, we will spend time on the boulders and rock faces of Valdeblore, and will be exploring some of the main valleys that converge onto the Vésubie for scrambling routes. The Vésubie valley itself has several deep gorges that run into it where well tried canyoning routes of various grades can be found.
On each evening, we will give a description of the following day’s activities, and the following is a short account of these. It is impossible to be precise about what will be selected on any particular day, because it is highly dependant on prevailing weather conditions. More often than not we can keep to our schedule because of the predominantly clement weather, however the mountains have a funny habit of surprising us from time to time.
All activities are lead by fully qualified mountain leader/specialist activity personnel. Accommodation is in comfortable self catering gite, B&B or hotel options. Weekend and short breaks also available. Activity content and length of stay can also be tailored to suit your requirements.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Berthemont les Bains for gite accommodation, or pick up in Nice. |
| Day 2: | Mountain Bike day with Patricia. Start in the Valdeblore valley and climb over to Venanson, to end the day back in St Martin Vésubie. |
| Day 3: | Via Ferrata. Spend the day with Pierrot on one of the best VF’s in the district on Baus de la Frema, or for juniors, high level forest adventure and summer luge. |
| Day 4: | Walk up to the Haute Boréon, and scramble on the superb granite above the refuge to gain the upper reaches of the valley. Descend and stay at the Cougourde C.A.F. refuge. |
| Day 5: | Return from the Cougourde and relax for the rest of the day, or take in some of the many other options available (at own cost) |
| Day 6: | The site d’escalade Guy Dufour – a day climbing with Pierrot on good limestone slabs with great short routes of various grades. |
| Day 7: | La Bollène, the valley that leads up to the Col de Turini has one of the best moderately graded canyons in the area – water slides, abseils, water jumps. |
| Day 8: | Depart from Berthemont les Bains gite, or drop off in Nice. |
traveller reviews for Activity holiday in France
The boys loved cayonning - jumping off of cayons into pools; I loved horse riding American style through the mountains - it was fantastic & Liz was a terrific guide. We also climbed up to some glacial lakes with Mel - which was an incredible experience. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
 As permanent residents in the Mercantour, our business is fully integrated into the community in the Vésubie valley – using local qualified guides paid a living wage, and individually run hotels which ensures that all revenue generated is beneficial to the life of the area. In line with the published code of the National Park, our clients are encouraged to treat the region with respect and thus uphold the standards of conservation required in such a fragile area. We only work with qualified guides for all activities. These passionate locals create a genuine and rich experience for our visitors. They are paid the appropriate rate for professional guides. Our local accommodation partners are chosen for their warm welcome and a willingness to share their love for the region. In the longer term we will use abundant natural resources (wood and sunshine) for heat and light as well as providing alternative accommodation on our land. A project for three bases in the Alpes-Maritimes is underway. This would provide an inspiring holiday venue for young and old alike. Access for the handicapped would be included. We are planning to use pack animals so our guests can share their adventures with a faithful companion, and leave directly from Berthemont. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
check out similar holiday ideas...