Alpine Wolf tracking holiday, France

Description of Alpine Wolf tracking holiday, France

Enjoy an utterly thrilling wolf tracking holiday in France, where your visit encourages the conservation of these misunderstood animals in communities that have an uneasy relationship with a cunning and feared predator.

In the company of an experienced and highly knowledgeable mountain guide from the local area, join a small group of likeminded wildlife enthusiasts on a true wilderness adventure. Walking ‘off-piste’ through pristine landscapes in the Southern Alps, you’ll learn how to track wolves through their footprints and droppings.

The chances of actually seeing wolves is rare, though there are thought to be two packs and one solitary wolf in the area, but at night your heart will race as you hear their howling off in the distance. Your guide will teach you how to imitate their howls, and to get a response is an incredible feeling. Learn how to distinguish a wolf’s paw print from that of a dog, how to tell if it’s running or walking, and how the wolf has made a return to the French Alps after being driven to extinction here by the early 20th century,

Although wolves wisely keep their distance from humans as much as possible, you can be confident of seeing a fabulous range of wildlife as you walk through the undergrowth, across uneven, sometimes steep ground (walking poles and snowshoes can be provided). Golden eagles fly here, and there are chamois, deer, and wild boar. If you’re amazingly lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of an even rarer predator than the wolf – lynx are known to frequent this part of the Alps.

As you’ll be exploring a remote area, your accommodation will be comfortable, but basic. You’ll stay in a renovated old church, in an abandoned village – a more characterful or exclusive accommodation you would struggle to find. There is no electricity, and the dry toilet is outside. You’ll ‘camp out’ in sleeping bags, cook over a gas stove (all meals are included), and in the evenings you’ll play cards, read, or get to know the rest of the group by lamplight.

This is one of the most memorable wildlife tracking holidays in Europe, but it is much more than that. Historically, people in remote alpine communities where livestock farming is common have understandably treated the wolf with fear and suspicion. By demonstrating there is an appetite for wolf tourism, responsible holidays such as this help convince communities to protect their wolf population, rather than hunt them.

Check dates, prices & availability

Date

Price per adult

Basis

Status

 

02 Apr 2027

€867

excluding flights

Available

date

02 Apr 2027

price

€867

basis

excluding flights

status

Available