Leisure activities
 Destination Merveilles
T.O. located on the French Riviera, spécialized in hiking trekking. Hiking trips on the wild coast from Menton to Saint-Raphaël, in the National Mercantour Park. Accomodation in hotel or hut. For individuals or groups, self guided tour or with a guide.
Contact and address :
10 rue des Mesures, 06270 Villeneuve-Loubet
Tel. : 04.93.73.09.07
http://www.destination-merveilles.com
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A hike in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Situated in the Mercantour National Park, the biggest open archeological site in Europe can be found at more than 2000 metres in height: 35000 carvings on rocks! In this outstanding mountain area, you will walk more or less depending on your interest for Prehistory. The more carvings you want to see, the more you have to climb! For the proposed route, seven hours are needed to go there and back.
You are advised to start the hike early in the morning. Park along the Mesches Lake, on the car park next to the electric factory.
1- Go down on the road up to reach a track on your right (route marked by the beacon b82, alt. 1400 m).
2- Go up on the wide track through the larch forest up to find the chapel. Continue straight ahead up to the crossing near the lake La Minière.
3- Turn twice to the left, on the track passing over the lake and going along the valley of La Minière (beacons 88 and 89).
4- At the beacon b89, take the right footpath and continue walking up the valley of Val d'Enfer up to find the wide track again.
5- The footpath joins the wide track at the beacon b90. From there, pass on the left side of the lake Saorgine, and continue on this easy way up to the south bank of the lake Long Supérieur des Merveilles, where you will find the Merveilles refuge (alt. 2120 m).
The descent is on the same route. You can however walk down on the wide track rather than to come back by the footpath of Val d'Enfer.
You can also go farther to visit the Vallée des Merveilles, above the lake Long Supérieur. In this matter, it is advised to be accompanied by a guide.
Information
General points
- Geographic situation. District : Tende
(department Alpes-Maritimes)
Road map with
 - Starting point : Car park of Mesches Lake, by the electric factory. Come by the road D91 from Saint-Dalmas-de-Tende.
- The length of the stroll is estimated at 7,6 Km and the walk duration is about 3 h 45 mn.
- The stroll is marked out all along
- Stroll form : linear
Remark about linear strolls : the duration of walk and the road-book are presented for one-way direction. Distance and time should be doubled when one goes and back.
- Stroll relief : mountainous (alt. mini = 1390 m ; alt. maxi = 2130 m)
- Maintenance : frequent (brushwood clearing at least annual)
- Exposure : open (a sun protection might be foreseen)
Special conditions-
In Mercantour National Park, dogs are not allowed. Specifially to the area of Vallée des Merveilles, hiking sticks should be put in backpack.
Noteworthy places
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La Vallée des Merveilles. The valley of Merveilles is a prestigious place that can be labelled as an open-air museum, where people expressed their faith or their needs by thousands of drawings on rocks. That happened 4000 years ago, at more than 2000 metres in height, in two different sites: the Merveilles valley and the Fontanalbe valley. These valleys are separated by Mont Bégo, a deified mountain which peaks at 2872 m, visible from a large distance, as it can even be distinguished from the coast. Herdsmen or chamanes notched stones, perhaps to realized an initiatory route. More than 4000 carvings, representing horned creatures, reticulate forms, anthropomorphes, weapons, or symbolic figures, constitute a bewitching enigma.
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Notre-Dame-des-Neiges. This XIth century chapel presents a primitive Romanesque style. You can note the squared gate tower with superimposed openings.
Maps
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IGN 3841 OT, Carto Exploreur 06 Nord.
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Download the waypoints file
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