Mercantour National Park
Mercantour is a national park founded in 1979 and is the youngest of the ten currently existing national parks in France. Its area is 685 km2 and extends through the territory of two departments – Seaside Alps and Alps of the Upper Provence. The nearest major city – Nice, From the south side to the park adjoins the 1955 Seaside Alps - a natural park in Italy. Between the borders outlined on one side by the Tanda Gorge, and on the other – the Yubey River Valley, six more rivers flow: Roya, Bevera, Vezubi, Tine, Var ( its upper current with the influx of Syan ) and Verdon.
Mercantur Park is a unique natural and historical heritage of mankind. In a relatively small area of the territory, unique natural wealth is concentrated, the protection and preservation of which is the first most important task. The second is informing tourists and guests of the park who are interested in nature and history. Visitors are offered a free selection of hiking trails, various in complexity, length and purpose. One thing is certain: each of the routes is even more interesting and exciting, so much so that you want to come back here again and again. And the ability to bring a guide-translator with you provides access to « Treasures of Mercantura » people of different ages and physical fitness. The total length of all hiking trails is more than 600 km.
In Mercantura, 465 peaks of mountains with a height of more than 2000m, six mountains above 3000m – paradise not only for the diversity of nature, but also for lovers of mountain tourism and its associated extreme types of recreation. The highest – Mount Deslá, its height is 3143 meters above sea level. The combination of various factors influenced the environmental component of the reserve. A kind of single complex of fauna and flora has formed, allowing both animals and plants to actively migrate, develop, forming their most amazing combinations.
The fauna of Mercantur Park is most widely represented by bitches, badgers, chamois, deer, roe deer, ermines, wild boars, mountain goats and hares. At the tops of the trees and in the sky you can observe vultures, golden eagles, falcons, in large numbers – partridges. For all animals, the nature of the reserve is ideal for development and existence.
Raisins – Alennine Wolf Reserve, which is located near the village of Saint-Martin-Wesubi. The plant world is represented by more than two thousand species of plants. Here, half of the richest plant world of all of France is gathered, and 220 rare plus 40 especially rare species are protected by the state. Among them are orchids, violet, edelweiss, geraniums, tulips and others. A stone-breaking stone, which has become a kind of hallmark of the Mercantur reserve, is very popular. Beautiful trees, oaks, spruce, larch, cedars, Swiss pine trees and olive trees - their combination just shakes the look. Especially beautiful nature appears before the guests of the park in spring and early summer, but Merkantur Park looks just as majestic and charming in winter.
It is not easy to distinguish from more than fifty paved routes for hiking on the Mercantur Nature Reserve something special. Any of the selected areas will become for visitors both a discovery and a pleasure, an occasion to be surprised and enthusiastic at every turn. Of particular note is the Fontanalba Valley of Miracles – which became a historical monument at the end of the 20th century. The landscape of the valley was formed under the influence of glaciers, covered, it seems, with an infinite number of lakes of the most beautiful and diverse shape. Researchers here found many traces of a person’s stay in the form of signs on the rocks.
The mountain « Bego » is also completely covered with signs and petroglyphs - various drawings on the stone of ancient times. The Valley of Miracles and the Fontanabl Valley are fanned by a certain halo of mysticism. It is believed that here ancient people conducted communication with then gods and spirits. Scientists counted more than 40 thousand such drawings only in these two historical places.
Mercantur National Park is developing year by year. The last figure - 80,000 visitors per year shows how interesting it is for people to spend time here. For a wide variety of categories of citizens, you can choose your own way of communicating with nature. Among them are hiking, cycling, horse riding. For lovers of extreme relaxation – several interesting sports mountaineering routes, specially complicated in some places to achieve the desired effect. New-fashioned hobby – canyoning - implies overcoming gorges of various complexity, as well as passing water-calculated areas of the area. The park is unique and magnificent. Everyone in it will be able to find a place for a good rest, active, full of impressions and knowledge!
