Parc National du Mercantour

A Preserved Environment

A Sanctuary for Biodiversity

From olive trees to snow-capped peaks, the Parc National du Mercantour hosts a fauna and flora of a rare wealth and variety, even on a global scale. Since its creation in 1979, the park has been committed to re-introducing rare or endangered species in a natural way. You can watch gypaetes barbus (vultures), have an unforgettable encounter with wolves at Parc Alpha, or admire more than 2,000 species of plants – including 40 species which do not exist anywhere else in the world.

Official site of the Mercantour

A Vast Historic and Cultural Heritage

With Real Architectural Treasures

It was in the Vallée des Merveilles that early men, from the Bronze Age, left their indelible mark: once religiously significant pictograms which now astonish hikers. The Parc National du Mercantour also houses magnificent villages. Take a break in Tende, formerly a market town on the salt road, and let yourself be transported by its Italian-influenced mediaeval architecture. Or enjoy the charm of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, the little capital of the « Switzerland of Nice » with its Alpine houses.