Hello everyone ☃️!
As winter approaches, the allure of mountain destinations grows stronger, don’t you think?
Pretty snow-covered landscapes ❄️, the comforting hearth of a chalet 🔥, the wild beauty of wildlife at altitude 🏔🦬 …all this makes you want to?
Then this article is for you! Here’s an ideal destination for a family day or weekend less than 1 hour from Vence and Tourrettes sur Loup: the Monts d’Azur biological reserve.
In the following paragraphs, I’ll introduce you to this incredible place and to our past experience!
The Monts d’Azur Biological Reserve
The Réserve des Monts d’Azur is an organic wildlife park located in the village of Thorenc, about 45 minutes from Vence and Tourrettes sur Loup.
To reach your destination, you’ll have to head for the resort of Gréolières and “climb” to an altitude of 1,200 metres 🏔 ! Rest assured, the road is of good quality, but make sure you have the right tires on your car in winter.
There are two possible routes to the Reserve:
-If you’re from Tourrettes sur Loup, you’ll probably have to head for Pont du Loup and then Courmes. This is the route we took.
-If you’re from Vence, your GPS will probably prefer the road to Coursegoules (la route du col de Vence).
The Réserve des Monts d’Azur covers 700 hectares of wilderness, and offers you the chance to see exceptional flora and fauna in both summer and winter.
During your visit, you’ll be able to see bison, deer, wild boar, Przewalski’s horses (the last representatives of wild horses) and chamois 🤩.
The park’s project is both ecological and economic 🌿: to reintroduce European species and in particular large herbivores to revive the ecosystem while creating a dynamic place for sustainable tourism. A challenge that has been met, as the Reserve will soon be celebrating its 20th anniversary!
To observe the wildlife 🦬 you’ll need to book one of the safaris offered by the Reserve. We had opted for the carriage safari during December 2022, I’ll tell you all about it right after!
If you’d like to enjoy the park for several days, you can also stay in the Reserve. There are 3 types of accommodation: the ecolodges (available from May to October), the Petit Manoir rooms and the bioclimatic villa.
Finally, whether you’re a visitor or a resident, you can take a seat in the park’s restaurant for lunch or dinner in the heart of the Reserve 😋.
Please note: The annual closure of the Reserve takes place every year during the month of November.
Our experience in the Monts d’Azur Reserve
We went to the Monts d’Azur Reserve on Sunday, December 18, 2022. We had booked a late-morning carriage safari 🐴.
As already specified in the previous paragraph, from Tourrettes sur Loup, it will take you less than an hour to reach your destination. That’s really convenient 😉 !
On arrival, we were able to discover the pretty landscape around us, the park is huge and, like all high-altitude destinations at this time of year, the change of scenery is total.
There are wooden games and information panels at the entrance to the reserve to keep the children occupied. Nino had a great time there before our safari.
When it came time for our ride, we were invited by the guides to climb aboard and take a seat in a large carriage pulled by two draft horses 😊.
Then it was off to the safari!
I’ll leave you to discover the selection of photos below; we had plenty to see! In particular, we saw bison, Przewalski’s horses, deer and hinds. It was really great to observe these wild animals living in harmony and total freedom 🤩.
Some details about our walk 🤓:
-The carriage safari lasts 75 minutes; you choose your departure time on the booking site.
-The carriage is pulled by two draft horses and can accommodate up to 8 people.
-One or two naturalist guides drive the carriage and lead the safari.
-Blankets are provided to keep you warm during the ride 😉.
Note: When the snow is sufficiently abundant, the carriage safari turns into a sleigh safari 🛷❄️! It must be magical; I hope we can try the experience soon!
We had chosen to extend this moment of discovery with a lunch in the Reserve restaurant. The place is warm 😊 and offers a menu with seasonal products; it was perfect to end our getaway!
Does a trip to the Monts d’Azur reserve tempt you? If so, know that the Reserve reopens its doors on December 2, 2023 but that you can already book your safaris or overnight stays on the website.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful place as much as we do 😊!
See you soon !
Julie
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