Vercors: trails between the Alps and Provence
€770
per person
A mountain idyll walking holiday in France’s biggest national park: The Vercors. A mountain fortress wedged in between the Alps and Provence, representing a large limestone plateau carved out by rivers, offering amazingly diversified wild scenery with deep gorges, white limestone cliffs, vertical walls & wide lush green valleys. Soak up authentic mountain village ambiance and savor local cheese & wine. A wonderful hiking tour in the pre-Alps, which is a very good choice for average walkers who wish to explore and enjoy this secret corner of France. You will also have the opportunity to mingle with locals on the markets in the villages where you stay: Lans en Vercors (small market on Tuesday & Saturday morning), Villard de Lans (big market on Friday morning in July & August only, small one Wednesday, Friday & Sunday morning), Chapelle en Vercors (Thursday morning all year round, Saturday morning from mid-June to mid-September). With a dense network of over 3,000 km of marked paths, everyone can find their own perfect walk in Vercors.
Level 2/3
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Destination
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Duration6 Days I Level: 2/3 (of 5)
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What is includedAccommodation in 2-3* hotels incl. breakfast (en-suite rooms); Luggage transfers; People transfers (Day 5 and Day 6); Roadbook (itinerary description in English and detailed walking maps, incl. access to GPS tracks of the trails; 1 set per booking); Emergency hotline
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What is not includedDrinks and other meals, public transportation, entry fees.
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Best periodMay, June, July, August, September, mid-October
FROM OUR GALLERY
Vercors self-guided hiking tours, France.
1
Day 1: Arrival in Lans en Vercors
Arrive and settle in your hotel for two nights in the traditional mountain village of Lans en Vercors, easily accessible by regular bus line (40 mins) from Grenoble.
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Day 2: Lans en Vercors - Gorges Bruyant - Lans en Vercors (12km; 4hrs; +390m/-390m)
As a starter you will head north along the valley of Lans en Vercors, which is considered the gateway to Vercors. Follow the Bruyant River all the way up to a vast plateau from where you will have stunning views over the Furon Gorges, which is a famous site for canyoning activities in summer. While walking you may see some wild orchids, which are locally abundant in some wet meadows in the beginning of summer. No wonder this site is protected because it shelters a very rich fauna and flora.
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Day 3: Lans en Vercors - Villard de Lans (13km; 4,30hrs; +600m/-600m)
A superb balcony trail, involving a section of the famous Gobert Path, expect you today. This is another hiking route offering a magnificent view of the surrounding area. Eventually you reach the small town of Villard de Lans, which nestles at the bottom of a wide valley, dominated to the East by the jagged peaks of Roc Cornafion, Gerbier and the Grande Moucherolle.
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Day 4: Villard de Lans - Le Col Vert - Villard de Lans (13-15km; 4-5hrs; +600-900m/-600-900m)
A well marked hiking trail leads you above the settlement, and takes you further past hamlets, open fields and woods. This is a really scenic route high above Villard de Lans which offers wide-sweeping views of the village and surrounding valleys. A last effort leads you up to the Col Vert Pass, complete with its bench fixed onto the rockface, where you've earned a well-deserved break facing an awe-inspiring panorama - the entire chain of the Alps - serrated teeth soaring into the sky and dotted with glaciers. Though the Vercors mountain range is not the highest within the Alps, it is set aside from the other chains, ensuring breathtaking views towards them from all angles. Now you are ready for the descent through prairies and past mountain huts, dreaming of the fondue dinner you can share in the heart of the village.
5
Day 5: Villard de Lans - Herbouilly - Saint Martin en Vercors - Chapelle en Vercors (16km; 5hrs; +550m/-850m)
Warning: this route is not recommended for people prone to vertigo (if you suffer from vertigo you can get transferred direct to Chapelle en Vercors and do the walk as proposed on Day 6)! Wide and easy farming tracks lead you through dense forest - among labyrinth of paths, rocks, spruce, fir, beech and mosses. There are many temping spots for a picnic along the way. You вилл reach the Herbouilly clearing, set in the heart of the forest, where you will find remains of ruins that in the past served as a refuge for the resistance movement during WWII. Once finished there, leave the plateau and descend towards St. Martin, (this stage includes some light scrambling). You’ll be transferred from St. Martin to the next village (Chapelle en Vercors) where you will spend your last night.
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Day 6: Departure day (optional hike Chapelle en Vercors - Belvedere de Revoulat - Chapelle en Vercors (17km; 5,30hrs; +700m/-700m)
Today’s hike leads you through the woods to a viewpoint on the edge of the vertiginous cliffs of the Grands Goulets. You might spot chamois before returning via the hamlet of Les Revoux back to the village. After your hike you will be transferred to Villard de Lans, where you can board a bus for 1hr ride to Grenoble (and further to Paris, Lyon or Marseille).
TOUR LOCATION
Price
770 Euro per person in twin/dbl room
Single room & Solo Traveler supplement
Single room supplement: 335 Euro
Solo traveler supplement: 520 Euro
Tips
Daily departures between the beginning of May and mid-October. Best town to arrive from is Grenoble. You can also fly to Lyon and then take the 1,30hrs train or bus ride to Grenoble, or even to Geneva (2hrs train ride to Grenoble). Regular train lines Paris-Valence-Marseille can take you to Grenoble from where you proceed to Lans en Vercors (T65 regular bus lines; 50 mins ride).
Accommodation
2-3* hotels incl. breakfast (en-suite rooms throughout); bring a swim suit just in case;
Send an enquiry about this tour
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