Mercantour National Park

In the National Park few mountain massifs, beautiful valleys, mountain lakes, and 30 charming mountaintop villages part of the Maritime Alps from the sea to the mountains. Located 70 km north of Nice and Menton, 150 km long from east to west, it’s a highly popular destination with great hiking trails, overwhelming landscapes, and especially thousands of Neolithic and Bronze Ages beautiful rock engravings in the valley of Marvel and the Fontanalbe site on the slopes of Mont Bego.
In the park very reach Flora of more than 2,000 different plants species, and diversified Fauna including Chamois (Goat Antilope), Deer, Wolves, Hares and Wild Boars, Golden Eagles, Buzzards and many more.

On the slopes of Mont Bego lies the famous Valley of Marvels (Vallee des Merveilles) and the Fontanalbe Site where you can admire more than 30,000 petroglyphs, rock engravings drawings, dated to the Neolithic and Bronze ages 4,000-5,000 years ago. Part of the rock paintings are weapons drawings, cattle, and human figures often mysterious. Visit also the The Musee des Merveilles at Tende home to many casts of the petroglyphs.

The valley is located near the Italian border, within the Argentera massif and the Maritime Alps, between Saint-Martin-Vesubie and Tende. The valley of Marvel and the Fontanalbe Site are two distinct and equally important sites on either side of Mount Bego. It takes more than 2 hours of easy hike to reach both sites (easier hike to Fontanlabe) spending additional few hours to explore the petroglyphes. Enter the valley of Marvel at CAF des Marveilles and Lac des Mesches and reach the Fontanable Site from the village of Casterino while hiking to Green Lake.

The village of Casterino offers tourists’ facilities including accommodation, restaurant and visitors Information Center. Guided Tours to both sites are available. You can reach the area by car, and in the season, by train or public transportation from Nice. There are quite a few beautiful villages within the park such as the picturesque hillside village of Sospel, 20 km north of Menton, a starting point to great hiking trail with beautiful scenery, and the charming Saorge village 46 km north of Menton.

Visit the four gorgeous glacial lake of Lacs des Millefonts, 70 km north of Canne, offering a nice hiking trail around all four lakes. The nearby Saint Martin Vesubie is a popular climbing and canyoners destination, and a starting point of numerous hiking trails including the climbing trail to Cime le Gelas 3,143 meters high summit and the Cime de l’Agnelliere 2,700 meters summit.
Near Lacs des Millefonts, the Alpha (Wolf) Park in Le Boreon you will observe and learn about the Park Wolves.

Access the Mercantour National Park going north from either Nice, Cannes, and Menton.