Re: wildlife in the Savoie region

I shall be spending next week with my family in Les Arcs near Bourg St. Maurice. We have never been to the area before. My 12 year old son is very interested in wildlife watching, and is looking forward to exploring the national parks (both on the French and the Italian side). Any advice on this would be very gratefully received. Are there any guided tours or tourist information on the subject available?

Regards,

Mark

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Hi,

The tourist information centre in Bourg is probably your best bet - it%26#39;ll be one of the larger Info centres in the region so should be able to give you some guidance. The area available to you for exploring is potentially massive - the Vanoise national park is big enough in itself but the number of routes that criss-cross that part of the Alps is huge. I%26#39;d probably try and dig out a book on wildlife of the area and then pick up some leaflets on hikes that you can do.

I%26#39;m no expert but there should be lots to see. I%26#39;m sure you could organise a mountain guide to take you (and if you were trying anything that involved glaciers or specialised equipment I%26#39;d recommend you do) but for most hiking you%26#39;ll want to do I%26#39;d think you can rely on the local maps and signage. Usual hiking/scouting rules apply though - the weather can change very quickly so be prepared.

Cheers,

Matt

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Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

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Hi,

The tourist office in Bourg-Saint-Maurice is located opposite the Train station next to the C.I.S Immobilierre estate agency, and they should be able to offer you some information.

As with most wild life in the Alps long days and much patience is required, in the surrounding area of the Vanoise and Ecrins Nationl Parcs there are Chamois ,Buzzards, Marmotts ,Golden Eagles and Ibex, etc ,but sometimes after a whole day or week you may only be lucky to gain a glimpse.

I have been lucky enough to see a pair of Golden Eagles in the air above Tignes Les Brevieres ,and the back of a Chamois disappearing into the distance in the trees near Villaroger, and also in the trees next to the road which goes from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Les Chapieux ( this road takes you over Beaufortain and onto Albertville if followed to it%26#39;s entirety)..but as Jonny says a guide may know the secret palces to find the wildlife, the only other time I have been lucky enough to see some wildlife was the other april sitting on the chairlift from Pre-St-Esprit to Arc 1950 and spied a Marmott sitting on a roack sunning him/herself.....the trouble with the furry little critters is they hate us humans and are quite nervous and shy.

If you choose not to use a guide etc ,the best thing I can say is to take yourself off the beaten track and keep your eys peeled,there is also a a walk from th old fort high above Bourg-Saint_maurice ( this is used as a base for the goats cheese makers/herders in the summer) where you can do the five lakes walk, although the drive up is not for the faint hearted....single track and a 2000 metre drop down the hill....mind you would be handy for the car park at SuperU.

Sorry I cannot be any more help, and I hope you have a great time, by the way if you fancy a cool dip the residence Glieres is located near the Funicular station in BsM ( can be seen from the funicular on the way down or up) and has a private pool but you should be ok.

Jon.