“Nature hikes” in Champagny-en-Vanoise, or 3 ideas for spring walks that your kids will love!
“You said we’d see some chambex…” Even with the cute mixing up of chamois and ibex, it’s not a good time for teasing: the disappointment in the eyes of your mini-hiker is terrible.
This spring, get your confidence back! Join in the “Nature hikes” organised by the Champagny-en-Vanoise tourist office during every inter-season period, accompanied by mountain guides who are experts in the local fauna and flora and who will maximise your chances of seeing the local wildlife. Majestic ibex, adorable marmots and fascinating insects… Thanks to your guide, your eyes will be peeled…in the right direction ;)
Spot the regal ibex in the scree
The Alpine ibex, not to be confused with its cousin the chamois, is a true symbol of the Vanoise National Park: the species was nearly extinct in the middle of the last century, but has multiplied from a mere sixty or so animals to over 3000 individuals recorded in the massif since the Park was created in 1963!
Difficult to observe, ibex are fabulous climbers that are perfectly adapted to steep terrain. Your guide’s advice will certainly help you to spot the spectacular horns (that can be up to 1 metre long on the largest males) in amongst the rocky slopes… Who knows, maybe you will even manage to get a photo. But shhhhhhhh, silence is the order of the day to continue to protect the king of the Vanoise!
🧒 Minimum age 8
⏱️ Date & duration: Saturday 11 May 2024 | 3hr30 (8.30am – 12 noon)
📍 Departure point for the hike: Champagny-le-Haut
Book on line or at the Champagny-en-Vanoise tourist office (12 people max) – 8 € / pers.
If you missed the last organised hike, contact the Champagny-en-Vanoise guides and schedule a private outing!
See adorable marmots who have just emerged from their burrow
The first whistles of the marmots resounding in the mountains are the sign that spring has arrived. Grown thin after long months in hibernation under the snow, these cousins of squirrels (yes, really!) have deserved their 6-month long feast before they curl up once again in their underground homes.
Skilled architects, marmots use a huge amount of energy building impressive tunnels… which we won’t tell you any more about, for fear of “spoiling” your guided walk ;) One last titbit, which your children will both love and find quite revolting: marmots digest their food twice… and even eat some of their droppings! Yummy, that really makes you want to see them up close ;)
🧒 Minimum age 8
⏱️ Date & duration : Sunday 19 May 2024 | 4hr (2 – 6pm)
📍 Departure point for the hike: Champagny-le-Haut
Book on line or at the Champagny-en-Vanoise tourist office (12 people max) – 8 € / pers.
If you missed the last organised hike, contact the Champagny-en-Vanoise guides and schedule a private outing!
Observe the fascinating ballet of tireless insects
Nature is teeming with small creatures that have six or eight legs, or even many more. Whether they crawl or fly, children find them fascinating (and would love to keep them as pets) but parents can find it tricky to identify them when asked!
Clairon des abeilles (trichodes apiarus) with its red and black colouring, Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) with a metallic sheen, the lovely green Cicindèle des Alpes, the Apollo butterfly (a protected species), white with red and black eyespots, chirping grasshoppers and crickets… For once in the mountains, you should walk along looking at the ground! Right by your feet, all the creatures you never really looked at before take on a whole new dimension…
🧒 Minimum age 8
⏱️Date & duration: Saturday 15 June 2024 | 4hr (2 – 6pm)
📍 Departure point for the hike: Champagny-le-Haut
Book on line or at the Champagny-en-Vanoise tourist office (12 people max) – 8 € / pers.
If you missed the last organised hike, contact the Champagny-en-Vanoise guides and schedule a private outing!
Taking the 1,500-strong herd of sheep up the mountain (June), hearing the stags bellowing (28 September 2024), discovering the bearded vulture (27 October 2024): other hikes on the theme of mountain fauna and nature are organised throughout the summer and autumn. Take a look at the Champagny-en-Vanoise programme!
