Our starting point is La Brigue, a delightful village in Upper Val Roya, the Valley of Wonders. Amongst the locals there are still brigasque speakers, the local language with oral heritage, spoken during the historic rule of the Kingdom of Savoy.
Itinerary
Day 0
Arrival to La Brigue by train from Nice, Genoa or Milan is possible.
Some accommodation options are:
Hotel Auberge Sant Martin, Hotel Le Mirval or the rooms in the campsite in La Brigue, Le Pra Reound
The lush conifer forest on the western slopes of Monte Saccarello, on the path up to Via del Sale
Day 1
15km, 1550m up
The hike starts passing through forest and the stunning Notre Dame des Fontanes chapel. After this we climb in the Mediterranean pine forests up to Monte Saccarello summit 2200m.
Day 2
16km, 880m up, 1500m down
Ridge following the anciet salt route, Via del Sale along Italy-France border over Passo Tanarello (2042 m) – Colla Rossa (2142 m) to Monte Bertrand 2480m before taking the path that descends into the valley and the Upega hamlet in Italy.
Day 3
10km, 900m up, 650m down
Our path climbs over a ridge into Carnino hamlet, from where we take a trail contouring along in the forest either down to Viozene for lunch, or directlu up to Mongioie hut.
(If we visit Viozene, then 12km 1150m up 850 down)
Day 4
12km, 1150m up, 950m down
A trek in the high mountain if Alpi Marittimi, on Giro del Marguareis, traversing Alpine meadows, passing under impressive rock cliffs and spotting wildlife like ibex and chamois in the mountains.
Rifugio Mondovì Havis de Giorgio
Day 5
9km,700m up, 400m down
Trekking across the plateau of Marguareis, over Colle del Pas
(Or alternative, depending on the conditions, summit Monte Marguerais 2651m, which makes the day longer at, 10km, 1100m up, 750m down)
Day 6
15km, 350m up, 1660m down
Descend a beautiful path from Colle dei Signori. to Tende along the Vallone Refrei / Roya and past Castel Tournou fortifications excavated into the mountains.
Tende has hotels, a hiker’s hostel and a campsite with simple rooms Campsite St Jacques in Tende, Mercantour
The stone houses of the Tende village in the Mercantour Alps
Hike ends in the town of Tende in the Mercantoir Alps of France, where the train takes you down to the Mediterranean coastal town of Ventimiglia. From there you can catch a train along the coast either to Milan in Italy or Nice and beyond in France.
What’s included
- Accommodation for 7 nights in mountain hut dormitory rooms, from the day of the arrival to the end of the hike
- Breakfast and dinner from the mountain hut
- Varied lunch packs to take along every day
- Guiding by a qualified mountain leader.The hike is planned and will be guided by Kirsti, a qualified International Mountain Leader living at the base of these mountains in Finale Ligure, Italy. Thanks to an extensive path network and so many impressive limestone peaks and passes of this region, the itinerary can be easily shortened or extended if you have a specific period in mind.
For the gpx track on a map, see our page in Outdooractive
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.