The Italian & French Alps

Tour Code: ITA07

An 8-day holiday focusing on the alpine plants, birds, mammals and butterflies of Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park and the adjoining Vanoise National Park in France.

£1,995

Flight Inclusive

£1,795

Land Only

Book Now Saved Tours

Travel to this tour by train

Travelling by train reduces the carbon cost of travel by up to 90%

Why Choose Naturetrek?

50+ Trustpilot Reviews

45+ Google Reviews

Click any badge to read more reviews

Tour Itinerary and Reports

View Day by Day Itinerary and Tour Reports

1 Itinerary 16 Tour Reports

Can I Help You?

Chris Wilkinson

Operations Consultant

Email Call

Carbon Footprint

544kg CO2e

With International Flights

261.4kg CO2e

Tour Only

What does this mean?

Highlights

A perfect Alpine destination for the all-round naturalist
Birds, flowers & butterflies galore
Enjoy glorious Alpine scenery & delicious picnics in flower-filled meadows
Alpine flowers in profusion
Mountain walks on good trails
Look out for Ibex, Marmots & Chamois
Birds of prey including Lammergeiers
A wealth of butterfly species, including Alpine specialities

Summary

As early as 1856 the Gran Paradiso mountains in the Italian Alps were afforded protection as a wildlife reserve by Italy’s King Vittorio Emmanuel II to protect their herds of Ibex. By 1922 the reserve had become Italy’s first national park, and today it covers 720 square kilometres. On the creation of the adjoining Vanoise National Park by the French in 1963, the largest protected area in Western Europe was formed. On this 2- centre holiday we aim to enjoy daily natural history walks amongst the beautiful Alpine valleys, forests and high peaks of this spectacular region, focusing on their alpine flora, birdlife, butterflies and, of course, such mammals as Ibex, Chamois and Alpine Marmots. The area’s geology is also very varied, one of the reasons for the outstanding flora which includes such special ‘alpines’ as the pink-flowered Aethionema thomasianum, an endemic of the Aosta Alps growing on calcareous screes; Astragalus alepocurus, the central Alpine milk vetch found in the high alpine meadows; Campanula alpestris (Largeflowered Bellflower), to be found on limestone rocks and screes, and Saxifraga biflora, a compact saxifrage with red flowers favouring acid rocks. Many other alpine species of saxifrages, sedums, vetches, composites, campanulas and of course various gentians and orchids also occur here.

We will be based for our first three nights in Cogne, a small and friendly Italian town in the Val di Cogne, high above the Aosta Valley and surrounded by gentle green meadows and towering, glacier-covered mountains. The region is both Italian and French speaking, though each valley tends to have its own dialect, and the area is noted for its Valdostane cuisine, which includes plenty of Chamois, venison, excellent local cheeses and Valle d’Aosta wines. We will then cross the border to spend our last four nights at Lanslevillard, a French village near Mount Cenis, one of the finest sites for Alpine flowers. From both these bases we will explore the trails of the Gran Paradiso and Vanoise National Parks, and enjoy the exceptional variety of birds, plants and butterflies of the region.

On one day we will walk from Valnontey, a small village in the Gran Paradiso, along the beautiful valley of the Torrent Valnontey, towards the impressive glaciers that cap the park. A wayside botanical garden introduces us to many of the alpine plants that we hope to find during the week. In the delightful forests of beech, larch, spruce and Arolla Pine above, we will look for Firecrests, Coal Tits, Serins, Citril Finches, Crossbills and, with luck, Bonelli’s Warblers and the elusive Black Woodpecker, before we reach the alpine meadows above the treeline where Choughs, Alpine Choughs, Lammergeiers, Golden Eagles and other birds of prey may all be seen overhead, and Wheatears, Ring Ouzels, Dippers, Black Redstarts, Rock Buntings and Water Pipits all breed. On other days we will explore further valleys and also the meadows and screes of the Col de Petit St. Bernard where we look for Alpine and Small White Orchid, the various prostrate willows such as Salix breviserrata, S. reticulata, S. serpyllifolia and S. herbacea, Alpenrose and Creeping Azalea. Typically, at the high point of each day’s walk, we will break the day with a leisurely and delicious picnic lunch; a time to appreciate the abundance of alpine flowers and the clouds of attendant butterflies, and scan the slopes around us for views of Ibex and Chamois … and noisy Alpine Marmots. We will also look out for Peregrine, Golden Eagle and Lammergeier, as well as two specialities of the highest slopes, Snowfinch and Alpine Accentor.

Next we cross into France to spend our last four nights in the Vanoise National Park. France’s first national park lies in the Haute Savoie, just to the south of lordly Mont Blanc, and also holds an impressive diversity of wildlife. Chamois, Alpine Ibex and Alpine Marmots are all found here, whilst amongst 125 species of breeding birds are Lammergeier and the enigmatic Wallcreeper. It is, however, the flora that is most spectacular and, in the alpine meadows, we will look for such plant specialities as Mount Cenis Restharrow (Ononis cristata), Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum), Erigeron uniflorus, and both Primula pedemontana and Primula hirsuta. Alpine specialities of the screes and rocks include Blunt-leaved Rock Jasmine (Androsace obtusifolia), Hairy Rock Jasmine (Androsace pubescens), Androsace helvetica, Phyteuma globulariifolium, the Glacier Buttercup (Ranunculus glacialis), Petrocallis pyrenaica and Mount Cenis Bellflower (Campanula cenisia).

To complete our week we will visit the area of Mount Cenis, renowned for its alpine flora. Amongst the species we will look for here are the two mountain pansies, Viola calcarata and Viola cenisi; the yellowflowered Erysimum rhaeticum and pinkflowered Androsace adfinis subsp. puberula are found in the rocky crevices, whilst the screes hold Mount Baldo Anemone (Anemone baldensis). Other plants we will look for are Alpine Pasque Flower (Pulsatillas alpina), many species of gentian, including the diminutive Snow Gentian (G. nivalis), various campanulas and rampions, the handsome False White Helleborine (Veratrum album), and Frog and Alpine Orchids.

Outline Itinerary

Day

Fly Turin and transfer to Cogne

Days

2 - 3

Botanical and birdwatching walks in the Gran Paradiso National Park, from Cogne

Days

4 - 7

Botanical and birdwatching walks in the Vanoise National Park, from Lanslevillard

Day

Transfer to Turin and fly London

View Itinerary

What's Included?

Food

All food included in the price.

Accommodation

A two-centre holiday based in comfortable, family-run hotels; all rooms have private facilities.

Documents

Itineraries

Itinerary

Wildlife Tours in Africa

Wildlife Tours in Asia

Wildlife Tours in Australasia

Wildlife Tours in Caribbean

Wildlife Tours in Central America

Wildlife Tours in Europe

Wildlife Tours in Middle East

Wildlife Tours in North America

Wildlife Tours in Polar

Wildlife Tours in South America

Wildlife Tours in United Kingdom

Birds

Mammals

Cruises

Polar

Ways to Travel

Special Interest

Holiday Type

Tailormade Regions

About Naturetrek

Events & News

The Italian & French Alps

£1,995

£1,795

Travel to this tour by train

Why Choose Naturetrek?

Tour Itinerary and Reports

Can I Help You?

Chris Wilkinson

Carbon Footprint

Highlights

Summary

Outline Itinerary

What's Included?

Food

Accommodation

Documents

Itineraries

Tour Reports

Dates & Prices

2027

Thu 24th Jun - Thu 1st Jul SPACES £1,995 Book Now

Regional Departures

Tour Leaders

Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

Why Naturetrek?

Why Choose Naturetrek?

Gallery

01962 733051

Our tours

about us

Legal & Info

My Saved Tours

Saved Tours

{{ result.name }}