Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Vallée du Haut-Var
So red is the rock you'd think you were in Arizona. The Gorges de Daluis and Gorges du
Cians around Valberg are best explored in a clockwise loop to maximise views. Drive
northbound on the D902/D2202, winding at the cliff's edge, dizzyingly high over
Gorges
de Daluis
. (The southbound inland lane burrows through 17 viewless tunnels.) Aim for
tiny Guillaumes (elevation 800m), a jumping-off point for forays into the red-rock gorges,
then Péone, a village beneath rock spires, then Valberg. (Note that Vallée du Haut Var
refers to the River Var, not the Var
département
, which lies farther west.)
En route to Guillaumes, vertiginous
Pont de la Mariée
, an 80m-high stone footbridge,
crosses the gorge;
Top Jump
( 04 93 73 50 29;
http://topjump.free.fr
; jumps €60;
11am-7pm Tue-Sun summer)
bungees off.
Pont de Berthéou
, 8km south of Guillaumes
on the D2202, is the starting point for
Sentier du Point Sublime
(4km, 1½ hours), an in-
vigorating walk through oak-and-pine forest, past wine-coloured rock formations, to pan-
oramic 'Point Sublime'.
Valberg
(elevation 1700m), 13km east of Guillaumes, is a purpose-built, family- orien-
ted ski village lacking charm, but in summer it has good-value apartment rentals, shops,
lift-served walking and mountain-biking, and a
luge
(1/3 rides €3.30/8.70)
. It also has a
year-round
national park office
. Kids burn off energy at
Espace Valberg Aventure
(
04 93 23 24 25;
www.valberg.com
;
admission €10-14; Jul & Aug; )
, monkeying
around Tarzan-inspired obstacles. Restaurants serve overpriced
raclette
(cheese melted
fireside, served over potatoes).
East of Valberg, the spectacular D28 twists eastward along ridge lines to cute
Beuil
(el-
evation 1450m) - which has several hotels and restaurants, including some that serve
good wood-fired pizza. The D28 then cuts south through
Gorges du Cians
, at river level,
towards Nice.
The entire 82km loop of both gorges takes 90-plus minutes; from Nice plan four hours
round-trip (200km), plus stops. Alternatively, from Beuil continue eastward 24km, via
D30, toward tiny
Roubion
, edge of Vallée de la Tinée.
Parc National du Mercantour, Valberg Information Centre
( 04 93 02 58 23; rue
Jean Mineur; 9am-noon & 2-6pm Thu-Tue)
is Valberg's ranger-staffed year-round in-
formation office; there's also the
Valberg Tourist Office
( 04 93 23 24 25, room reser-
vations 04 93 23 24 32;
www.valberg.com
;
place du Quartier;
9am-noon & 2-6pm)
.
