France is one of the most developed countries in the world and many believe that there are almost no uninhabited, untouched places left. Of course, the agricultural activities of French farmers radically changed the face of France. In its lowlands 58% of the area is agricultural land. But, nevertheless, in this country natural mountain areas with wild flora and fauna are still preserved – the so-called National Parks.
The French are jealous of their truly unique nature. In the mountains there are 5 national parks. In these places preserved relic forests consisting of hundreds of plant species, virgin lakes. National parks are home to a huge number of wild animals and birds. There are more than 110 protected areas in France, which occupy 10% of the total area of the country. And although these are reserved places, most of them are accessible to the public.
National Park Wanauz
This park became the very first national park in France is the Vanoise Park. It is located in the Savoy Alps south of Mont Blanc. Vanoise is the pride of the French. The beauty of Vanoise is its main peaks Grand Cos and Mont Puri.
This relatively small park covers an area of just over 520 square meters. kilometers impressive with a huge variety of flora and fauna. The difference in the heights of the Savoy Alps made it possible to combine the habitat of many animal species. Rare in the nature stone goats and ibex, chamois and ermines, marmots, badgers, voles and other living creatures get along very well here. You can see clouds of bats. The park is inhabited by tritons, reed and grass toads, viviparous lizards and various snakes, such as the snake Aesculapius and Viper. There are also very rare species of animals that are listed in the Red Book. And they are all under the protection of the state.
On the slopes of the mountains grow thousands of alpine plants, including the famous edelweiss.
Mercantour National Park
The park was created in 1979, is located near Nice. This is a unique place surrounded by majestic mountains. The flora of this national park is almost two thousand species of flowering plants, of which 200 are endangered. Huge larches and oaks, firs and pines, as well as Mediterranean olives and rhododendrons on the slopes of the mountains create a magnificent spectacle.
On the territory of the Mercantour National Park, there is the so-called “Valley of Wonders”. These are cultural monuments of primitive people – more than 37 thousand rock paintings dated to the second millennium BC. The figures depict cattle and human faces.
It is believed that the drawings on the stones showed the sacrifices of the ancient Ligurians. Native French call this place the Sorcerer’s Valley. In the valleys of the reserve are picturesque lakes, pristine springs and small villages built in the Italian and French traditions. Near the village of Saint-Martin-Vezubi there is an Italian wolf reserve “Alpha”, where these rare animals are in their natural habitat.
Here you can easily meet chamois or wild boar, roe deer or ibex, deer or hare. A huge number of birds living in the reserve: eagles and buzzards, falcons and vultures, golden eagles and partridges. The border with the national park of Italy “Argenter”, – allows animals to migrate freely from one park to another. In the national park there is a museum of Mervey in the town of Tende. The national park can be reached by car from any city of the Cote d’Azur via Monaco and Nice.
Camargue is a flat area on the French Mediterranean coast near Nice and Marseille (also, check Interesting facts about Marseille). There is a quiet swampy place. This Camargue is the land of white horses and pink flamingos.
Low, wild white horses live freely in this land. They carelessly graze and frolic in the endless water meadows.
Here you can also see herds of squat aggressive black bulls. It is these fighting black bulls along with snow-white horses adorn the emblem of the Camargue.
In the Camargue, you can easily ride a horse or bike through the reserve. You can visit the museum of local lore or see a collection of gypsy carts, admire wildlife, relax body and soul. See incredibly beautiful flocks of pink flamingos soaring in the sky.
Ecrins National Park
This park was founded in 1973, and it is located on the territory of the Dauphinian Alps, adjacent to the Düpelva mountain range. Ecrins Peak, 4102 meters high is the business card of this park. Pine and oak forests grow on the territory of the park, magnificent alpine meadows spread out and the purest mountain rivers sparkle. The main decoration of this park are countless lakes and glaciers. Ecrins is the highest mountain region in France after Mont Blanc. All mountains exceed 3000 meters.
There are six nature reserves in the park. Despite the high mountains, nature is far from scarce. The flora of the park unites almost 300 species of plants, among them there are many medicinal and rare ones. About 50 species of wild animals live here. Mountain goats, foxes, mountain goats, wild forest cats, various rodents live here. Ekren Park is open to the public. He is particularly popular with climbers. In the mountains of the park more than 100 climbing routes of varying difficulty.
Pyrenees National Park
It was founded in 1967. It is located in the departments of the Pyrenees Atlantic and Upper Pyrenees along the border with Spain. The area of this park is 45 700 ha. Pyrenees is famous for its lakes. There are more than 200 of them here. The park is also rich in famous historical sites. On its territory are many ancient fortresses and picturesque villages. In the center of the park is the ancient town of Lourdes, which to this day is the center of religious pilgrimage in Europe. In this park there is the highest waterfall in Europe – Gavarni Grand Cascade with a height of 422 m.
The main task of creating this park was to preserve the landscape and biodiversity of the Pyrenees. The park is home to over 70 different animal species. Rare animals such as the Pyrenean chamois live here.
The flora of the park at the foot of the Pyrenees mainly consists of beech and poplar forests. Rising higher in the mountains, you will see mixed forests, which are gradually moving into the rocky mountain areas. The beautiful landscapes of the mountains, the unique flora and fauna, alpine skiing and mountaineering always attract tourists to this beautiful kingdom of mountains.
There are more than 400 km of horseback and hiking trails in the Pyrenees National Park. Numerous mountain peaks constantly attract here climbers, for whom all conditions are created here. If you want to learn mountaineering, then you are right here, because this is where the best French mountaineering schools are located.
