Alpine Mercantour Lakes hiking French Riviera

This tour was so much fun! Fabrice is an excellent guide, full of energy and enthusiasm. We learned so much during this hike, and he really kept the pace nice and easy for everyone in the group.

Our family did a recent 3 day hike with Fabrice. He was a superb guide in every way. Extremely knowledgable about the flora, fauna, geology and history of the area, and shared his knowledge enthusiastically. Friendly and helpful at every step of the way, making the arrangements at the refuges, transporting our group at beginning and end of the trip. An overall fantastic experience!

After setting up the booking, I was able to get in touch with Fabrice through WhatsApp. He was very responsive and considerate and after carefully considering our abilities and our gear, he picked out a fantastic hike near the Col de l'Authion, above the Torini pass. We were picked up from the Nice Riquier train station by Fabrice and were expertly driven up into the mountains. Along the way, Fabrice told us about local history and ecosystems and pointed out many points of interest. Once we got to the trail head, Fabrice took very good care of us - he brought hiking poles and water and offered suggestions for clothing as we headed out. During the hike, he regaled us with more history and cultural information and pointed out alpine flowers and wildlife. When the hike got more difficult, he made sure we took our time, used the proper breathing techniques, and paced ourselves. As a result, the hike was very enjoyable for all four of us, regardless of our varying levels of fitness. His knowledge of the area allowed us to have stunning views of several chamois, as well as some Griffon Vultures and a female Black Grouse. All the while, Fabrice kept an eye on the weather which ensured we returned to the car without incident, tired but thrilled with a wonderful hike. Merci, Fabrice! If you ever journey to the French Riviera and are looking for a guide to take you out into the Alps, Fabrice should be at the top of the list.

Our group of 5 family members hiked Mercantour Park with Fabrice for 3 days, staying in refuges along the way. It was a truly special trip for us. Beautiful vistas and scenery, challenging trails that Fabrice helped us navigate with no problem, fascinating ancient petroglyphs, and wonderful company. Fabrice spent a good deal of time communicating with me before our trip to make sure he organized a hike that met our every desire - just the right amount of challenging hiking and interesting sights. He is super knowledgeable about so many subjects - the history of the region, the flora and fauna, the little detours to more interesting paths and scenery, etc. I highly recommend exploring this corner of the Alps with Fabrice!

We booked this trip for mid-May. I touched base with Fabrice 2 days prior and he informed me that a late season snow storm had hit Mercantour and that it was not possible to hike to the lake. He gave me an option of canceling or doing a different hike. We chose to do another hike. Since some rain was forecast for Naples area Fabrice wanted to study the weather patterns for the next day to find the best hike for us. In the mean time he asked about the level of exertion we wanted (6 point scale) and our technical skill (3 point scale). The evening before he'd narrowed to two options (based upon the weather and our answers) and then based upon the final weather forecast the morning of the hike he selected a hike from the village of Peille to a mountain peak, cime de Baudon. Fabrice picked us up in Nice and drove us to the hike. Bottom line: it was a fabulous hike that led to stunning views. During the day we learned that Fabrice is a native of Nice and has been a professional hiking guide for 20 years. He hikes an average of 150 days per year. He has 25+ different hikes that he can take people on in the area. He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. At the end of the hike Fabrice took us into the village and gave us a tour of the ancient architecture. This was one of our best hiking experiences ever, Thank you Fabrice!