France is gifted with wonderful national parks within its peripheries and international areas. As you travel across the French countryside, you’ll quickly learn that national parks provide several chances for wildlife viewing, hiking, cycling, and taking in the country’s richness. If you’re planning to go on an excursion, whether it is with friends or on your own, check out these stunning national parks that are spread across France, to make your stay as an international student in France extra memorable.
1. Mercantour National Park
Thousands of ancient petroglyphs can be seen at the Mercantour National Park, mostly depicting weapons, animals, and people from the Bronze Age. If you’re particularly interested in Art and History, the beauty of these incredible cave paintings is one of the sights you wouldn’t want to miss during your stay in France. On top of it, in Tende you can also find the Museum of Marvels.
Parks Alpi Maritime and Mercantour have collaborated to safeguard the region’s nature, landscapes, and biological diversity since 1897. For example, naturally reintroducing wolves to the Southern Alps is part of one of their projects. Because of this, you can have a chance to observe the wolves without making you feel like you’re in a safari park or a zoo.
2. Port-Cros National Park
Port-Cros is a tiny island in an archipelago that is also known as Îles d’Hyères. This beautiful island is home to a national park, and a marine park, which are distinct from each other. Your adventure in Port Cros involves a lot of walking, as it can be only explored on foot.
You must bring decent walking shoes if you have plans on hiking. Keep in mind that swimming is permitted in the National Park, as long as you swim within the designated areas, otherwise, you may get fined for trespassing.
3. Vanoise National Park
The Vanoise National Park extends across the Tarentaise and Maurienne valley before continuing to the Italian border as the Gran Paradiso National Park.
Vanoise is found in the Rhone-Alps region’s Savoie department. The park is split into two areas, one in the center and the other in the peripheral area. The central area safeguards France’s largest population of Alpine Ibex, as well as a huge landscape of flora and fauna.
4. Ecrins National Park
One of the reasons why you must include Ecrins in your travel bucket list is, obviously, its breathtaking nature. Between Gap, Briançon, and Grenoble, the Barre des Écrins is France’s second-highest peak after Mont Blanc, with a staggering number of lakes, small rocky valleys, and glaciers. Looking at the mountains, one would mistakenly believe he is in the Himalayan foothills rather than the south of France.
Drac, Guisane, and Romanche valleys circle the national park, offering exciting opportunities to explore the local culture and a pleasant trek to admire nature.
5. Queyras Regional Park
A diverse array of landscapes and natural environments can be found here. It is noticeably distinct from nearby parks by its unusual mix of alpine nature and Mediterranean climate, which is situated in the Hautes Alpes department between Briancon and the Italian border.
As you descend the mountains, wide thickets of evergreen bushes give way to dense woods, stony wastelands, and verdant alpine meadows. Queyras is a vast regional park that can be explored on foot, on horseback, or by bicycle. All areas of the park are now entirely free to visit.
Explore France and discover why it is a top study destination by checking out our other articles here at MSM Unify.
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