Duration
Responsible Wolf Tracking in the French Alps
$950
Departure Date
Mar 29, 2025
Trip Style
Small Group
Country
France
Physical Rating
Average
Overview
Follow the tracks of the elusive wolf on this rare, immersive responsible wolf-tracking experience in the French Alps.
With no phone or internet, you'll disconnect from modern life and experience breathtaking, untouched wilderness.
Guided by Bernard, a local expert with 20 years of experience, you'll explore the region's rich wildlife, including golden eagles, chamois, wild boar, and, if you're lucky, a wolf. You'll also learn how to differentiate between animal footprints and follow tracks, gaining valuable skills in wildlife tracking. Throughout the trip, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the animals and their habitat, learning to interpret signs left by different species.
The trip supports the local wolf network, contributing to the monitoring and research of wolf populations. Wolves, once wiped out from France, have returned from Italy, with the Southern Alps now home to the highest concentration in the country.
This trip is ideal for wildlife lovers, nature photographers, and anyone wanting to experience the wild beauty of the Alps while learning valuable skills in tracking and wildlife identification.
Highlights
- Complete immersion in nature
- De-connect from modern distractions (no mobile phone connection, no internet)
- Benefit from knowledgeable and experienced local guides for spotting and understanding wildlife
- Visit breathtaking scenery and wild, untouched mountains
- Small group, quality experience with a maximum of 8 guests
- Opportunity to spot a wide range of animal and birdlife including golden eagles, black grouse, ptarmigan, chamois, deer, wild boar, foxes, and, if you are lucky, a wolf!
- Contribute to the wolf network and management of wolves in the Alps
We've created a sample itinerary to give you an idea of what to expect during your wolf tracking adventure. However, this is flexible, and we will tailor it to suit the group.
The key thing to remember is that you’ll be tracking wild animals, so the itinerary will ultimately be guided by them!
Itinerary
Day 1 Marseille or Aix-en-Provence (France) [arrival day] - Set up refuge and first track!
Day 2 Wolf Tracking
Day 3 Wolf Tracking
Day 4 Wolf Tracking (before departure)
Customization
Departure Dates
- Mar 29, 2025 - Apr 1, 2025
This is a guaranteed departure with only 4 spots remaining.
Seasonal Notes
The best time to track wolves is when there is a little bit of snow on the ground as it is easier to follow signs and tracks over long distances.
The optimal periods for a wolf tracking in the French Alps are from December to March/April.
Inclusions & Exclusions
3 nights in a winter refuge
3 x breakfasts, 3 x picnic lunches, 3 x evening meals (Food for included meals is provided but you will all prepare, cook, and wash up together.)
4 days with 3 overnights with expert wolf tracker and high mountain guide
Snowshoes and poles if needed
Transport during the trip
Transfers to and from Marseille airport or Aix-en-Provence TGV train station
Your flight or train ticket
Camping mat and sleeping bag, for use at the refuge
Tips for the guide, which are at your discretion
Pricing
Prices exclude flights to/from the destination.
Prices are for double room occupancy unless indicated otherwise.
Deposit per person
25% of the trip price
Price per person
$950 The sleeping area is in a dormitory-style arrangement in a mezzanine area of the refuge. Therefore, no private rooms are available, nor is there a single supplement fee for joining this trip.
Sustainability
We are Travelife Certified and we plant a tree with our partner, Mossy Earth, for all our travelers as part of their rewilding program in Europe.
We operate a paperless office and all our communication with you and all your trip details will be given to you digitally via a smartphone app.
If you are traveling from Europe, we offer a 3% discount if you travel here by train rather than plane. To claim this please ask at booking. It is not accumulable with other discounts and the train journey needs to be international, eg Eurostar to France and then onward on local French TGV or trains.
Environmental Initiatives
To reduce our impact on the environment, we run this trip a maximum of twice a year and limit the group size to 8 people. The toilet is an outdoor dry toilet, and water, sourced from a nearby spring, is optimised for drinking, washing, and cooking. We use only biodegradable products for cleaning and washing, and all waste is carefully removed from the natural environment, with recyclables being recycled. Energy use is minimal, as there is no electricity at the accommodation—candles provide lighting, and wood is used for heating.
This wolf track in the French Alps is environmentally sustainable due to several key practices.
- It is a really low-carbon activity in itself.
- We encourage you to bring your own refillable water bottle and reusable lunch boxes so that we can minimize single-use plastic.
- We follow local guidelines to protect the fragile fauna and use local guides, who are passionate about the environment, ensuring a respectful approach to nature.
These measures collectively contribute to minimizing the environmental footprint while supporting local ecosystems and communities.
Economic Initiatives
This tour boosts economic sustainability by primarily using local guides, ensuring that the money spent by tourists goes directly back into the local economy. It also avoids economic leakage by being managed by a local destination company. The tour supports local communities further by utilizing locally owned accommodation and actively recommending local restaurants. This approach ensures that the benefits of tourism are directly felt by the community and help in sustaining the local economy.
Sociocultural Initiatives
The socio-cultural sustainability of this tour is underscored by its respect for and promotion of local cultures and traditions. By employing local guides and eating local eateries, the tour facilitates meaningful interactions between visitors and residents, fostering mutual understanding and respect.
FAQs
What does the Physical Rating of "Average" mean?
This trip does not require any special physical preparation, but you should be comfortable clients should be comfortable doing a day of hiking in the mountains, a little over 6 miles (around 10 km), with 500m of ascent.
What are the accommodations like?
The accommodation is in a privately owned, renovated Alpine church located in a remote hamlet. It offers basic yet functional facilities, including a wood-burning stove, gas cooker, basic crockery, utensils, and furniture. There’s no electricity, and a washing-up station and dry toilet are located outside. While rustic, the church provides a comfortable and unique experience, perfect for those seeking a back-to-nature adventure. We are fortunate to have permission to use this site for our wolf tracking and nature trips.
Please note: In this refuge accommodation, there are not individual rooms; everyone sleeps together on a mezzanine platform, camping style. You should bring your own camping mat and sleeping bag with you.
Who will love this trip?
If you're seeking a wildlife holiday in the Alps with a focus on wolves and nature, this tracking adventure is perfect for you. Wildlife photographers will especially love it!
Please note that our fixed departure trips are based on a group size of 6 to 10 participants. We prefer keeping groups small (usually 6 or 7, with a maximum of 10) to reduce disruption and noise, ensuring a higher-quality experience. However, we can accommodate smaller or larger groups, including families. Contact us for a personalised quote.
The best time to track wolves is when there’s a light dusting of snow, as it makes following signs and tracks over long distances much easier.
You can also read an article by ecologist Pádraic Fogarty in the Irish Examiner, who joined one of our wolf tracking trips in 2024.