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How To Visit The Mercantour By Helicopter

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Published
08/06/2020

If you would like to visit the Mercantour by helicopter, most charter companies offer panoramic sightseeing tours over the French Riviera and beyond. An aerial tour of the Mercantour National Park will be a highlight of any stay on the Côte d'Azur, making it a must-do day trip. What’s more, depending on where you are staying, your luxury concierge service will likely be able to organise this tour for you, meaning all that’s left for you to do is sit back and take in the stunning views.

 

So Many Reasons To Visit The Mercantour By Helicopter

The mountainous Mercantour National Park stretches for 90 km along the border with Italy, and is a haven for thrill seekers and nature lovers alike, with glacial lakes and rivers for white-water rafting, and no end of hiking trails. For an exciting, but more comfortable way to enjoy the area's beauty, Mercantour helicopter rides are a fantastic option.

The Mercantour National Park is one of France's richest natural environments, boasting olive groves and Alpine pastures, larch forests and snowy peaks, as well as a rare variety of fauna and flora. It is also home to the Vallée de Merveilles, or Valley of Marvels, and its extraordinary collection of 40,000 prehistoric rock engravings.

 

Mercantour Helicopter Rides – A Suggested Itinerary

Coming from either Nice or Monaco, start your aerial tour in the south-east, flying over the charming villages of Sospel and the lakeside Breil-sur-Roya towards the famed Vallée des Merveilles, some 2,300 meters above sea level. 

A must-see when you visit the Mercantour by helicopter, with stunning landscape dominated by the Mont Bégo mountain, the Vallée des Merveilles is also home to the largest collection of Bronze Age rock carvings in Europe, spread over 15 km². These stylised engravings represent bull’s heads, horses, weapons and grid patterns believed to symbolise fields. 

Next, head west towards St Martin Vésubie, an exceptionally pretty town with vibrant red rooftops, widely considered the gateway to the Mercantour and a starting point for hikers, climbers and canyoners. Look out for the sacred shrine and sanctuary of Madone de Fenestre.

 

Exquisite Mountains, Gorges and Glacial Lakes

As you fly north-west over the town of Valdeblore, admire the Lacs des Millefonts, four glacial lakes set in rich, undulating land near the Col de Barn, 2,452m above sea level. 

Most Mercantour helicopter rides will then fly westwards over the popular ski resorts of Isola 2000 and Auron, which are transformed into summer playgrounds, with mountain-biking and horse-riding among the activities. 

Around Saint-Etienne de Tinée, six valleys emanate from the main Mercantour massif, and you can gaze down at the stunning canyons and Alpine lakes, of which the Lac d’Allos is the largest natural glacier lake in Europe, lying in the shadow of Mont Pelat. 

Towards the end of your visit to the Mercantour by helicopter, as you start heading south-east back towards the coast, admire the Gorges de Daluis, a 6km-long canyon formed by the River Var, which boasts magnificent rock formations and waterfalls, and appears to glow red due to its sandstone, iron oxide and copper mix.  

After a thrilling time exploring aerial views as you visit the Mercantour by helicopter,  you'll be ready to come back to solid ground and sample some of the best food and wine the Côte d'Azur has to offer. A truly perfect day!

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