Mercantour was the gateway for Italian wolves recolonising France in the 1990s, and the park today shelters around 15–20 wolves in several packs across its high Alpine valleys. Sightings are genuinely challenging — the terrain is steep and heavily wooded — but specialist naturalist guides running pre-dawn watches at known territorial crossings in the Vésubie and Tinée valleys achieve results with patience. A destination for committed wildlife watchers; the spectacular mountain scenery compensates on less productive mornings.
Mercantour was the gateway for Italian wolves recolonising France in the 1990s, and the park today shelters around 15–20 wolves in several packs across its high Alpine valleys. Sightings are genuinely challenging — the terrain is steep and heavily wooded — but specialist naturalist guides running pre-dawn watches at known territorial crossings in the Vésubie and Tinée valleys achieve results with patience. A destination for committed wildlife watchers; the spectacular mountain scenery compensates on less productive mornings.
Up to 42% sighting chance in Mercantour National Park, French Alps. Best months: July, June, August.
