Escapade Discovering Monts d'Azur Wildlife Reserve

Wildlife at Monts d'Azur

No need to travel to Botswana to get your safari photos - Monts d’Azur Wildlife Reserve offers a very special experience in the middle of European, yet nevertheless, wild nature.

Tour in a horse-drawn carriage!

What a delight! Marvellous décor and animals roaming freely - all this, plus calm and tranquil surroundings. The day of our visit the weather is wonderful, albeit a little fresh, but this is to be expected at high altitude.
We get to enjoy the company of our fellow passengers as Baptiste drives us in a carriage pulled by two magnificent White Marble horses. All of us are eager to get close to some of the rare animals that we have already spotted in the distance.
The only sounds we hear are birds singing, the wind blowing and the horses’ hooves...

Wildlife in the Reserve

Baptiste tell us about the Reserve’s history. The oldest buildings date back to the 16th century and are still visible. This former holiday camp was bought up in 2000 by Patrice Longour, a vet, who wanted to turn it into a wildlife reserve for European species on the verge of extinction. European bison were brought over from Poland and Przewalski horses, the only remaining wild breed of horse, were obtained from several zoos. The return of these two native species brought to an end their centuries-long disappearance at the hands of human hunters.
The Reserve is also home to doe, stag, roe deer, chamois, wild boar, and foxes, to name just a few. They all live completely freely and in perfect harmony in their 700 ha domain. A pair of Royal Eagles, and a small group of wolves have taken up residence in the area, helping keep populations under control.

The animals live without any human interference. Humans are only allowed to observe their behaviour and enjoy the Reserve’s prosperous plant, insect and bird biodiversity.

The carriage allows us to get really close to the animals - although they don’t seem to be as interested in us. We watch as a group of bison bathe. Two males look like they are squaring up to each other. It turns out that they are just putting on a show for their peers.

It’s like we don’t exist at all.

A little further along, we spot a group of bison with their young. One is a new-born. We watch as two young bison practice for adulthood, play fighting under the placid gaze of their mothers.

Next, we see a group of Przewalski horses. They are beautiful and imperturbable. The dominant male keeps a protective watch over his mares. He does not want to be overthrown by a rival or lose one of his ladies. He’s just like a guard dog.

One of the pregnant mares is missing! She must have separated herself from the herd to give birth. Despite our concern for her, we must not intervene. We have to let Nature sort things out. Further along, we see signs of a birth having taken place, but we still cannot see the mother or her colt. Let’s hope they are both well!

Some doe appear. They survey us calmly. We spot the top of the head of a young stag nearby.

Before we know it, it’s time to head back. This time, we take in the grandeur of the landscape, the low plain circled by mountains, and the green tapestry of colours – what a lovely morning we’ve had!

Stays

On our return, if we wish, we can enjoy a meal. Portions are large, the food is excellent and the service is welcoming.
Monts d'Azur also has guest rooms for hire in its manor and environmental villa.
For the more adventurous among us, eco-lodges for hire are located right in the middle of the Reserve, guaranteeing the ultimate change of scenery!