 Traveling on
foot at 3 miles an hour, you will become part of the rich and varied
scenery that is Provence: eucalyptus trees, cypress, deciduous and pine
forests, lavender fields, rocky limestone cliffs, Roman roads,
vineyards, ancient cliffside villages. Starting in the high Alps of
Provence, your hike will follow the GR 4 (Grande Randonnee 4) from St.
Andre les Alpes to Castellane, through the Grand Canyon du Verdon,
across the Durance River, and into the Regional Parc of the Luberon.
North of the Luberon, you continue your hike along the GR 6 and GR 97
punctuated with charming villages perchés (perched villages) and
end your journey in Saignon.
The small hotels, great food, remarkable hiking and scenery combine to
make this hike “a must do.” We have endeavored to select a route that
has the best of both classic Provence as well as the smaller, less
well-known villages. This is a great and varied trip. We hope that you
will come and join us.
 The hotels on this
route are very comfortable, though not fancy. Most
are very pleasant 2-star hotels. The hotel in Saignon (two nights) is a
3-star hotel. All have private bathrooms with the exception of
Cereste where some of the rooms share a bath. One of our hotels in
Moustiers St. Marie (two nights) actually has a pool.
All breakfasts and dinners are included in the price of this
tour. The
food at these small hotels is very good. A continental breakfast will
be provided each morning served at most hotels between 7:30 and 8:30
am. Some hotels serve a small buffet breakfast. Dinner is usually
served at most hotels around 7:30 or 8:00 pm. There will be one
sitting, and the menu is set. The main course tends to be a meat dish,
though with advanced notice, we will make every effort to accommodate
those with medically restricted diets and non-meat or vegetarian
preferences.
Lunches will be on our own. Either morning or afternoon we will have an
opportunity to shop for food and other supplies that we will need.
Village markets provide a wide selection of local fare, bread and
cheese, for picnic lunches on the trail.
Daily Itinerary
Price includes:
- travel information
and travel suggestions
- information about the
route
- set of maps covering
route—one set per address
- detailed trail notes,
which include additional information covering various aspects of your
trip (i.e. lunches, laundry, water, hotel routes, alternate
transportation, etc.)
- overnight
accommodations, which include all breakfasts (some will be
buffet-style, others continental style) and all dinners
- luggage transfers
- private taxi
transfers as listed in the itinerary
Not included in this cost will be:
- airfare
- lunches
- optional taxi
transfers other than what is listed in the itinerary
- tips to cab drivers
- items not on set
dinner menu
- Note: Allow
roughly $200--$300 per person in additional costs depending on
individual eating and drinking habits.
Hiking Difficulty:
Our Provence Inn-to
Inn excursion is intended for experienced hikers in good physical
condition. It is graded moderate to some strenuous. This
means that most days we will hike an average of 4 to 5 hours on varied
terrain. We will cover distances from 5 to 9 miles.
Elevation gains and losses will generally be between 1,500’-2,500’. On
the strenuous days, we will hike 5 to 7 hours over some very steep
uphill and down hills. Note the mention of tunnels and ladders on Day
#3.
Travel:
It is easiest to fly
into Nice though you can travel to Nice from other parts of
France. The trip will end at the Marseilles Provence Airport.
Early Deadline -
Contact NOW!
For more information and to register, contact Jack Finnegan, P.O. Box
573, Lehighton, Pa 18235, telephone 570-386-2128, E-mail jackfinn@ptd.net
Photos courtesy of
Distant Journeys
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