The geopark sanctuary
Listed as World Heritage by Unesco, geoparks are territories endowed with a geological, ecological and cultural heritage of international value, suitable for promoting local development. There are seven in France: Beaujolais, Causse du Quercy, Chablais, Haute-Provence, Luberon, the Bauges massif and the Ardèche mountains. en.unesco.org.
The Alps of Lake Geneva (Evian country and Abondance valley) contain 7 of the 23 plots of the Chablais Geopark. Free visit with a Geopark mediator on Tuesdays, from July 11 to August 29. geoparc-chablais.com.
• In the Haute-Provence geopark, the Briton Andy Goldsworthy has displayed his works on the route Art shelter of 150 kilometers, punctuated by restored habitats for hikers. dignelesbains-tourisme.com.
• At La Sambuy (Geopark of Bauges), you sleep at an altitude of 1,830 meters facing an exceptional landscape (Mont Blanc, Vanoise, Lake Annecy) in shelters salvaged from polar expeditions. www.sheltersexperience.com.
Atypical Perics
In Ariège, the Tour des Pérics was designed by their own keepers to connect the different refuges. Inaccessible to vehicles, the four-day loop offers a summary of the territory, under the surveillance of marmots, chamois and mouflons: Orlu nature reserve, regional natural park of the Catalan Pyrenees… ariegepyrenees.com.
music hike
In Chartreuse, Alexandre Guhéry, mountain guide and pianist, offers a reconnection with the environment through a five-day hike combining song and music. No musical prerequisite required. The group (from 8 to 15 people) is welcomed at the Escale du Désert, in Entremont-le-Vieux. From August 7 to 11, €592/pers. eardulynx.fr.
85,000 square kilometers of nature
The largest preserved area in the European Union, the Massif Central invites us either to follow in the footsteps of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson in the Cévennes in the company of a donkey, or to enter the Tarn and Jonte gorges, or to cross the natural park of the volcanoes of Auvergne. Ideas are legion on chamina-voyages.com.
If you like land art, go on the paths that connect the amazing works of the 17th edition ofHorizons arts-nature around the Sancy massif, on the theme of wind power. from June 17 to September 17, horizons-sancy.com And sancy.com.