Freedom & wide open spaces
With its 700 hectares of greenery and biodiversity, the Monts d’Azur Biological Reserve is a veritable mosaic of surprising and fascinating environments: rocky cliffs, natural meadows, remarkable woodlands… Come and discover this preserved natural area and its inhabitants.
For over twenty years, La Réserve des Monts d’Azur has been passionately committed to the development of its territory, in order to reconcile tourism activities with environmental preservation.
Eco-tourism & responsible travel
The La Réserve des Monts d’Azur project is based on a simple observation: eco-tourism and vacations are not incompatible as long as we develop a new form of responsible and sustainable tourism.
The aim is therefore not to create a mecca for mass tourism where the animal is a commodity. Here we display an unwavering determination to conjugate responsible tourism and ecology, in a place where man is not the master but indeed a humble guest of wildlife.
Developing responsible tourism in France is a necessity. Our Reserve aims to serve as a pilot project, to demonstrate the importance of ethical and responsible tourism.
Here, everything is done to ensure that the visitor’s footprint is limited and that their place in the environment is rethought before it’s too late.
Also, every sale of stays and safaris is reinvested in the smooth running and preservation of this exceptional place.
A model of “rewilding”
In Europe, one in six mammal species is threatened with extinction and one in three is in decline.
Faced with the ecological stakes, in 2003 veterinary Doctor Patrice Longour decided, with his wife Alena, to develop a major project in the rehabilitation of endangered species. The Monts d’Azur Reserve.
They know it: species are disappearing at such a rate that the survival of Europe’s large fauna is well and truly in question. The return of large fauna would represent a very interesting solution for their maintenance and the establishment, in these fragile areas, of new economic activities, respectful of the environment.
She’s been at it ever since.
Since then, it has demonstrated through its existence,the importance of the presence of large wild herbivores in French and European ecosystems.
The Réserve des Monts d’Azur was thus the first to rewild ancestral species, and then reintroduce them in their natural state, setting emulators in Holland, Romania, Spain, Croatia, and Germany.
At the same time, the Réserve des Monts d’Azur has been the first to reintroduce large wild herbivores to the French and European ecosystems.
Seasons change
The Monts d’Azur Reserve evolves throughout the year, offering a changing panorama and species to discover as the seasons go by.
The season of births
With the return of fine weather, life blossoms everywhere at La Réserve des Monts d’Azur. Fawns and foals take their first steps, while Nature is decked out in a thousand colors. THE season of renewal, where every moment celebrates the fragility and strength of wild life.
March: The wild boar are the first to roam the reserve
Larys give birth in early March. Their gestation period lasts 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days, for a total of 115 days.
The female gives birth to two or three marcassins, more rarely four or five. After a week, the young in livery are able to follow their mother in her quest for food, until they are one to two years old. It’s not uncommon to see these little families, from the beginning of March, around our domestic horses, no doubt to grab the cereals and pellets that the latter abandon in the meadows.
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May: the first fawns lurk in the undergrowth
At the beginning of April, the hinds seek out a spot protected by dense vegetation, which will serve as a refuge for the unborn fawn when its mother moves away.
In La Réserve, calving begins towards the end of April and ends in early June. After an 8-month gestation period, the doe gives birth to a fawn. Around the same time, doe calves (females of the roe deer family) separate from their young of the previous year to seek out a secluded spot where they give birth to one or two young.
During their first weeks of life, the doe calves and the roe deer give birth to one or two young.
For the first few weeks of their lives, fawns spend most of their time hidden from predators in tall grass or among shrubs. Mothers frequently join them to nurse and groom them.
June: Bison at full gallop
In June, young bison gallop across the prairies. The bison herd stays together even during the birthing season. After a gestation period of nine months, the females ready to give birth leave the herd for a quiet, undisturbed area.
Two to three days after isolating themselves from the group, the females give birth to a single calf, weighing between 12 and 15 kg. They then return to the herd when the calves are strong enough to join the others. Together, they form a “nursery”
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A quiet, easy life
The days stretch on under the sun, offering wildlife a welcome respite. Bison and wild horses gather near waterholes, while birds populate the skies with their incessant ballets. At La Réserve des Monts d’Azur, summer is a peaceful season, punctuated by the mildness of the days and the abundance of Nature.
Late June: eat to your heart's content
Herbivores take advantage of summer to replenish their fat reserves. During the hot hours, they take refuge in the forest, otherwise they prefer to occupy the plains where food abounds. Pastures are neither cultivated nor mown. Bison, horses and deer take care of this agricultural work, stimulating biodiversity by creating high-altitude meadows and lawns where more than 40 plant species flourish!
This spectacular evolution in flora did not happen by chance, however.
This spectacular evolution in flora is not limited to open spaces. It can also be found in forested areas where bison have made their home. In place of a Mediterranean forest of Scots pine, meadow-woods are appearing, reminiscent of those found above 1600 meters altitude in the neighboring Mercantour.
July: wild herbivores transform the landscape
Bison graze in all environments. With their strength, they open up clearings in the forest, which wild horses and deer shape by grazing on bushes that have become accessible. Wild boar complete the job by ploughing the undergrowth. In this way, they accelerate the aeration of the soil and the germination of seeds of pioneer plants that had previously lain dormant. The newly-opened spaces are then colonized by smaller animals, such as chamois, roe deer and hares.
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August: the bison's discreet loves
As summer advances, the heat is fading. The first thunderstorms appear to green the meadows. The buffalo begin to stir. Mating season is just around the corner. From mid-August onwards, the precocious females and those who are not nursing enter into heat. They are joined by the males, who offer their services with a delicacy that could inspire others! The male bison immediately spots the change in the females’ behavior. He then needs to accurately assess the hormonal state of his “sweetheart”. To do this, he has an infallible detection organ, located just behind the palate – the Jacobson’s organ. This is why he regularly sniffs the female’s genital area and, like an oenologist, sucks in the pheromones emitted by the female through his mouth. If he thinks the moment of fertilization has come, the male devotes all his time to the female, accompanying her everywhere, sometimes for several days. Until she gives in to his advances.
Les amours du cerfs
When the days grow shorter and the forest takes on coppery hues, a powerful sound rises up: the stag’s bellow. The males compete in impressive duels, testing their strength to win the right to mate. This ancestral ritual, both intense and majestic, marks the heart of autumn. At La Réserve des Monts d’Azur, the season is punctuated by these wild parades, where Nature vibrates with energy and passion.
September: The pre-brâme
In late summer, deer emerge from the forest. The most vigorous, usually solitary, mark young trees by rubbing violently against them. The young males, or daguets, intrigued by the elders’ maneuvers, gather in herds. They have fun simulating the adults’ jousts. Meanwhile, the hinds continue to roam La Réserve until the first raucous cries of the males in early September. The deer’s bellowing, echoing through the mountains, sets the whole fauna in a frenzy
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Roe deer, wild horses and wild boar cautiously move aside. Only the bison seem to put up with the commotion, which inspires even the youngest among them. It’s not uncommon at this time of year to observe two- and three-year-old males copying their elders and courting the bison.
October: the madness of love
The ballet of love continues until the end of October, with the hinds moving from one roost to another as they please. This practice of polyandry ensures the genetic variability of their offspring. Occasionally, a distracted male or a curious female gets a little too close to the hinds being courted by a stag. The stag’s charge is immediate, and woe betide the unwary stag hit in the abdomen, as a wound can lead to death. Deer fights are spectacular, but rarely fatal. Opponents first challenge each other by voice, then antler-to-antler. They take turns pushing each other back until the weakest gives way. A female deer isn’t worth dying for, especially as the hinds don’t hesitate to cheat the victors with the vanquished!
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Time for survival
When the cold sets in, Nature enters the resistance. Bison and wild horses scour the snow for food, while deer save their energy by taking advantage of the work of the larger species. At La Réserve des Monts d’Azur, winter reveals the strength and adaptability of the wild fauna, often a fascinating show of mutual aid in the heart of the cold season.
November: herbivores scrape vegetation
From November onwards, autumnal mildness gives way to Alpine coolness. While the days are still pleasant, at night the mercury multiplies sub-zero excursions. In December, night-time temperatures can reach -10°C. But there are still plenty of sunny days, reminding us of our proximity to the coast. The grass and vegetation on which herbivores feed desert the plains. From mid-November onwards, the hungry fauna move into the undergrowth, where they find food not consumed during the summer months. They find food by scraping the last of the grass, even if it’s dry, by searching for the few remaining patches of evergreen or by picking the fruit of rosehips and hawthorns. Before the great dearth of January and February, there’s no question of being picky!
December: Avoiding deprivation
Some years, the snow cover is so thick that foraging on the ground is pointless. Animals have to make do with aerial resources: lichens, pine needles, evergreen leaves of broom or boxwood, and, above all, bark. These are not very substantial foods, but they allow them to stave off hunger until something better comes along
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January: searching for water
In the depths of winter, the quest for water becomes a priority. Ponds and streams are covered with a thick layer of ice that the animals have to break through. Food has also become scarce. In the past, animals would migrate to find refuge.
Today, these migrations are impossible.
Today, however, these migrations are impossible, and wildlife must be fed if they are not to be condemned to extinction. These practices are common in Eastern Europe as soon as the snow cover becomes heavy. And at La Réserve when temperatures drop below freezing
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Feeding Przewalski's horses
Przewalski’s horse seems to be best adapted to these harsh conditions. Tirelessly, he roams the reserve, nibbling at just about everything within reach. Its relatively small size and the fat reserves spread throughout its muscles enable it to withstand the most frugal rations. By March, it is barely emaciated. Unlike other species!
Cervid feeding
Deer herds, complete with males, females and young, often accompany bison groups. By breaking branches, shrubs or ice, the bison offer the hinds unexpected access to resources. This can be seen as a form of inter-species cooperation.
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Bison diet
During winter, the bison has difficulty feeding its large carcass of several quintals. That’s why he’s careful not to deplete the fat reserves accumulated during the summer. It’s vital! He reduces his movements. The herd groups together, the animals huddle together to keep warm. In this way, they can better cope with the extreme temperatures of February, which can drop below -20°C.
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When winter comes to an end at the reserve
When winter comes to an end, most animals have lost weight. Fat reserves have been consumed. This weight loss is essential to trigger the breeding season at the right time. Several mild winters often result in births being delayed until autumn. This can have a dramatic effect on young birds born too late and unable to withstand the extreme cold.
Winter is a time of great change.
Winter is a key season for the perpetuation of adults. It eliminates animals that are too weak or sick, and sometimes healthy adults. Beware of climatic excesses. Too harsh a winter can decimate breeding generations, too mild a winter jeopardize the next generation. Decidedly, life is a fragile balance!
Ecological accommodation
Opt for an authentic trip to (re)learn how to connect with the simple but so essential pleasures of Nature.
In summer or autumn, you can spend the night in Ecolodges and enjoy a rare experience. Designed to minimize their impact on the environment, these eco-friendly accommodations offer all the comforts you need while immersing you in the heart of the wild. Here, there’s no superfluity, just the essentials: the whisper of wind in the trees,the ballet of wild animals passing in the distance, birdsong on waking and the precious sensation of being in the middle of nature.
We strongly advise you to book your stays before coming to our location. We cannot guarantee the availability of our accommodation without prior reservation.
Activities for all
Come and observe the wildlife in its natural environment.
The Réserve des Monts d’Azur offers, for the whole family, several activities to do throughout the year. Your Vacances Nature begin with a safari – different according to the season: on foot or by horse-drawn carriage in summer, on snowshoes or sleigh in winter – but always guided by an experienced naturalist.
Enjoy the on-site facilities: photo booths, natural swimming pool, climbing wall, workshops and play areas for children. And more recently the Musée en plein air, which traces the history of the human-wild animal alliance over the past 30,000 years.
On-site, enjoy our restaurant le Tahki, where our Chef Jean-Baptiste offers traditional cuisine revisited. After or before your safari, head to the refreshment area to quench your thirst, grab a snack or sample our crêpes.
For safety reasons, children under the age of -5 cannot take guided walking safaris, and will need to take a carriage safari, accompanied by parents.
An environment to study
The Monts d’Azur Reserve isn’t just a place for wildlife tourism. It’s also a wildlife research center. Every year, it welcomes students and teacher-researchers who study the dynamics of natural environments or the behavior of the guild of European herbivores reunited for the first time in 15,000 years.