Wolf Tracking in the Alps

This is a once in a lifetime 4 day wolf tracking holiday following the tracks of one of the most elusive predators in the Alps, the wolf! A full immersion in nature to de-connect from the world!

Holiday Highlights

• Complete immersion in nature 
• De-connect from modern distractions (no mobile phone connection, no internet)
• Benefit from knowledgeable and experienced local guide for spotting and understanding wildlife
• Visit breathtaking scenery and wild, untouched mountains
• Small group, quality experience with maximum 8 people on the trip
• Opportunity to spot a wide range of animal and birdlife including golden eagles, black grouse, ptarmigan, chamois, deer, wild boar, foxes and if you are lucky, a wolf!
• Contribute to the wolf network and management of wolves in the Alps

Brief History of Wolves in the Alps

Wolves, were originally wiped out of France at the beginning of the 20th century. However, there has always been a population in Italy and gradually over the years, the Italian wolves have migrated back into the French Alps.

The first official sightings of wolves in the French Alps were in 1992 and 1993 in the Alpes Maritimes. The wolves have continued to spread west and north looking for new territories and the Southern Alps, with its wild and unspoilt mountains rich in chamois, mouflon, wild boar, deer and other prey is a perfect habitat and now home to the highest concentration of wolves in France. Read more on the history of wolves on our blog.

Wolves remain very controversial and as such we keep the actual destination of our wolf tracking trips secret. Have a read of the BBC' Wildlife magazine's analysis of the Wolves in the Alps

Your Guide and Wolf Expert

Your high mountain guide and tracker, Bernard has been following the colonisation of the wolves in the area for 20 years. With a wealth of local knowledge and access to a network of other local wolf enthusiasts, you won't get a much better insight into these elusive animals.

He will take you on a 4 day adventure following tracks and signs of wolf activity in the area and give you a rare insight in to the lives and behaviour of the other animals as they live under the threat of the wolf. This is a tracking holiday so we will be following signs of wolves and spending some time wildlife watching and interpreting what we see.

However, it isn't a wolf park and the territory of each pack or solitary wolf is enormous. So, please be aware that although you may be lucky and find signs straight away, you may not find anything and there is no guarantee you will see or hear a wolf.  

All significant signs of wolf activity; sightings, howling, that we find will be recorded and sent into the official 'wolf network' who monitor the colonisation of wolves in the French Alps to help in their research.

Who will love this trip?

If you are looking for a wildlife holiday in the Alps and are interested in wolves and nature then you will love this tracking adventure. Wildlife photographers will have a ball!

Please note that the fixed departure date trips are based on a group size of 6 - 10. We prefer to keep the groups small (maximum 10 people but usually 6 or 7) to minimise disruption and noise and also feel you get a better quality trip. However it is possible to cater for smaller or larger groups and families. Please contact us for a quote.

The best time to track wolves is when there is a little bit of snow on the ground as it is easier to follow signs and tracks over long distances.

You can also read an article in the Irish examiner by ecologist Pádraic Fogarty who participated in one of our wolf tracking trips in 2024. 

Our wolf tracking kit list should give you an idea of what you'll need on this adventure!

Sustainable Tourism

To reduce our impact on the environment, we only run this trip a maximum of twice a year and limit the group size to 8 people. The toilet used is an outside dry toilet and water use, taken from a nearby spring, is optimised for drinking, washing and cooking. Only biodegradable products are used for washing and cleaning. All waste is taken out of the natural environment and recyclable objects recycled. Energy use is minimal as there is no electricity in the accommodation, so candles are used for lighting and wood for heating.

Your guide is a local guide from the area and he will help you to gain a greater insight into the mountain eco-system and the cycles and equilibrium between species on this trip.

We will also plant a tree on your behalf with our partners Mossy Earth to help offset your carbon footprint from this trip.

We have used Carmacal, a tool which calculates the Green House Gas (GHG) CO2 emissions for tourism products by combining emissions from flights and land transport, accommodation and activities.

Please have a look at the full carbon footprint report.

Itinerary

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The arrival and departure point for this trip is Marseille airport or Aix-en-Provence TGV train station

WE OFFER A 3% DISCOUNT TO ANYONE TRAVELLING BY TRAIN INSTEAD OF PLANE. To claim your 3% discount, you will need to show us proof of train travel for routes of over 3 hours that could have been taken by plane. Please ask when you book.

The first transfer is scheduled for 10h30 from Marseille airport and 11h from Aix-en-Provence TGV on your arrival day so please make sure you organise your flights or trains to coincide with these pick up times. There are a number of early morning flights from the UK that arrive in time for this transfer. If you are travelling by other means, please make sure you can get to the airport for 10h30. We will let you know where exactly to meet in the airport if you are not arriving on a flight.

For getting back, we will make sure you get to the TGV station for 17h35 and to the airport for 18h in time for an evening flight. 

Whilst we can be a little bit flexible for slight delays, we can't compromise the trip for the rest of the group for a delayed or cancelled flight or train. If you miss the scheduled transfers, the costs of getting you to the wolf tracking destination (a 2 hour taxi) will be at your own expense. Similarly, if your return flight or train is cancelled or requires an earlier transfer back to the airport, this will be at your expense.