Vosges: Chamois-watching hiking tour｜France

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Set off on a 2-hour hiking tour in the Hautes Chaumes des Vosges, starting from the Col de la Schlucht, with a professional licensed guide. The goal is simple and clear: to observe the chamois in their natural habitat through an easy approach adapted to the participants, and with observation equipment provided (spotting scope and binoculars).

After meeting at the Schlucht Pass, you'll take the trails towards the heights of Hohneck. Along the way, your live guide helps you read the landscape and spot the areas where the animals pass through. Once in the observation areas, you alternate between walking and taking discreet breaks to increase your chances of seeing the chamois without disturbing them. You will also learn about their way of life and their adaptations to the mountain environment: sight that can detect movement up to 500 meters away in the dim light, a sense of smell that confirms the presence of intruders from a great distance, and hearing that is accustomed to the sounds of human activity while remaining alert to unusual noises. Your live guide shows you how to estimate the age of a chamois by looking at the rings on its horns.

Depending on the season, you will also learn about their diet: flowers, grasses, and herbaceous plants in summer, then a more frugal diet in winter, with ivy, holly, or juniper, relying on the fat reserves built up during the sunny days. The tour ends with a drop-off at the Schlucht Pass. Optionally, you can continue with a mountain meal at a farm-inn (on request).