Provence usually conjures up pictures of rolling inexperienced hills, countless rows of lavender fields and honey-stone hilltop villages, however in actuality this space is far wilder than you would possibly suppose. Its setting lies within the south-eastern nook of France, higher often known as the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azure area, which is without doubt one of the nation’s most numerous areas: a spot the place you could be rubbing shoulders with the glitterati in Cannes someday and scaling limestone peaks or snowboarding within the mountains the subsequent. The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence division is the place this panorama shifts up a gear, revealing an more and more steep terrain till it meets the jagged band of snowy summits that make up the southernmost portion of the French Alps. This topography is heaven for adventurers, with every kind of thrills on the menu, from mountain climbing and rafting to biking, canyoning and, in fact, mountaineering.

Within the south of the division lies the Verdon Pure Regional Park. Right here you’ll discover France’s reply to the Grand Canyon: Verdon Gorge, a breathtaking 25km-long ravine that sinks to a depth of 700m at factors. The turquoise-green glacial waters of the Verdon River are a hotspot for watersports. Elsewhere, within the extra distant reaches of the park, it’s possible you’ll spy chamois, roe deer and wild boar roaming the land, whereas griffon vultures and golden eagles are recognized to patrol overhead. The remainder of it’s given over to the Plateau de Valensole, the place countless lavender fields brighten the summer season months.