Wolf Tracking in the Alps

We have put together an example itinerary for you so you can get an idea of what to expect on your wolf tracking adventure. But it is not set in stone and we will adapt it to suit the group.

The main thing to remember is that you will be following wild animals so it is really they who will be dictating the itinerary!

We will collect you from Marseille airport at 10h30 or Aix-e-Provence TGV train station at 11h. There are several early flights and TGV lines that arrive in time for this transfer or you can arrive the day before, stay overnight in Marseille and meet us at the airport. We will ask you for your flight and train details when you book and will be at arrivals to meet you. 

We will then drive up to the walk in to the refuge (about a 2 hour drive) and eat a picnic lunch (you need to bring this first picnic lunch with you) before walking in to the refuge. Depending on the snow conditions, it may be possible to get a 4x4 up to the refuge, but if not we will be carrying everything up on foot and may need to do a few round trips!

We will then unpack and set up the refuge whilst it is still light. Once everything is set up, we'll go for a walk around the area with Bernard, your high mountain guide and tracker for a first explore to look for signs and prints of wolves and other wildlife and get a feel for the area! 

After getting back to the refuge, we will cook dinner together and eat under candlelight. We'll discuss our plans for the next few days based on recent sightings, any evidence we find and other local intelligence.

After a hot coffee and breakfast in the refuge, we'll pack our sacks and set off for the second day of our wolf tracking adventure. 

The actual destination will depend on where the wolves are thought to be at the time, but walking is likely to be ‘off piste’ in a wild, all terrain environment.

You will be looking at the signs of all the different animals; chamois, wild boar, mouflon and deer, living in the wolves' territory. You will learn how to identify and interpret their prints - whether they are fresh or old, running, walking or ambling, you'll see what food they eat, discover their favourite places, where they drink, their dens..... all useful information to help locate and understand the wolves.

If we find fresh wolf prints our route will be determined and we'll follow their tracks and interpret their behaviour along the way... do they separate to hunt, are they running or slowly patrolling their territory, do they play or rest, what are they looking for and where are they going? Have they recently hunted and eaten or are they hungry in search of prey.... ?

By the end of the day you will have a really good insight into the behaviour of the wolves and mountain wildlife as they eat, sleep, mate and carry out their lives under the threat of their biggest predators.

At the end of the day, we'll head back to the refuge and prepare for the evening. Another evening out in the wilds of the Alps under the moonlight and stars. We know there are animals out there, we will hear them in the dark... and there is a strong possibility the wolves are even watching us... We'll put up the camera again, maybe in a different place this time to see what goes on around the refuge at night!

After a hot coffee and breakfast, we'll pack our sacks and set off for the third day of our wolf tracking adventure.

By now you'll be getting a real feel for the local wildlife and will know where to look to find chamois and mouflon as they graze, you'll notice where roe deer slept the night, where wild boar traversed in search of food and will be able to tell the difference between a dog and a wolf print.

We may change sectors to look in a different wolf pack territory or stay where we are, depending on what we have discovered so far. From this refuge there are two established wolf pack territories though these are reasonably dynamic and can change.

Who knows what we'll find today, one thing is guaranteed though and that is that it will be a wildlife adventure that you won't forget! We'll be looking vigilantly for the wolves and signs of their activity and will try howling to try and start up communication with them. It may feel bizarre howling out loud into the wilderness but the wolves do respond. It is one of the official ways to find out if wolf packs have reproduced. You can tell in the replies if it is a youngster or adult!!

A last evening at the refuge - maybe a good night for an outside bbq if weather permits!

This morning we will clean and tidy the refuge and pack up all our belongings, kit and any left over food. We have privileged access to this refuge so it is important that we leave it in the same state or better than how we found it!

Depending on how much time we have, we will head out for one last track from the refuge or in a different sector en route to the airport, again following signs of the wolves. It's the last chance we'll have to see if we can catch a glimpse of where they are hiding so we'll take our time scanning the mountainsides with our binoculars! We'll also spend some time howling to see if we can elicit some communication with the wolves.

At the end of your adventure, you should be able to tell the difference between a dog print and wolf print, a chamois, deer or wild boar print, and whether it was running or walking and in what direction, you’ll have discovered the hiding places and dens of the animals and seen and heard plenty of wildlife. You may even have been lucky enough to have caught a glimpse of the wolves in action or heard them howling! We'll then head off back to civilisation.

We'll take you back to the TGV at Aix-en-Provence for 17h35 or Marseille airport for 18h in time for an evening train or flight back home.