Ecrins National Park + Calanques National Park
Ecrins National Park and Calanques Tour (8-11 September 2021)
How did I end up visiting Ecrins National Park and Calanques?
Ever since my visit to the French Pyrenees National Park in May 2021, I started to read more about the other French National Parks. Excluding the 3 national parks in oversea departments, France has 8 national parks. I thought, to visit to all the 8 national parks during my MBA study sounds like an achievable mission. (To read more about the National Parks of France, please click on the wiki link below)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_France
To visit to all these national parks within 16 months definitely seem achievable. However, inter district travelling was only allowed starting May 2021. And I have other core commitments, travelling is only a luxury I can enjoy during a break. Besides, some of the parks are only open from June to October. Taking all these into consideration, some planning are definitely required.
At the beginning of Summer, I have travelled to south of France for 8 days with 4 other MBA friends. We have a great time exploring Marseille, Nice, Cannes and Monaco. During the stay in Marseille, we have managed to trek a portion of the Calanques national park. This time around, I would love to explore the turquoise water of the Calanques.
The trip highlights
8-9 September After a month of driving for France travel, I have now opted for public transportation. You know, as the hardcore environment activists want it, better for environment. After returning from Azores, I put up a night in an AirBnb room near Gare de Lyon. With the train ticket bought in advance, I left to Marseille Gare Saint Charles from Gare de Lyon the next early morning.
Upon arrival at the Gare Saint Charles, I took a bus to the airport. I picked up my rental car from the Airport.
Why renting from the airport and not the Gare? It happened that there are more choices at the airport, and the price was more competitive too. I rented the car mainly for the trip to the Ecrins national park. It will be quite challenging to go to the Ecrins park without a car.
It was about 3 hours drive from Marseille airport to the starting point of the my planned hike.
Why this hike?
I would love to take some photos at the Lac with the Ecrins Mountain range as backdrop. Besides, on 8th September night, the moon phase was a very mild waning crescent, a perfect condition for milky way shot, provided the sky is clear.
With all gears packed (tent, food and drinks, light, cloth, energy bar), I started my hike from the Chalet du Gioberney, hiking towards the Lac Lauzon. It was supposed to be a relatively easy hike of 1.5 hour. However, at midway, I came to a vertical water fall that cut through the trail. It didn't seem like a right path to follow.
Then I decided to turn back, and met another hiker who knew the right way to go. Finally, after close to 2 hours of hiking, I reached the Lac Lauzon.
It was already September, it didn't surprise me that there were only 2 other tents around the lake area. I set up my tent, made myself comfortable, had my dinner, and waited for the night to come.
Light drizzling, and the heavy cloud remained there. No matter how many times I woke up and peeping out from my tent, no star was visible, what more to say the Galactic Center. The weather was quite a disappointment for any good night photography.
A year back, I would probably get very upset. After hiking for hours with a 14kg backpack carrying the tent and other gears, all I saw was white cloud in the middle of the night. But I have learned quite a lot about what we can control and what we can't, and there is no point getting upset over things beyond our control.
After taking a few photos, I hiked down to the chalet around 9am the next morning. There was a small path (With marking) at the left corner of the Chalet that leads to a majestic waterfall. I followed that trail and spent some time there, appreciating the beauty of the nature.
Some hikers would opt to continue their hike to Lac Bleu, i.e. further up from the Lac Lauzon. I opted out. I have copied below information to give you some idea of the trail.
- Departure : Chalet du Gioberney, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar
- Altitudes : 1640m (Chalet du Gioberney), 2008m (Lauzon lake), 2182m (Blue lake)
- Elevation gain : 542m
- Duration : 1h15 (Lac Lauzon) – 1h45 (Lac Bleu)
After the short stay at the waterfall, I continued my journey (driving) to the accommodation that I booked through Booking.com. It was a 40m2 apartment at Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur.
Don't be fooled by the exterior of the building. The owner was still renovating the accommodation. The moment I stepped into my room (or maybe I should call it an apartment), I was amazed with how great and complete it was. The unit also came with WIFI and NETFLIX on the TV. And I paid only 40 Euro for this amazing stay.
With the complete kitchen in this apartment, I went to Carrefour express nearby the town to get my food supply and a bottle of Rose Wine. I had a great evening chilling in this apartment.
10 September I wish I could stay longer in this comfy and quiet apartment. After cleaning up the apartment, I left to Marseille at about 12pm. I took my sweet time driving at my own pace, as I could only check in to the AirBnb private room near Marseille train station at 6pm. I have opted to stay close to the train station so that I can move around freely between train station and the old port on foot.
After returning the rental car at the airport, I took the bus to the train station. From the train station, my accommodation was just 5 minutes walk away.
This was my second time in Marseille. I have came here (Driving) end of June with 4 friends. This time around, I decided to try the Middle Eastern food near the Gare.
After the dinner, I went exploring the old town.
Guess what, I found Arc de Triomph in Marseille.
11 September I woke up early and walked to the old port, getting ready for the Calanques boat trip. I signed up a full day trip by EcoCalanques. It costs me 110 Euro, with lunch included. I guess that is the price to pay to support Eco Tourism. The boat was running on battery instead of fuel, as claimed by the website.
The captain was great, the food was great. However, the 2 stops didn't live up to my earlier expectation. I was hoping to snorkel at some really great spots along the Calanques, but both the 2 stops were more like a usual tourist stop, with views that are not too spectacular. Nonetheless, I was still thrilled by the fact that I have finally covered not only the land but also the sea of Calanques National Park.
After returning from the boat trip, I had my early dinner in a port side restaurant. What other menu if not the Creamy Mussels and a glass of wine?
12 September Finally, it was time to return to the campus. Staying near the Gare allowed me to leave the accommodation slightly later than I normally did. It was an amazing 13 days of travelling, from Portugal to France, from Sao Miguel island to Marseille, from Ecrins National Park to Calanques National Park.
My transports, accommodation, and F&B
- Train ticket Oui : 64 Euro (Gare de Lyon - Gare St Charles - Gare de Lyon)
- Rentalcars.com (Golden car): 162.90 Euro (2days, with full insurance) ; Petrol: 50 Euro
- Food: 80 Euro
- Accommodation: Booking.com (Saint Bonnet) 39.45 Euro; Airbnb Marseille : 91.34 Euro (2 nights)
- Eco Calanque : 110 euro
My 3 Plus and 2 Minus:-
3 things I like about this trip:
- The relatively easy hike from the Chalet to the Lac Lauzon in Ecrin National Park.
- The water fall in front of the Chalet du Gioberney
- A very relaxing evening in the refurbished apartment in Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur
2 thing I would do differently if I can turn back the clock:
- Did a bit more research on what each Calanque boat operator offers, to match their offer to my expectation
- Bring a layer of foam to put it in the tent for a more comfortable sleep
Surprise (or a refresher) learning of the trip:
Focus on what we can control, work on what we can influence and don't drain your energy on circle of concern.