The Region of Champsaur and Valgaudemar
They get the best weather in the Alps, with 300 days of sunshine a year and provide access to one of the most dramatic nature reserves in the Alps - the Ecrins national park.
And, as they're largely unknown to foreign tourists you really can feel like you've got the place to yourself.
Champsaur is a beautiful open valley that gradually becomes steeper and narrower as you venture further into the mountains. It's home to a collection of old stone villages and hamlets, whose traditions are still very much alive today uniting agriculture with local tourism.
Adjacent to it is Valgaudemar, a deep 30 km long valley winding through the feet of the enormous rocky giants of the Ecrins. You'll see waterfalls and mountain torrents, towered over by sheer rock faces and high summits abundant with a variety of wildlife.
In the two valleys we have two nesting pairs of golden eagles, ibex, chamois, plenty of marmots and some wild boar. There are over 60 species of wild orchid, a huge variety of bulbs like wild daffodils, and tulips, high altitude plants like genepi, wild fruits; raspberries, strawberries and blueberries and a whole range of other plants, berries and fruits that i don't know all the names of!
France is divided up into departments and Champsaur and Valgaudemr are in department 05 - the Hautes Alpes.
For a more detailed map of the valleys click here
