Monges Massif, Retrouvance®

This trip is for experienced to very experienced walkers. Each day involves 4 to 8 hours of walking and/or 280m to 1250m of ascent and 545m to 1430m of descent. The walks follow paths at altitudes between 850m and 2115m. A good level of fitness is required. There are no technical difficulties, but the route is very physically demanding due to the length of the stages and the elevation changes.

Luggage transport is included and handled by the logistics coordinator. You only carry what you need for the day, along with your picnic lunch, in a small backpack or shoulder bag.

From 6 to 12 participants.

Guide gratuities are optional and at your discretion. To reward outstanding service, a suggested guideline is 5–10% of the total trip cost. Local currency is preferred.

6 days / 5 nights / 6 days of walking.

Around two weeks before departure, you will receive meeting instructions specifying the meeting time and place, the guide’s name and contact details, and the address of the first accommodation.

Guiding and support

A qualified mountain walking guide, assisted by a logistics coordinator at the ONF accommodation.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided in 5 lodges, including municipal and state-owned properties.
The O.N.F lodges have been fully restored. In keeping with mountain tradition, they retain their original architectural character while respecting their surroundings and the landscape. Their interiors provide comfortable places to stay in exceptional settings.

Each evening, the group is welcomed by a logistics coordinator who takes care of supplies and transports luggage and food (prepared by local providers) from one stage to the next.
During your stay, a forestry officer will meet you to introduce you to their work and the history of the forest they manage.

Night 1 - GITE COMMUNAL DU SERRE - AUZET (04140) for September / October.
In the heart of the village - Capacity: 14 people

• On the ground floor: dining room - kitchen, 2 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 1 bathroom, 1 toilet
• On the lower floor: 5 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms, 1 toilet

Alternatively, night 1 - GITE DU BOIS DE GONIN – BARLES (04140) for stays in August.
On the outskirts of the village, in a secluded location - Capacity: 14 people

• Communal cube: 1 dining room - kitchen, 1 toilet
• Second cube: 3 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms, 1 toilet
• Third cube: 4 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms, 1 toilet

Second night GITE DU BOIS DE GONIN – BARLES (04140) for stays in September / October.
On the outskirts of the village, in a secluded location - Capacity: 14 people

• Communal cube: 1 dining room - kitchen, 1 toilet
• Second cube: 3 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms, 1 toilet
• Third cube: 4 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms, 1 toilet

Alternatively, night 2 MAISON FORESTIERE DE FONTBELLE - CASTELLARD MELAN (04380) for stays in August.
Secluded location in the forest - Capacity: 14 people

• On the ground floor: dining room – kitchen, 2 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 1 bathroom, 1 toilet
• Upstairs: 4 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms
• Attic: 1 bedroom with 2 beds

Third night MAISON FORESTIERE DE FONTBELLE - CASTELLARD MELAN (04380)
Secluded location in the forest - Capacity: 14 people

• On the ground floor: dining room – kitchen, 2 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 1 bathroom, 1 toilet
• Upstairs: 4 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 2 bathrooms
• Attic: 1 bedroom with 2 beds

Fourth night GITE DU LAC DES MONGES – ESPARRON LA BATIE (BAYONS) (04250)
Secluded location in the forest – smaller building (70m2), with a more rustic layout. Capacity: 12 people
1 living area with an equipped kitchen opening onto a large terrace – 1 bathroom, including 1 toilet (accessible for people with disabilities). 1 bedroom adjoining the shower room with 2 bunk beds, 2 bedrooms accessed from outside, each equipped with 2 bunk beds.

Fifth night GITE LE CHATEAU – BAYONS (04250)
In the heart of the village, on upper floors without a lift - Capacity: 14 people
Second floor: dining room - kitchen, 2 toilet, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 1 bedroom with 1 single bed
Third floor (attic): 1 bathroom, 1 toilet, 2 bedrooms with 2 single beds, 1 bedroom with 3 single beds

Additional information:

• The forest lodges at Fontbelle and Lac des Monges generate their own electricity using solar panels. The available socket may only be used to charge small devices, such as a mobile phone or camera (no hairdryers).
• Mobile reception is not guaranteed throughout the route, as it takes place in the mountains, with their inevitable signal blackspots… but you will be able to say a quick hello to your loved ones from time to time!
• SHEETS AND DUVETS are provided (except when anti-Covid measures apply), so you do not need to bring a sleeping bag.

Meals

Breakfasts and dinners are served at your accommodation, with menus featuring local produce and specialities. Lunch is a picnic carried in your backpack.

Meeting point / End of trip

For September / October:
On Day 1 at 13:30 outside the Selonnet visitor reception point (Town Hall – parking available on site). You will leave your luggage and head straight off by shuttle to your first walk.

For August:
On Day 1 at 09:00 outside the Selonnet visitor reception point (Town Hall – parking available on site). You will leave your luggage and depart directly by shuttle at 09:30 for your first walk.

On Day 6 at around 16:30 outside the Selonnet visitor reception point.

Trips run from Sunday to Friday, from May to October.

Public transport
Via Digne-les-Bains – 04000: check the current coach connection before booking.
From Aix-en-Provence TGV station or Nice, check current connections to Digne-les-Bains and Selonnet in the ZOU! Alpes-de-Haute-Provence timetables. From Nice, the Train des Pignes connects Nice with Digne-les-Bains. Check connections before booking.

Via Gap – 05000:
On the SNCF overnight service: Paris Austerlitz – Briançon:

Paris–Briançon overnight train to Gap SNCF station, then a taxi or shuttle (39.5km)

• Via Digne: take exit 20 towards Digne-les-Bains, then the N85 to Digne, heading towards Barcelonnette via La Javie, Le Vernet and Seyne-les-Alpes, then the D1 to Selonnet (1 hour 30 minutes from Digne-les-Bains).
• From Gap, follow the D900b to Espinasse, then the D900b towards Barcelonnette, followed by Saint-Vincent-les-Forts / Col Saint-Jean on the D900 towards Seyne-les-Alpes, and the D1 to Selonnet.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either along the day’s route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame not to make the most of them. However, we emphasise that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore your own responsibility and at your own risk.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

With a seat on the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector develop more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we take care to:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We encourage every traveller to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and foster meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in environmental protection, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our practical efforts to promote responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

• A small, comfortable 30 to 45 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack or a soft-sided travel bag in good condition.

One bag per person, limited to 10kg.

• Waterproof hiking boots with ankle support, a sturdy heel counter and a well-treaded sole (essential)
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Shorts, T-shirts and technical underwear (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Trekking poles (telescopic), very important for making walking easier

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. Merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of resisting sweat odours! (Brands include Icebreaker, Ruka, etc.).

As a general rule, avoid cotton, which makes you cold when wet.

For your picnic lunch

• 1 airtight plastic container (1l capacity) for packing picnic lunches
• Cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• A water bottle with a minimum capacity of 1,5L (required)

For protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection) and sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly Gore-Tex trousers

After your walk

• A pair of running shoes for the evenings
• A change of clothes and underwear
• Toiletries and a small towel
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, Elastoplast, Biogaze or “2nd skin”, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin for minor aches and injuries… (Quite a list! But rest assured, your first-aid kit often comes home untouched after your week of hiking.)

Blanche Serre-Ponçon Tourist Office
Maison de Pays
04140 Seyne-Les-Alpes
Tel: 0492351100

https://www.blancheserreponcon-tourisme.com/

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