Embark on a 2-hour hiking tour of the Hautes Chaumes of the Vosges, starting from the Col de la Schlucht, with a professional, qualified live guide. The goal is simple and straightforward: to observe chamois in their natural habitat using an easy approach, adapted to the participants, and loaned observation equipment (spotting scope and binoculars).
After meeting at the Schlucht Pass, you will take the trails towards the heights of the Hohneck. Along the way, your guide will help you to read the landscape and spot areas where animals pass through. Once in the observation areas, you will alternative between walking and taking quiet breaks to increase your chances of spotting chamois without disturbing them. You will also learn about their way of life and their adaptations to the mountain environment: eyesight capable of detecting movement up to 500 metres away in the gloom, a sense of smell that confirms the presence of intruders at a great distance, and hearing accustomed to sounds associated with human activity while remaining alert to unusual noises. Your guide will show you how to estimate the age of a chamois by observing the rings on its horns.
Depending on the season, you will also learn about their diet: flowers, grasses and herbaceous plants in summer, followed by a more frugal diet in winter, consisting of ivy, holly or juniper, relying on the fat reserves they built up during the warmer months. The outing ends with a drop-off at the Schlucht Pass. Optionally, you can continue with a mountain meal at a farm-inn (on request).