Vallouise

Vallouise is located on the edge of the Ecrins National Park, at the foot of the prestigious summit of Mont Pelvoux. Within a 10 minute drive are the ski resorts of Puy St Vincent and Pelvoux-Vallouise, which are on the Galaxie Ski Pass. Vallouise has everything (summer and winter) to attract people who love mountains and alpine scenery.

This picturesque alpine village, with its traditional architecture combining wood and stone, is renowned for its listed medieval church with Romanesque porch and Lombardic frieze.

Vallouise offers skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, climbing (rock, ice, alpine mountaineering, scrambling), via ferrata and amazing hill walking. Vallouise is a great summer destination too. It offers a multitude of activities from mountain biking to relaxing under the Provençal sun around the local outdoor swimming pool bathed in 300 days of sunshine a year!”

Ailefroid

This alpine hamlet is an excellent base for alpine mountaineering, walking and rock-climbing; it is nestled in the heart of the Ecrins National Park at an altitude of 1550m.

The Barre des Ecrins at 4,101m is the highest peak in the region and a worthy object for any competent alpine party. The Barre is flanked by an array of alpine jewels with routes at all levels and all easily accessible from Ailefroid and Apartment Sabu.

For the walker, wander through alpine meadows and harvest wild strawberries. There are lots of huts to visit, passes to cross, lakes to camp beside and the Ecrins Massif to be encircled, in the classic fourteen day GR54 “Tour of the Oisans”.

If rock climbing is your thing. There are 300m rock walls five minutes from the hamlet, 600m limestone walls just down the road, and beautiful rock ridges that will take your breath away.

Argentière la Besse

This alpine town is at the entrance to the Vallouise valley and is better described as the real home of alpine mountain sports. It hosts many of the famous international competitions such as the annual Ice Festival (ice climbing), Tout à Blocs (rock climbing/bouldering) and the Canoe, Kayak and Slalom Euro Championships. Even the Mayor’s office is involved – it has the largest ice axe in the world, you can see it driving down the main street!

But Argentière la Besse is not just about “high-octane” extreme sports. It hosts a full and vibrant weekly market and has an amazing boucherie to purchase all your local produce if you’ve missed the market. It is also the gateway to the valleys of Fournel and Fressinieres – two incredibly stunning valleys.

Briançon

Briançon is the highest town in Europe and an impressive fortress town. Designed by the great military architect, Vauban, this walled and fortified City is really something to see. Briançon was a medieval fortress before Vauban arrived in 1692 to prepare it for the days of canon warfare.

The town is divided into two parts. The lower town is at the junction of the Durance and Guisane rivers, the upper town is the walled area at the top, fortified by Vauban and includes the Fort du Chateau fortress at the peak.

Briançon has a wonderful selection of restaurants (including an Indian and Thai), bars and shops as well as the regular market. Whether you fancy a rest day from your mountain adventures, a spot of retail therapy or a slap-up meal in one of France’s most historic towns a trip to Briançon during your stay at Apartment Sabu is highly recommended.

Ecrins National Park

The Ecrins National Park, which will be on your doorstep at Apartment Sabu, has abundant wildlife. Look out for eagles, chamois, willow grouse, marmots, black grouse, ptarmigan, blanchons, and even stoats….in all 167 rare and valuable species.

The flora is equally diverse – 1,800 varieties with 387 rare species. Away from the traditional lavender fields of Provence you might find blue thistles, lilies and purple gentians and high altitude plants such as androsace, saxifrage, silene and edelweiss. But the Ecrins are not the only mountains to explore. Only 20 minutes drive away is the Parc Regional du Queyras, a nature reserve that is quite unique in the Alps. Throughout the park’s 650 sq.km there are many mountain trails across wild, colourful countryside full of both traditional flowers of Provence as well as those from the Arctic and the Caucasus. For more information visit www.paysdesecrins.com

Mountain Sports

There is something here for rock climbers, hill walkers, trekkers and mountaineers alike. Ailefroid is only 10 minutes up the road and offers everything from quality bouldering to classic alpine ascents of all grades.

With all of these mountains the streams and rivers offer superb kayaking and white water experiences. But the activities do not end there. You can also go swimming, fishing, paragliding, via ferrata, canyoning and horse riding.

You can access over 1000km of mountain biking trails. With 58 marked circuits, from routes that only take 45 minutes, up to 2 day itineraries. The variety of terrain is huge including high altitude trails, forest roads, and white knuckle descents. Also, Vallouise is surrounded by mountain passes, often seen and regularly used in the alpine section of the Tour de France. It makes this area a haven for the road bike enthusiasts.

Lake Embrun and Embrun town

Lake Embrun (or its proper name of the Serre-Ponçon lake), situated in the Ubaye Valley is an untouched, preserved natural paradise where you can breathe pure mountain air and enjoy an unimaginable range of water sports. Everything from kite surfing to wind surfing and sailing are on offer and it is only a 30 minute drive South from Apartment Sabu.

Overlooking the water is the town of Embrun, a fortress enthroned on its rock. In Roman times Embrun was the capital of the Maritime Alps, in the Middle Ages it was an ecclesiastical centre, and in the 17th century it was fortified by Vauban. It’s known as the "Nice of the Alps" because of its gentle climate, and will doubtless impress you with its glorious history. It's a small town deserving a whole day of exploration, through the maze of pedestrian streets and alleys in the old town, and cheerful, colourful house fronts decorated with pastel or brighter tints.