Photo : Jpmgir / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Cascade de Vens
The Vens waterfall is in the upper Tinée valley, in the commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, in the heart of the Mercantour National Park. It feeds the Vens torrent, which comes down from the valley where the famous Lacs de Vens lie. The paths start from the Col de la Bonette road, notably at the hamlet of Le Pra, at about 1,700 metres' altitude.
The climb into the valley follows the torrent through the larches and leads, higher up, to a string of five glacial lakes set between 2,286 and 2,327 metres. The largest, 31 metres deep, is overlooked by the Vens refuge. An old mule bridge, once used for exchanges between the Tinée and Ubaye valleys, recalls the historic importance of the passage. The whole offers a high-mountain landscape typical of the Mercantour.
