Walk from Bellevue to the col de Voza mountain pass

The perfect background for your memento photograph of Mont Blanc, fireweed populates the area with its beautiful bright pink spikes.In addition to its aesthetic appeal, this nectar-rich plant attracts pollinators and grows easily. It is extremely useful for revegetating damaged alpine and northern environments. Its roots also help to strengthen the soil.

The plants of the mountain pasture are mostly grasses (herbs) associated with multicolored flowers with pretty names such as Gentian, Willowherb, Holy Clover, Starthisles, Maidenstears, Bellflower...However, this enchanting scenery is a result of herbs' adaptation to the harsh mountain environment.At this altitude, due to accumulation of snow over a period of several months, the optimal season for plant development is very short, so the plants have to be extremely resourceful to reproduce within this timeframe. One such trick is to have large, colourful petals to attract pollinators.

With their dark, stocky bodies and black-tipped horns, you'd think they were a herd of bulls. Wrong! These are fighting cows: Hérens. This Swiss breed from the Val d'Hérens in the Valais is also renowned for its meat and milk. They fight among themselves to establish the hierarchy in the herd. The dominant cows (the queens) in each herd compete in "queen fights" to determine the queen of the canton or valley.

A trailblazer in high-altitude accommodation since the early 19th century, it closed in 1980. At the end of the 90s, it was decided to rebuild the hotel, located on the Mont-Blanc massif. 10 years and 3 projects later, planning permission has finally been obtained! The hotel's goal is to be the first "passive" hotel in France: very low energy consumption, thanks in particular to the use of solar energy. The hotel was due to open in 2010! But because the building permit was not complied with, this new-generation hotel was never able to open...

It's a tiny bird, but an important one! A native of meadows and mainly feeding on insects and spiders, its presence is a sign that the meadow it occupies is in a good state of health. It can be found here on this mountain pasture. The male, an avid singer, perches on high plants and stands guard over the female as she lays her eggs. However, the nest does not protect them from all dangers. The nest built on the ground makes the chicks very vulnerable. So be careful! Remember to keep your dogs on a leash in spring!

Mont Lachat is a Sensitive Natural Area (ENS). This is an area recognised for its natural heritage, but which is threatened and/or vulnerable due to urbanisation or the proliferation of industrial activities. The Mont Lachat ENS has been the site of daring efforts to rehabilitate and renaturate the site. After dismantling an old wind tunnel, the soil was reseeded with a mixture of local seeds. A total of 5,000 square metres was restored by September 2015. For a site located at an altitude of 2,000 metres, at the foot of a glacier and exposed to the wind, this was truly an unprecedented scientific experiment.