The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) is a characteristic animal of the Alps and the Vercors. It lives on sheer cliffs, grassy ledges and screes, and it climbs a steep slope in a few minutes when we need several hours.
Spotted one before?
Want to know more and watch it for longer?
This is the time to set out on a hike in the Vercors with one of the Pied Vert mountain leaders.
The ingredients of an outing on the trail of the chamois:
- a short hike with the physical difficulty adjusted by your guide to the group's level
- playful activities to get to know the chamois inside out
- a session with binoculars or a spotting scope (provided by the mountain leader) and the identification of presence signs, so you can later follow a chamois trail on your own
About chamois sightings: the mountain leader running a Vercors wildlife outing maximises the chance of an encounter through their knowledge of the area and the species. Sightings cannot be guaranteed: the regional nature park of the Vercors is not a wildlife park.
Book
This outing covers in particular:
How do you tell an Isard from a Chamois?
The Isard is smaller... but the most reliable way is to remember where you were when you saw it: the chamois lives in the Alps, the isard in the Pyrenees.
How do you tell an Isard from an Ibex?
Ibex don't have the chamois's black mask on a white head. They do have much larger horns that curl slightly.
What does the chamois eat?
The chamois is a herbivore. It feeds mainly on grasses and buds.
In the field, we will look for browsing signs that may have been left by the chamois. We will also think about how the chamois survives winter in the Vercors when snow covers much of its food.
What is the chamois's young called?
Simply a kid. From 18 months on, it becomes an éterle or an éterlou.
And if time allows, we will ask in the field:
- How do you estimate the age of a chamois?
- What is an éterlou and an éterle?
- Can you tell males from females?
- When are chamois young born?
- Has the chamois always lived in the Vercors?
- What is its life expectancy?
- How do you tell an isard from a chamois or an ibex?
- Who is the female chamois?
- What is the difference between the Alpine (Vercors) chamois and the Chartreuse chamois?
- Who are its predators? The wolf?
Want to dive into this wildlife journey?
Booking
To arrange a chamois outing, call us on 07 66 64 90 96 or write to (contactpiedvert.com ).
Our rates slide: from 30€/person for a group of 6 on a half day.
We suggest a full day rather than a half day to give yourselves time to settle into the Vercors. If you can, go for a hiking weekend and tell us your wishes with or without a bivouac in the wild: the immersion will only be better (how about a sunset hide?).
You can also gift a chamois outing with a nature gift box.
Also discover
Our outings on mountain wildlife and our nature activities in Autrans:
- On the trail of
Wolves of the Vercors
- Watching
The marmot
- In the heart of the Vercors forests
Red Deer Rut
Isère: Vercors, Villard, Autrans
