Gorges de la Diosaz, France

In the morning I had a late start. I went to Intersport, rented the trekking poles – so I don’t have to wait for the store to open next morning before heading to the trails – and dropped them off at the hotel. I won’t be needing them for this easy hike/walk.

I then aboarded the Mont-Blanc Express to Servoz – The ride is free with the Guest Card mentioned in the previous post.

From there it’s a 15 minute walk to the entrance of Gorges de la Diosaz.

It was around noon when I approached the entrance. I saw an Auberge with a spacious terrace and decided to settle for lunch. After all, I was in France.

I ordered the daily menu which included an entrée and a plat. For entrée, I picked the Foie Gras with blueberry gelée and smoked duck magret. It was the perfect combination of flavours, I savoured each morsel with amazement and scraped the plate clean. For the main, I had the fish of the day with ratatouille and pistou reduction. The fish was so tender it literally melted in the mouth. The bill summed up to €19. A good value! I highly recommend this place!

After lunch I paid the €6.50 fee and entered the “gated” area. The Gorges de la Diosaz is a series of natural gorges characterized with waterfalls, running streams, footbridges and suspended walkaways. It was well maintained and surprisingly, curated in both French and English.

Such as the story of the Cralin’s Cave near the entrance, which was originally used as a explosive deposit, later a refuge for a poor family and the birthplace of an unwanted child.

Above the footpath, there are two old electric supports used for the electric line fixed along the gorges and served to illuminate the path. Indeed up until 1950, it was possible to visit the gorges at night. At the time, the gorge company posessed a powerhouse which produced its own electricity.

Meet Gorgy, a little dragon from the Himalayas. Being an avid nature lover, he left home many years ago to travel the world. Around 1513, he arrived at Servoz. Amazed by the beauty of the surroundings, he decided to stay. He rested by the banks of the torrent and slept for 33 years.

On awakening from his sleep, he decided to make himself a nest on one of the cliffs above the gorges. In doing so, he dislodged an enormous rock which stuck between cliff faces to make what we call today the “Natural Bridge”, which we will see at the end of the visit.

The trails are maintained three months a year and are in good condition.

There were Alpine wild strawberries (fraise des bois) to pick. And at least six waterfalls along the path.

Including the one underneath the Natural Bridge that Gorgy the dragon inadvertently created.

After the gorge visit, I took the Mont-Blanc Express back to Chamonix

and got a good look at the Bossons glacier.

For dinner I had the amazing (Dainty Extreme) pizza at The Dainty Pizza with San Mariano tomato, provolone, mozzarella fior di Latte, beef pepperoni, spicy infused honey, basil and Parmesan.