The Massif de l'Esterel (

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; ...

Provençal: ''Esterèu''; English: Esterel Massif) is a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

coastal mountain range in the

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of Var and

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediter ...

on the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation "Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...

. Neighbouring cities are

Mandelieu-la-Napoule Mandelieu-la-Napoule (; oc, Mandaluec la Napola; locally spelled Mandelieu-La Napoule) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera, just to the ...

and

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...

on the east, as well as Saint-Raphaël and

Fréjus Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458. It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north ...

on the west. The soil and rocks of the range are of

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

origin, composed mainly of

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained ( aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals ( phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The min ...

, which gives the hills a red color. The

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin w ...

is rugged, with deep

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.national forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia ...

). The nature reserve offers hiking and mountain biking trails including the GR 49 and GR 51. The Esterel mountains also host the

Pierre & Vacances Groupe Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs () specializes in tourism services, providing holiday and entertainment ''villages'', leisure activity residences and hotels under the brands Pierre & Vacances, Maeva, Center Parcs, Sunparks, and Adagio (the ...

holiday village Cap Esterel. The Corniche d'Or, a touristic road along the coast and

Île d'Or The île d'Or is a private island located at the east of the city of Saint-Raphaël in France, facing the cape of Le Dramont. This small island is composed of porphyry (russet rocks) and surmounted by a tower reminiscent of the Middle Ages s ...

, links Saint-Raphaël and Cannes.

Gallery

File:Esterel-3.JPG, The Esterel Massif File:Massif de l'estérel (5830137152).jpg, Red cliffs of Esterel File:Calanque d'Anthéor - Boulevard Eugène Brieux - View NNE on Pointe d'Anthéor.jpg, Calanque d'Anthéor File:Towards Agay village - panoramio.jpg, Anthéor

References

External links

Esterel massif: Picture Gallery
Landforms of Var (department) Mountains of Alpes-Maritimes Mountain ranges of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Volcanism of France {{Provence-geo-stub