Camping Caravaneige Le Giffre

Camping Caravaneige Le Giffre is a municipal campsite run by the commune of Samoëns, in Haute-Savoie. It covers a site of about seven hectares near Lac aux Dames, roughly 700 m from the village centre and, according to the tourist office, about 150 m from the access to the Grand Massif ski lifts. The site has around 200 flat, grassy pitches; the exact number is not published by the campsite.

The campsite is rated 3 stars. Pitches accommodate tents, vans, caravans and motorhomes, with up to six people per pitch. For rent, there is a four-person mobile home (two bedrooms, shower, separate toilet, terrace), a 31 m² mobile home adapted for guests with reduced mobility, a two-person wooden caravan, a rental tent for six people and the Campotel, a mountain-style lodge of six studios, each for four or five people, on the shore of Lac aux Dames.

The campsite presents itself as a base for the Giffre valley in every season and says it welcomes guests all year round, for a one-night stopover as well as for several weeks. Rates are published in summer and winter versions, which confirms genuine winter operation. The washrooms are heated and supplied with hot water, and the wooden caravan has heating and is insulated for winter. No annual closure is mentioned on the website.

According to the tourist office, reception is open Monday to Saturday from 8:30am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5:30pm, and on Sunday mornings.

Skiing in the Grand Massif (265 km of slopes), cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice rink and dog sledding from Samoëns.

The services described by the campsite are deliberately simple. Every pitch has access to heated washrooms with hot water, as well as a waste-disposal point and a water point for motorhomes and caravans. The rentals include electricity and water; the Campotel, with studios equipped with a kitchenette, a shower with toilet and sleeping space on a mezzanine, suits a stay with friends or family.

The accommodation is designed for winter as well as summer: the two-person wooden caravan has heating and air conditioning and is insulated against the cold. The mobile homes and studios are available to rent in both summer and winter, by the week in high season, from Saturday 4pm to Saturday 10am. Pets are not allowed in the rentals.

The tourist tax is not included in the rates: it is €0.60 per day per person aged 18 and over. A 30% deposit on the stay is requested at booking, which is made online on the campsite’s website, with optional cancellation insurance.

For swimming, guests can use the leisure area at Lac aux Dames, next to the campsite, in summer. Several sources also mention a swimming pool, a bar, a restaurant, a laundry, a heated ski room and wifi, but the campsite’s official website does not: it is best to have them confirmed at reception before booking.

The Haut-Giffre valley is a playground for mountain sports. From Samoëns, the Grand Massif Express climbs to a linked ski area with more than 265 km of slopes, shared with four other resorts. In winter, you can also go cross-country skiing on more than 40 km of trails running alongside the Giffre, set off on seventeen marked snowshoe routes, go ice skating, or try a dog-sled ride.

In summer, the campsite mentions rafting, canyoning, mountain biking, paragliding, via ferrata and fishing. The GR5 long-distance path crosses the area, and trails lead to the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval, the Cascade du Rouget waterfall and Lac de Gers. Lac aux Dames and its leisure area, close by, are a place to swim and relax.

For culture, there is the village of Samoëns with its narrow streets, as well as the Jaÿsinia alpine botanical garden, created in 1906, above the village. The full calendar of events in the area is published by the tourist office, to which the campsite refers its guests; it has no entertainment programme of its own. Finally, campers starting a stage of the GR5 or crossing the Alps by motorhome will find a convenient stopover here.