Camargue, France
Camargue is an amazing nature and wildlife area located in the Rhone delta, south of Arles, distinguished by flat marsh landscape with pink flamingos, black bulls and white horses. This place is one of a kind - you cannot find something like this in another European country.
Beautiful landscape and interesting animals
A flat marsh landscape, the Rhone delta, very blue sky, pink flamingos, black bulls and interesting white horses. Everything is really amazing. You can rent a bike or a horse and go out on the rich variety of paths (remember that there are many places where cars are forbidden). If you want something new and very different than the simple tourist track, go there.
Did you know that Camargue is the only place in Europe where one can find wild pink flamingoes? And there are flocks and flocks of them!
Pont de Gau Ornithological Park
You can see all these animals and much more in the "Pont de Gau" Ornithological Park (parking lots: P1; GPS 43.488083, 4.404290 or P2; 43.490327, 4.403789). This magnificent park is located about 4 kms north of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and uses almost 9 hectares of wetlands, surrounded by a large nature reserve. You can watch the animals and find really unique biosphere. There are many birds like herons, flamingoes, egrets, swans, birds of prey, teals, sparrows and other interesting creatures.
On arriving, you will paid the admission (adults: 7,50€; children 4 to 12 years old: 5€) and then you can spend the whole day wandering on the open marsh areas as indicated on the map you received at the entrance (about 9 kilometers of the paths). You can also make a break for a lunch and then come back without paying again - the ticket is valid for the whole day. You can spend much time simply watching the flamingos and other animals taking many photographs at the same time.
We first walked a larger "loop", starting at point A (GPS: 43.488414, 4.405150) on the map above, walking through B and ending at point C (GPS: 43.487773, 4.408138). On the way we passed two observation points, from which we could safely take some photos of birds.
Then we walked around two smaller lakes (C→D→A), but they are more varied and interesting, and they also have many more birds and animals than the first larger lakes. So if you don't have a lot of time, we suggest shorter route from point C (GPS: 43.487773, 4.408138) through D back to starting point A - you will not be disappointed.
After visiting the ornithological park, you can head to the nearby town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer that is something like a capital of Camargue. You can stroll this interesting little town, have a tour in a mini-train and even take a boat to the Rhone delta. Such cruise ships depart from the local harbor, and we ensure that the boat trip an unforgettable experience.
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