7 Best Sights in Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, Provence

Near the northern shore of the Etang de Vaccarès, this unique cultural center, funded by the Ricard family of pastis fame and set on one of the larger estates in the Camargue, is a place to meet gardiens (French cowboys) and learn about the taureau, or bull—virtually a totemic creature in these parts. You’ll also gain a better understanding of the regional spectacle known as the course camarguaise, in which raseteurs (runners) try to pluck off a red cockade and two white tassels mounted on the bull’s horns. There is no mise à mort (as in Spanish-style corridas, or bullfights), so the bulls live to enter the arena again and again—some even become such celebrities that they make the covers of French magazines.

Other activities include touring an on-site museum, where exhibits detail the remarkable history of Paul Ricard and the estate; hopping aboard a petit train for a 20-minute tour of the marshlands; or mounting a horse or pony for a beachside trot. At Chez Hélène et Néné restaurant, you can feast on Camargue seafood while gazing at the beach and the ocean. If you want to stay the night, the property has several charming accommodation options—from guest rooms to cottages to colorful wooden, Roma-style caravans. The estate is 36 km (22 miles) east of Aigues-Mortes via the D58, D570, and RD37/D37 and 27 km (17 miles) northeast of Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer via the D570 and RD37/D37.

At the easternmost point of the Etang du Vaccarès, La Capeliére has a good visitor center with maps as well as exhibits on wildlife. There are three sentiers de découverte (discovery trails) radiating from its pond-side position, each leading to a small observatory.

You can pick up maps and get other information at this center, just up the D570 from the Parc Ornithologique at Pont de Gau. To explore this area, you'll have to strike out on foot, bicycle, or horseback (the park's website has a downloadable English-language brochure with stables clearly marked on a map). Note that you are not allowed to diverge from marked trails.

Between Arles in the north and Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the south, this former sheep ranch is now a museum devoted to the region's history, produce, and people, including the gardians. It's also a good place to pick up information about nature trails.

As you drive the few roads that crisscross the Camargue, you'll usually be within the boundaries of the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, which covers more than 400 square miles of the of the Camargue’s 580 total square miles—basically, everything but a slice of the far western quarter around the gateway town of Aigues-Mortes. Unlike most national parks in the United States, this area is supervised by the state but privately owned, primarily by the manadier ranchers. Though there are several protected nature reserves, they have no regulatory power and primarily serve as consultants to local stakeholders.

Virtually all of the Camargue’s major roads, as well as its hiking, cycling, and horseback riding paths, are within the park. In fact, you’ll rarely feel you’ve gotten an off-the-beaten-path experience until you’re out of the car and exploring on foot, by bike, or on horseback. In the saddle, you’re likely to be with a group unless you book an individual tour in advance. Signs for horseback rides are everywhere along the main roads, and there are about 15 major cycling and trekking routes, most of which can be completed within one to six hours.

The best sources for maps and information, and what you’re likely to encounter, can be found at the tourist office in Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where many trails begin, or the Centre d’Information de la Réserve Nationale de Camargue, which also has exhibits on area wildlife and is the starting point of three discovery trails. You can also get trail maps and expert advice at the bike rental shops like Le Vélo Sainto ( www.levelosaintois.com) in Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

You'll need comfortable hiking shoes and a backpack to carry mosquito repellent, sunglasses, binoculars, snacks, and plenty of water. Provisions are available in the main gateway towns, and routes are well marked so there’s little worry about getting lost. 

The easiest place to view birdlife is the Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau. On some 150 acres of marsh and salt lands, birds are protected, and injured birds are treated and kept in large pens to be released if and when they're deemed able to survive. A series of boardwalks (including a short, child-friendly inner loop) snakes over the wetlands, the longest leading to an observation blind, where a half hour of silence, binoculars in hand, can reveal unsuspected satisfactions.

If you're an even more committed nature lover, venture into this intensely protected area at the very heart of the Camargue, where a central pond called Le Vaccarès is mostly used as a site for approved scientific research. The wildlife (birds, nutria, fish) is virtually undisturbed here, and you won't come across the cabins and herds of bulls and horses found elsewhere in the Camargue. Made up mostly of vast ponds and marshland, access to this area is limited to horseback, bike, and foot. Paths around its perimeter permit views of the birds and other wildlife. Maps detailing these paths can be downloaded from the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue website. They're also available from tourist offices in Arles, Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and Port Saint-Louis, as well as bike rental shops in Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer.