Camargue Eco-Cycling Tour: The Digue à la Mer and the Réserve Nationale
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
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340
XP
+100 France
= 440 total
2 days
Camargue Eco-Cycling Tour: The Digue à la Mer and the Réserve Nationale
340 + 100 XP
The Réserve naturelle nationale de Camargue, created in 1927 and classified in 1975, covers 13,232 hectares of the Rhône delta, taking in the Étang de Vaccarès and the lower lagoons down to the sea, and is one of the largest reserves in Europe. Almost all of it is closed to the public: the Digue à la Mer, the reserve beach and the Gacholle lighthouse are the only ground you may cross freely, and then only on foot or by bike.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Ride the Digue à la Mer east out of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, with the sea on one side and the lagoons on the other, to the Phare de la Gacholle, built on the dyke itself in 1882, and call in at the information point the reserve's volunteers keep open at the foot of the lighthouse
2
of 4
At La Capelière on the east shore of the Étang de Vaccarès, the old mas that has been the reserve's information centre since 1979, walk the loop trail through marsh, wood, dry lawn, sansouire and reedbed and work through its observation hides, then compare what you counted against the display renovated in 2023
3
of 4
At the Parc ornithologique de Pont-de-Gau north of Saintes-Maries, walk the seven kilometres of paths across its 60 hectares of marsh, reedbed, sansouire and roubine, and find the wildlife care centre that takes in about 350 injured Camargue birds a year
4
of 4
Follow the dyke to its eastern end at the salt works of Salin-de-Giraud, 20 km of unsurfaced track from Saintes-Maries, and from the roadside belvedere over the pans pick out the camelles, the white ridges of harvested salt, against the pink of the evaporating basins
Ride the Digue à la Mer east out of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, with the sea on one side and the lagoons on the other, to the Phare de la Gacholle, built on the dyke itself in 1882, and call in at the information point the reserve's volunteers keep open at the foot of the lighthouse
At La Capelière on the east shore of the Étang de Vaccarès, the old mas that has been the reserve's information centre since 1979, walk the loop trail through marsh, wood, dry lawn, sansouire and reedbed and work through its observation hides, then compare what you counted against the display renovated in 2023
At the Parc ornithologique de Pont-de-Gau north of Saintes-Maries, walk the seven kilometres of paths across its 60 hectares of marsh, reedbed, sansouire and roubine, and find the wildlife care centre that takes in about 350 injured Camargue birds a year
Follow the dyke to its eastern end at the salt works of Salin-de-Giraud, 20 km of unsurfaced track from Saintes-Maries, and from the roadside belvedere over the pans pick out the camelles, the white ridges of harvested salt, against the pink of the evaporating basins
Before you go
Inside the reserve you may only use the Digue à la Mer and the reserve beach, on foot or by bike; camping, bivouacking, fishing and picking are banned throughout. Salin de Badon is not open to casual visitors — you need an authorisation arranged in advance at La Capelière, and it is granted only to gîte guests or on the reserve's own guided outings. La Capelière charges admission and closes on Mondays.
The dyke is a gravel and sand track with no shade, no water and no shelter for 20 km, and the mistral can make the return leg far harder than the outward one; carry everything you need. Park in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and ride from there: no vehicle may go onto the dyke, so the Gacholle lighthouse is reachable only on foot or by bike.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
340 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
440 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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