It’s hard to say ‘no’ when there are so many reasons to go to the Camargue.
Visiting the Camargue
The preserved area south of Arles, the Parc naturel régional de Camargue, is between the Mediterranean and the Rhone River delta. One-third of the Camargue is marshland, lagoons, and lakes. The rest is cultivated fields brimming with rice, grapes, and grain at different times of the year.
The ecology of the area is unlike any other place in the world. White Camarguais horses roam on open fields with Camargue bulls and feed only on natural grass and grasses. Salt mines that create pink-tinted lagoons and canals produce some of the world’s finest salts. Shrimp that thrive on the algae in the pinkish waterways feed flamingoes that gather in ponds and pools alongside the fields and roads. The shrimp diet colors the birds’ feathers pink. It’s all a grand circle of life.
The Camargue Safari
The most recent jaunt to the Camargue was with my guests from the States, including 10-year-old McKenna. While her mother and I thought a safari would be a huge thrill for McKenna, we all totally enjoyed the 4-hour tour by jeep. It wasn’t just because of our adorable and multi-lingual guide; we learned at least 7 reasons you should go to the Camargue.
Reason #1: The Camarguais horses
Reason #2: The Camargue bulls
Reason #3: Flamingos
Reason #4: Salt mines
Reason #5: Rice
Reason #6: Wine
Reason #7: The culture
For more about the Camargues, please see these earlier posts:
Tour South France for White Horses on the Beach
Back to the Camargue: The White Horses
Day Trip from Uzes: Arles, Saintes-Maries-De-La-Mer and the Camargue