SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 2021 THE GUIDE


populated by dozens and dozens of stork, spoonbill and egret nests. With their huge wingspans, ungainly flight, and aggressive calls, they rather resemble a colony of


pterodactyls from Jurassic Park. www.baiedesomme.fr/lieu/1-14- 5933-parc-du-marquenterre


Nausicaa


This claims to be the largest sea aquarium in all of Europe, with around 58,000 marine animals sloshing around in 4.5m litres of water. Many of the water tanks are so captivating that they could pass for art installations as much as scientific exhibitions. Watch leopard sharks rub fins with Argentine perch and black nibbler. See jellyfish dance with their tentacles intertwined, and sea horses drape themselves on multicoloured corals. Admire the sea lions as they perform their aquatic ballet and watch the penguins strutting up and down the edge of their pool. (Just don’t mention the hammerhead sharks.) www.nausicaa.fr


La Germondiere


Fishing is the theme at La Germondiere, a self-catering holiday gîte in the Poitou- Charentes. There are two spring-fed lakes, one of three acres and one of 1.5 acres, stocked with carp, tench, perch and roach. “A waterfall takes excess water from the top lake into the larger bottom lake, keeping a constant gentle flow-through all year round, and helping with the oxygen levels in all weather conditions,” the owners explain. www.francefishinggîtes.com


Réserve Africaine Sigean This 300ha park near Narbonne, in the Languedoc, opened all the way back in 1974. Since then it has grown in both size and reputation so that nowadays, it is home to around 900 mammals (including lions, cheetahs, white rhinos and the eternally popular meerkats),


Explore your wild side at the Réserve Africaine de Sigean in the Languedoc


600 reptiles (don’t miss the alligator) and some 2,000 birds. www.reserveafricainesigean.fr


FRANCE’S NATIONAL PARKS


Mainland France has eight national parks, ranging in size from the 937km2


of the Parc


national des Cévennes (on the south-east edge of the Massif Central) down to the tiny Parc national de Port-Cros (46km2


),


off the coast of Provence, which was also the first to be established, in 1963. All are in southern France, apart from Parc national des forêts, near Dijon. They guarantee protection for the flora, fauna and terrain within them. In all, they claim to attract more than 8.5m visitors every year. There are also three overseas national parks in French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Réunion island.


Parc national des Calanques Stretching east from Marseille, along the Provence coast, is the Massif des Calanques, a rugged terrain of whitish rocks and hills, often bone dry. Much of this massif is contained within the Parc national des Calanques, an area of 520km2


– just 85km2 of it land, the rest marine. Hikers amongst the peaks of Mont-Ventoux Natural Regional Park Apr/May 2021 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 139


Calanque is the geological term for the limestone cliffs and inlets that form the jagged coast along some parts of the Mediterranean. Visitors can clamber over the rocky paths inland or enjoy the steep-walled inlets and beaches that cut into the coastline. Famous calanques include the Calanque de Sormiou (which actually lies within Marseille’s 9th arrondissement and is the largest in the park), Calanque de Morgiou (with its underwater cave adorned by prehistoric paintings), Calanque de Port-Miou (with a marina) and Calanque de Sugiton (which is easily accessed by hikers). Many calanques are closed in summer due to the risk of fire. www.calanques-parcnational.fr/en


Parc national des Cévennes Lying mainly across the départements of Lozère and Gard, on the southeast edge of the Massif Central, this is mainland France’s largest national park (937km2


). A great


way to visit is by following part of the Chemin de Stevenson, a long-distance footpath (signposted as the GR70) which zigzags across the Cévennes mountains. The route was made famous by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote about his travels with a donkey along it in 1878. www.cevennes-parcnational.fr


Parc national des Écrins Standing sentry over this 925km2


park is a mighty mountain called Barre des ❯❯


IMAGES © YVANA CAFFA, SHUTTERSTOCK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13