Page 142 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

140  PROVENCE AREA B Y AREA

7 The Camargue

This flat, scarcely habited land is one of Europe’s major
wetland regions and natural history sites. Extensive
areas of salt marsh, lakes, pastures and sand dunes,
covering a vast 140,000 ha (346,000 acres), provide
a romantic and haunting environment for the wildlife.
Native horses roam the green pastures and are ridden
by the traditional cowboys of the region, the gardians,
(see p26) who herd the black bulls. Numerous sea birds
and wildfowl also occupy the region, among them
flocks of greater flamingoes. North of the reserve, rice
is cultivated in paddy fields. Many of the thousands of Camargue Bulls
Periodically, the herds of black
visitors confine their exploration to the road between bulls are rounded up by the
Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and miss the best gardians to perform in local
of the wild flora and fauna. bullfights. The larger bulls are
sold to Spain.

Camargue Birds
This region is a haven for
bird spotters, particularly
during the spring when
migrant birds visit on their Little egret
journey north. Resident (Egretta garzetta)
birds include little egrets
and marsh harriers. This is Le Petit Rhône
the only French breeding Méjanes
site of the slender-billed
gull, and the red-crested J
pochard, rarely seen in Collared pratincole PLAINE
Europe, also breeds here. DE LA CAMARGUE
(Glareola pratincola)

PETITE
CAMARGUE
Slender-billed gull Marsh harrier (Circus
(Larus genei) aeruginosus) J

Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Black-winged stilt Red-crested pochard
(Himantopus himantopus) (Netta rufina)

KEY
1 Parc Ornithologique du
Pont-de-Gau bird reserve (see p142)
is where most birds in the Camargue
live and where, twice a year, over
350 species of migrating birds stop
off on their journey north or south.
2 Musée de la Camargue (see
p143).
Camargue Horses
3 Information Centre for These hardy animals are direct descendants of pre-
Nature Reserve historic horses. The foal’s coat turns white between
the ages of four and seven.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp200–1 and pp212–15