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Camargue contents

Ungrateful area at first sight, but......

Salin de Giraud-Albaron

Horses and bulls 

Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer

Aigues-Mortes

Provence-Camargue-Ungrateful at first site, but....... 

The Camargue looks probably disappointing at first view. Let’s keep that in mind at the beginning of our journey. At a first too quick overview the famous delta of the Rhone can be as disappointing as Arles. And if our whole visit to Camargue would be reduced to a ride to the coast over one of the two asphalted roads to lie down on a beach in Saintes-Marie de la Mer or Salin-de-Giraud and returning over the other road, throwing a quick glance at the Etang de Vaccares, we will feel very little enthusiasm for this flat, bold, muddy and murderous hot region, plagued by mosquitoes and which is ravaged regularly by screaming, ice cold mistral.
 Despite of that, Camargue was declared Parc Naturel Regional in 1970, which obliges the villages and cities, like in the Luberon, to protect their habitat. And above all that the Etang de Vaccares with its dunes and lakes until the coast (85,000 hectares) was declared “Reserve Naturelle” which is an elegant formula to say that it is closed to the public for its greatest part. Finally the UNESCO, the E.U., and the Council of Europe named Camargue very officially “ an exceptional natural region”, a title that brings nothing to anybody.
To understand all that ecological enthusiasm for the Camargue, you, readers, should not skip what I have to tell: just like in Arles there is more to know than to see in this not very inspiring delta.
 It’s true: Camargue has the stereotype image of pink flamingos, white horses and black bulls.  These images are correct because the flamingos, horses and bulls don’t make a mystery about their presence. Much less visible are the 337 signalled bird species, of which more than 200 different sorts of migrating birds making of  Camargue the most busy airport of the world in spring and fall. 32 different kinds of mammals, 15 frog species, six sorts of snakes, and 39 fish species live practically totally hidden and unseen. And let’s not forget the numerous insects, where I even don’t count the damn mosquitoes.

 Bibliography

James Henry, “A little tour in Provence”(Strauss and Giroux, New York 1983), Klingshirn, William E., “Caesarius of Arles” (Cambridge University Press, 1994), Lenthéric, Charles, “Les villes mortes du Golfe de Lyon” (Plon, Paris 1876), Maurras Charles “L’Etang de Berre” (ed. Champion, Paris 1924) Picon Bernard, “l’Espace et le temps en Camargue »(Actes Sud, Arles 1988)-Guides du Routard 1999 (ed.Hachette)