Natural Crafts Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur

True jewels of Marseille! The Calanques is a desert-like mineral universe with relief shaped and carved by the elements, resulting in small coves and sandy beaches. The sunlight is wonderfully pleasant and the sea is always magnificent. Protected site, The National Park of the Calanques shelters a very rich fauna and flora where rare and wonderful species live. To take part in their balance, pay attention to the marked footpaths to preserve the sites and do not throw rubbish here! Beware, the access to the Calanques massif is managed by level of danger and it can be sometimes banned, throughout the year and especially in summer. The choice is up to you: plage de la calanque de Sormiou, plage de Sugiton, calanque de Morgiou, calanque d'En-Vau, plage de Saména... . To enjoy and explore them as it should be, you need several days. Find out more information on the access of the Calanque on 08 11 20 13 13 or www.bouches-du-rhone/pref.gouv.fr.

Nestled between two cliffs, it is the largest and most famous beach of Carry. It is nevertheless quite far from the town centre. Mixed beach of sand and pebbles (where there is a beautiful ''mise à l'eau''), it is bordered by snacks, restaurants, a car park, accessible to the disabled, with supervised swimming. The beach is exceptional for its panorama and very popular with families. It is worth mentioning the practicality of its large paying car park, as free parking spaces are rare in the vicinity. Very busy in high season, it goes without saying.

This trail from Ville-Vieux is designed to discover a particular environment of the Southern Alps, the dry lande at astragalus. The aim is to make it discover, but also to draw attention to the fragility of this environment, which is unbalanced by changes in mountain farming. This lawn reveals to those who bother to pay sufficient attention to it, a large number of endemic and protected plants: renard queue, épi campanula, Austrian astragalus, black nonnée, la sainfrain.

The botanical path of Esparron, created in 1990, forms a loop of about 6 km, with 204 m of difference in altitude. From the south of the village, it joins the entrance of the gorges of Bas Verdon through wooded hillsides, then returns to Esparron following the banks of the lake. It is marked by yellow lines on the trees or rocks. Take the time (2 to 3 hours) to admire the biodiversity of its vegetation through about fifteen stops with didactic panels that will describe the plants encountered. Be careful with the cliffs. This trail should be avoided in hot weather.

This hike will take you to the caves of Calès, an exceptional site made of a troglodyte group of 116 caves, including 58 inside a natural amphitheatre. In the middle Ages, this set of caves had about 200 inhabitants. The circus was then fortified and developed in buildings and houses. A medieval castle was even built there. Abandoned at the end of xvith century, the site is still very well preserved.

Two important ensembles of around ladies - also known as the fées cheminées - are located on the Assaillous mountain overlooking the village in the north. These stunning natural formations - several dozen on the site - come from rain erosion, which over time has widened the thick layer of clay-clay soils and moraine blocks deposited by glaciers covering mountain flanks. Century after century, the rock blocks, which protected the ground just below, and the dongas, thus gradually releasing the surrounding area, were the origin of these high columns covered by their rock. You will easily reach it within a few minutes by taking the road that is set up: from Saint Peter Square, take the Rue de l'Église to its end north of the village. You will have a magnificent view of the village and its valley.

Commonly known as "dinosaurs of Dinosaurs", this geological curiosity resulting from a sandstone bench from the South of France, is met in various areas adjacent to Rosans and surrounding areas. These balls and the layer of sandstone contain the same material. The only difference is the degree of cementation of the balls (calcareous cement, accompanied by silica which is deposited around the quartz grains to the point of welding them).

Attention, access to the first site is not indicated on the road. Go gently, and you will see on the right a small road road to follow over a hundred meters. After a steep descent, just follow the path (not take the yaw) straight straight in the woods. A discreet yellow markup on a tree will serve as a marker at the entrance to the path.

The appearance of new agricultural techniques (chemical fertilizers used for the fertilization of soils, the disappearance of fallow land for the benefit of artificial meadows, among others) towards the end of the th century has somewhat forced the increase in production, with a view to the marketing of meat, particularly that of sheep. Savournon then became a place of lamb, with a local race adapted to the mountain and considered fertile, good dairy and capable of feeding its lambs quickly. In order to improve the efficiency of performance, the producers selected at the end of the 1940 s, animals leading to the creation of a unified breed, refer to the «Alps of the South», bringing together the local races of Savournon, Sahuné and Quint. In spite of a great reputation for its flesh, which is undoubtedly influenced by land, climate and altitude, the lamb of Savournon has left a place for this race of the Alps, whose main centre now remains Sisteron. It was a centre which unfortunately prevented the arrival of foreign lambs, because there was no real label.

This naturalist outing allows you to watch cetaceans off the Cape of Sicie and Hyeres islands. Thanks to two conferences dispensed aboard the ship, aquatic mammals that will cross your path, striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, Risso's dolphin, black pilot whales, sperm whales and even common rorqual will have no secret for you. Other meetings with tuna, swordfish, sharks, rays, turtles and sunfish will perhaps make your boat trip a memorable one.

If the Rolland cave as such cannot be visited because of its dangerousness, the hiking trail leading to it remains one of the most beautiful walks at the entrance to the Parc des Calanques. Between the scrubland, hills, breathtaking views of Marseille and the Marseilleveyre massif, you will enjoy a unique setting for a journey that lasts about an hour (do not forget the time of return before starting the climb). The cave takes its name from a legend that a highwayman named after him made his home there in the 18th century. It is even said that there was an invaluable treasure hidden there. In the meantime, it will allow you an unforgettable walk. Choose the off-season.

The Massif massif is one of the most magnificent natural sites in the area of Digne-les-Bains. A route of the Grande Traversée de Des Des (WGIP) leads from the Col de Pierre-Basse to the summit of the Pas-de-le-faille where the landscape is unforgettable. A yellow and green markup allows to reach the village of Des. Here harvesting and hunting are strictly forbidden to protect rare species. 

Climbing up to the great bare summits of the Lure mountain is a must during your stay in the area. Dominating the Pays de Forcalquier on its southern side and the deep Jabron valley on its northern side, classified as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, the Lure mountain culminates at 1,826 m and extends over a length of about fifty kilometres. A picturesque road allows you to cross it from one side to the other, passing by the resort, much to the delight of seasoned cyclists. It is entirely reserved for them on Mondays in summer. Hiking trails also allow you to get there on foot, through the woods, from the small village of Saint-Etienne-les-Orgues. Once you are up there, you will enjoy an exceptional 360° panorama of varied landscapes: Mont Ventoux, Vercors, Cévennes, Southern Alps and even, if the sky is clear, the Mediterranean coast. Between the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean, an exceptional vegetation has developed whose flora, long exploited, is today left to the appreciation of numerous flocks of sheep. A little lower down (around 1,600 m), the resort of Lure offers themed hiking trails (5 senses, planets...) and numerous activities throughout the seasons: scooters on grass, tubbing (downhill on inflatable buoys), mountain biking, astronomy sessions in the summer, sledging, snowshoeing, skiing... in winter. Note: it is possible to eat and sleep on site.

This lake is less known than those of Sainte-Croix or Esparron, but it is worth a visit. Generated by the dam of Gréoux, this water retention created a lake of nearly 13 km length, which has kept a wild aspect. Formerly a narrow canyon invaded by water, it widens a little in places. You can also appreciate the caves in the cliffs, by going there by boat. It is also the departure to go up the low gorges in electric boats or canoe for the most courageous! What to take full of eyes! Very nice place to picnic.