Candillargues, Étang de l'Or

Natura 2000 site closed from 1 April to 30 June 2024
At the eastern end of the Étang de Mauguio, a multitude of marshes separated by canals are home to all kinds of birds from the Petite Camargue, a protected site of the Étang de l'Or.
Please note: access to the marshes is closed from 1 April to 30 June so that the birds can lay and hatch their eggs in peace.

Details

39780609
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.19 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 0 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in front of the Candillargues village hall.

(S/E) Go around the sports facilities on the left and take the dirt track that runs alongside the Canal de l'Or. Continue until you reach a footbridge.

(1) Cross to the left. First turn left then right and pass by the picnic shelter. Take the path on the right. Continue along the duckboards that cross a small pond, then on to the Canal du Bérange.

(2) Cross the dam bridge. Go down opposite and turn left. The path then curves to the right. Continue to the right until you reach the Canal de Lansargues. Turn left to follow it. You will come to a fork in the road with two canals and two bridges.

(3) Cross the two bridges and turn right. Further on, turn left. Pass in front of the sheds and then the Mas de Tartuguière. At the fork, turn right onto a path that crosses the vineyards. Continue to the enclosure.

(4) Enter through a metal gate. Walk through the bull pastures. Go through a gate and close it behind you. Continue to Mas de Roux (actually a small two-storey house).

(5) Climb up the embankment. Turn right and walk along the Canal de Lunel. At the end of the Azémard huts, turn right and walk along the Étang du Grand Bastit. Return to the Canal de Lansargues at Les Cabanes.

(6) Cross the footbridge and continue straight ahead. Once on the Canal du Bérange, turn right and follow it back to the bridge you crossed on the way there. Turn left to cross it.

(2) Turn left and continue straight ahead along the canal. Before Pointe du Bérange, turn right and continue to the Canal de l'Or.

(7) Turn right to follow it. Do not cross the first footbridge. Continue on the left bank to return to the footbridge you crossed on the way there.

(1) Cross the canal and turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1 m - Parking area - Église Saints-Côme-et-Damien (Candillargues)
  2. 1 : km 0.59 - alt. 1 m - Footbridge. Canal de l'Or. Crossroads 1st loop
  3. 2 : km 1.73 - alt. 3 m - Dam. Bérange Canal. 2nd loop junction - Bérange (cours d'eau) - Affluent de l'Étang de Mauguio
  4. 3 : km 3.38 - alt. 3 m - Tartuguière double bridge
  5. 4 : km 4.62 - alt. 1 m - Enclosure
  6. 5 : km 5.97 - alt. 1 m - Mas de Roux
  7. 6 : km 8.32 - alt. 1 m - Passerelle des Cabanes
  8. 7 : km 10.68 - alt. 1 m - Pointe du Canal de l'Or
  9. S/E : km 12.19 - alt. 1 m - Parking area - Église Saints-Côme-et-Damien (Candillargues)

Notes

This circuit in the marshes at altitudes of 0 to 1 metre is strongly discouraged during periods of rain.
Do not enter the enclosure if there are bulls present.
Bring your binoculars for bird watching.
Sheltered tables are available for a picnic after point (1)
Dogs must be kept on a leash.

Worth a visit

Bird watching.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 12234408

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, relaxing, peaceful place with flamingos and other species as decoration.

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fbessou
fbessou
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Short circular 1 >2 > 7 > 2 >1 completed, very interesting, especially with the numerous information panels.
Animals relatively accessible with binoculars.

Length: 4 km and duration: 1 hour 20 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Accessible to all, even children.
Starts on a wide track but the middle part of this circular is narrower. Do not venture there by bicycle.
Beautiful view at (7) over the Or pond.

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MarcelMdR
MarcelMdR

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike through the varied landscapes of the Camargue, between the inland areas with their vineyards and fields of bulls (absent during our visit) and the banks of the canals and lake. Please note, as already mentioned, the Camargue is closed and the gate is locked. We went around it... with no bulls in sight but with some apprehension. And no plan B possible. The small circular around Candillargues remains the most interesting part

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pascal.forbin
pascal.forbin

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike, but this Natura 2000 area is increasingly closed off.
The iron gate marked after 4 is securely closed.
The passage along canal 2 or 1 towards 7 is closed!

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vienot.pierre@orange
vienot.pierre@orange

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a very pleasant route that gives a good overview of the Petite Camargue and its landscapes, especially with its birds. Very flat, so easy.

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athmos.oner
athmos.oner

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very easy hike, some sections with low vegetation, long trousers recommended.
It is very flat but the scenery is beautiful and, apart from a few places where you can hear the road, you feel far away from everything.
Best done with the family out of season (no shade).

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REVIENDREZ
REVIENDREZ

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The hike is very enjoyable and lives up to its promise... mild-mannered mosquitoes, busy egrets, peaceful bulls. The only downside: between points 1 and 2, construction work (building a footbridge) diverted us from the original path, but it wasn't a big deal.

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FrancisCougard
FrancisCougard

I indicated that I was looking for a route that would allow me to bypass the bull pasture, but unfortunately this is not feasible due to numerous fences preventing access to the Lunel canal north of point 5
Therefore, the original route must be followed

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jpvls
jpvls

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This tour takes us on a journey of discovery through the various wetlands in the Candillargues region.

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FrancisCougard
FrancisCougard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the marshes on 28 September 2024 in bright weather.
Be careful on the section from Tartuguières between 4 and 5
There is a closed enclosure that must be crossed several times at the "Pré des Taureaux" location
We were able to do so in our case without asking the owner of the field for permission
as there were only two horses in the enclosure.
I'm not sure if the owner of the field would approve of people crossing the field, and it's possible that he may one day put bulls there
I will suggest an alternative route for this hike that avoids Pré des Taureaux, but expect it to be a few kilometres longer (going around "la grande drovers' road" to the north and passing through Mas du Grès)

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Annie971
Annie971

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is our favourite walk around the ponds. After those in Villeneuve, Lattes and Mauguio, we found this one to be the most spectacular. Splendid views of the ponds, bulls, horses and flamingos.

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papadid
papadid

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in Petite Camargue: bulls, horses and birds await you.
2 hours 45 minutes for 12.5 km. No difficulty and no elevation gain.
However, please take care to close the gates to the enclosures properly and not to damage the fences when you have to climb over them.

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Chlandco318
Chlandco318

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Be sure to check when the circuit is closed to allow wildlife to nest and breed

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Antonia1
Antonia1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walk looks very beautiful and pleasant... however, access to the marshes is closed from 1 April to 30 June so that birds can lay and hatch their eggs in peace. So it will have to be another time

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dumas catherine
dumas catherine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It was magnificent, but unfortunately several paths were flooded by the recent heavy rains of 8/9 March, so we had to adapt and retrace our steps. But what we saw, especially on the NATURA 2000 discovery trail, was very typical of the "Wild Camargue Landscape".
It was a bit windy, so the birds had retreated to the edge of the pond or to the small islands. There was an impressive number of common shelducks, lots of small wading birds in the pools of water and, of course, flamingos. It is essential to take your time and bring binoculars.
The NATURA 2000 site is closed for nesting from 1 April to 30 June. This means that you can only do the full hike in summer when the paths are open and dry, but don't forget your sun cream.
We will come back to take a leisurely stroll along the discovery trail, which is a must-see (3.5 km)

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