The Camargue and its ponds

A long ride along the Camargue ponds where you can observe many species of birds depending on the season.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 22.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 0 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Camargue
  • ⚐ District: Arles (13200|13280)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.447823° / E 4.621125°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2944OT, 3044OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

From Arles, take the D570 towards Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, then the D36 towards Salin de Giraud. After 2.5 km, turn right onto the D36B towards Gageron, Villeuneuve. Cross the D37 and continue on the D36B. Leave a road on your left towards Le Sambuc and further on, take the D36C on the left towards Salin de Giraud. Continue towards Fangassier until the end of the road. Park in the car parks at the end of the road.

(S/E) Take the track that continues along the road, heading south-west. N.B.: Traffic is allowed on the track, so it is recommended that you walk at the side.
When the track bends, there is a first bird watching point and a few parking spaces. Continue south until you reach the Fangassier observatory (several parking spaces are also available here).

(1) Turn right onto the Digue à la Mer towards the Phare de la Gacholle lighthouse for almost 3 kilometres, along the Étang de Galabert.

(2) When you reach the crossroads, ignore the track on the left. There is no traffic here and there is a small car park.
N.B. From here, you are entering a protected natural area: the Camargue National Nature Reserve. Please respect the rules (green dots on the map).
Continue straight ahead, go through the lock and head for the Phare de la Gacholle lighthouse. Continue straight ahead (west) towards Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer for about 2 kilometres.

(3) At the crossroads, take the left-hand path towards the beach. There are often car tracks leading to the sea. These are for authorised vehicles (Camargue Reserve management, security or surveillance vehicles, as this is a DFCI dyke, and tellinier fishermen, as part of their professional activities).
You can follow them for a while to make the walk easier or turn left directly towards the seashore.

(4) Turn left and walk along the beach for about 4 kilometres. Pass a first row of posts and continue to the next one.
N.B. You are now leaving the Camargue National Nature Reserve.

(5) Turn left along this row of double stakes and follow it to the top of the beach. At the edge of the sand and vegetation, turn left for a few metres to find a path that heads north.
Pass between two concrete walls, the purpose of which is unclear, and continue straight ahead. Leave the next two paths on your right and continue to the next crossroads.

(6) Turn right onto the rough track that runs alongside the Galabert pond. Cross an old lock, which is made of old wooden planks worn away by the elements, and continue for almost 4 kilometres. Pass another lock and you will come to a crossroads. Turn left onto the Digue des Toscans and continue to the next crossroads.

(7) Turn left onto the Digue à la Mer between the Galabert pond and the Fangassier pond.

(1) Continue straight ahead to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1 m - Car parks at the end of the road
  2. 1 : km 1.17 - alt. 1 m - Fangassier Observatory
  3. 2 : km 4.2 - alt. 2 m - End of the road - Car park
  4. 3 : km 7.28 - alt. 2 m - Turn left towards the sea
  5. 4 : km 8.33 - alt. 1 m - Turn left along the beach
  6. 5 : km 11.86 - alt. 1 m - Keep left along the posts
  7. 6 : km 13.24 - alt. 1 m - Turn right onto the rough track
  8. 7 : km 18.25 - alt. 1 m - Turn left onto the sea wall
  9. S/E : km 22.17 - alt. 1 m - Car parks at the end of the road

Notes

There are several car parks between the start and the Fangassier observatory (1), as well as at the crossroads (2).
Traffic is tolerated between the car park and (2) but the tracks are not always in good condition.

Option 1: You can shorten the walk by turning left at the crossroads (2) to reach the fork (6), where you turn left to continue the circuit (14 km).

Option 2: Park at the crossroads (2) and follow the route described until you reach the crossroads (6), then continue straight ahead to the car park (2) (10 km).

Please note: This route is best enjoyed in spring, but should be avoided in hot weather and when the Mistral wind is strong.
If you don't like long straight roads, avoid this route as you may find it monotonous.

Worth a visit

Camargue Reserve, which also includes many places for bird watching: See this link

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 34 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
trainhub
trainhub

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful hike
already done eight years ago
best done in spring, when there will be more birds

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nicolas58
nicolas58
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

On a beautiful sunny day with a breeze (luckily, because there were mosquitoes).
Park as soon as possible, because the road is full of potholes.
Lunch break behind the Gacholle lighthouse (a nice spot with tables).
Positive points: not many people, lots of different species of birds, including flamingos (which reveal their magnificent colours when they take flight), information panels (about the wildlife, environment, etc.), discovery of the natural environment, access to the sea via this huge beach, hiking along the Mediterranean coast.
The entire route was accessible. No elevation gain.
I found the return trip around the Galabert pond less interesting (unless you want to walk further or see the flamingos again), perhaps due to tiredness at the end of the walk

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Julioom55
Julioom55

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

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

I agree with mayouchka72's comment: on this hike in November 2024, at point 4, the water level covered the beach, so we had to walk through semi-submerged vegetation, winding our way to find dry passages. After 2.5 km, a channel connecting the two ponds blocked our progress completely. With the need to turn back, the time and kilometres lost, what was initially planned as a circuit ended up being a simple return trip.
But the site remains remarkable!

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cv34
cv34

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike along the ponds
Not very crowded
Flamingos relatively close to the trail
Thanks for your description. Impossible to get lost

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Thyr
Thyr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful flat hike. Saw lots of birds and shells.
To reach the beach, we had to cross the water, and again on the way back to get back to the sea wall!
At the start, we avoided the sea wall by taking the path further south, which gave the hike an even wilder feel.
We had a picnic at the lighthouse, where there are tables available.
Thank you for this description.

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bs13
bs13

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route (completely flat), beautiful in good weather (today = mistral wind), extraordinary visibility but a bit long
(about 20 km). Not many people at this time of year. We set off from around Mas Bertrand, headed towards the Gachiole lighthouse and arrived at Saintes Maries de la Mer. A real treat.
Bring your cameras (with lenses and telephoto lenses) and binoculars: highly recommended.

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Ma Mie
Ma Mie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful day
Nice route. We extended our hike to see the sky surfers.

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barnab26
barnab26

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Given the season, we were a little disappointed by the lack of birds, or at least by their concentration in certain areas, but we will return at another time when conditions may be more favourable, perhaps in October or in the spring.

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berbard k
berbard k

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walking route. Path shared with cyclists.
We enjoyed walking around the centre of these ponds and along the beach.
It's a shame there weren't many birds at this time of year, but we expected that.

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rando13mart
rando13mart

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a superb walk among the birds of the Camargue

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Randonneurs du mardi
Randonneurs du mardi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed on a beautiful day.
Lots of birds to watch.
A pleasant, relaxing picnic at the Gacholle lighthouse, where there are tables for walkers.
Perhaps best avoided at weekends due to the large number of cyclists using the sea wall.

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mongolie
mongolie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

hike on 4 April 2021 with beautiful weather and a moderate breeze, completed in five hours. No issues on the trails at point 6; the lock has been renovated. Birds, flamingos, unique vegetation – a real treat! A beautiful day!

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mayouchka72
mayouchka72

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

No particular difficulties until point 4, where the path along the "beach" is actually impossible to follow because the water borders areas of sea vegetation: you either walk in the water or wade through sea mud. We were forced to turn back, which in my opinion takes away all the interest of this route.

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john107
john107

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Caution... There is 10 cm of water between points 3 and 4

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ageff
ageff

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Please note Due to work on the sea wall, access is prohibited to the public from the indicated car park. We have tried to find other routes nearby, but there are no-entry signs at every access point, so hiking is not possible at this time

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