Tour of Étang du Vaisseau

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

I confirm that between 4 and 5, the bridge has not been rebuilt but can be very easily bypassed.
However, from 5 and at least until 8, the bridges have disappeared and, according to a hunter, they are not likely to be restored.
Hike completed on 5 October 2025
Jean-Marie Hautier

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Date of your route : Sep 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very good for the wild aspect of the ponds and the view of flocks of birds, especially flamingos. However, we encountered the same problems as gillou 13, and we can confirm that the bridge between 4 and 5 no longer exists. It is possible and easy to follow the route by following the directions given above. The route simply needs to be redrawn according to the new parameters.

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Hello,
The route described is no longer usable between 3 and 4 (and probably 4 and 5). You can take the track just to the east of the original itinerary, where you reach point 6. There is another interruption (bridge removed for roadworks) after point 8. You should take the track to the right just before this bridge, heading due south, then turn left onto the carriageway, which you quickly leave to take a slight left, heading NNE towards our starting point. There is still an interruption at La Poutrague (pump), which can easily be avoided by taking the right-hand path along the fence.
This itinerary should be put on standby, or even cancelled, until the Parc de Camargue and the département have put things back in order! Don't expect any information from them either at the start or along the route. Otherwise, take the IGN map with you... as in the good old days!
Best regards.

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

Hello, I can confirm that after point 8 there is an impassable ditch. To avoid going back, at point 7, "Machine des Vaisseaux", fork left instead of going straight on and you will find the path between point 3 and 4, which you can then take in the opposite direction to return to Tourvieille. I can also confirm that this route is difficult in strong winds. Otherwise, it's a great way to discover the Camargue, although a little monotonous, but that's the way it is. As well as the traditional pink flamingos, we saw white stilts not far from the Maison des Vaisseaux.

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Date of your route : Apr 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

PLEASE NOTE:

After point 8, the route is interrupted by an impassable ditch. Fortunately, a passing car picked us up and drove us to the end of the route, on the track through Salins!

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Date of your route : Mar 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Problem: it's almost impossible to identify the lock bridges, there are no signs and it's not a good idea to hike in windy conditions.

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Date of your route : Nov 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello
I did this walk on a beautiful sunny autumn day.
I said that this circuit was not very busy, and that applies to the itinerary of the hike, on the other hand
at the Tour vieille there were lots of people in the car park and lots of cars, motorbikes and others on the main road
that leads to the Beauduc beach, it looked like a motorway!
as far as the hike is concerned, at some point after point 2 machine du rascaillon the path no longer exists but you can still go through.
But where it gets complicated is a little further on at point 4 when you take the path that goes off to the left.
after 50 metres the bridge no longer exists and there's no way of crossing it, which is about 4 m wide and, at first sight, 1.50 m of water, so there's no way of getting through. We had to turn back, a little frustrated at not being able to do the whole loop.
For the record, I'm not talking about point 5 in the description - we didn't reach that point.
We were stuck at point 4.
Otherwise, the walk is a bit monotonous, with long stretches of straight lines and the same scenery over and over again
not many birds apart from the pink flamingos, but being from the region I see them often, no bulls or horses, maybe not the right time of year.
In any case, thank you to the author for sharing this walk with us.
as I said above, it can no longer be done in its entirety.
jp

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Date of your route : Apr 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk with a great atmosphere. A bit too much wind from the south to see many birds south of the pond.
Knowing the problem between points 4 and 5, after point 3 we went over the dyke to the east of the route, which joins point 6. All OK.
But there was a big problem crossing the Vieux Rhône after point 7: THE BRIDGE NO LONGER EXISTS.
Fortunately, the path north of point 8 was passable, and led us to the path north of the pond, between points 1 and 2. A bit of an adrenaline rush, though: if we'd had to turn back, it would have been a really long and difficult walk, with that strong southerly wind and the night.

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Date of your route : Jan 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Access to the starting point: no cars allowed; broken track for the "daredevils"!
No signposting of the route described;
Described route: not feasible on 22 January 2022 due to water crossings created by the operators!
Fortunately, the map and GPS will allow you to get back to the starting point (in 14 km, for me).

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Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, relaxing walk..... on a sunny day in January. Flamingos all to ourselves.
We had to change the route twice.
The dam broke just before we reached point 4, so we went backwards and took the path that leads directly to the ship's engine.
Then, after point 8, a second bridge under construction, a short diversions along the track towards the Vieux Rhône machine, left on a wide car track and left again to get to point 9. All in all, 17 km.
Thanks to the author for this hike.

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Date of your route : Sep 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

exceptional for the fauna pink flamingo and other birds, attention with certain place circuit not practicable (cut dam), it is necessary to add a few km, for us excursion of 20 km!!!

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Date of your route : Feb 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Yesterday, 20 February 2021, we reconnoitred this route to take a group and realised that the paths on the dykes are regularly modified by the salt works managers. So we had to adapt the route after making several trips back and forth, which we found tedious given the monotony of the landscape and the distances between the different paths. In this area, the reliability of a circuit is very short.
It's preferable to do these trails by bike, as the distances are covered more quickly without compromising the opportunity to take great photos of the pink flamingos.

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Date of your route : Nov 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very good approach to the 'salins de Giraud': flamingos, white herons, swans and waders.
A few comments:
the highlight of the walk is undoubtedly between points 4 and 6: the point where the dyke on which you walk is cut is 7 to 8 m long; I went east as stated in the description, a 200 m diversions through wet sand and, for a few metres, 3 cm of water, but no 'quicksand' (no mud?).
At point 6, why not go all the way to the sea?
on the way back (between points 8 and 9), the dyke was cut off by roadworks, so I went over the dyke to the west of the old rhône (return via 3 2 1).
So bear in mind that the situation can change over time: natural events, works at the Giraud salt works, and take with you: small boots, headlamp and IGN map (or mobile phone for modern people).

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Thanks for the information Florence

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Date of your route : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The dyke between the ship's house and the old Rhône was breached. Works

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