Tour of the South Orx Marsh

Good evening

Thank you very much for enjoying this hike
Indeed, in the middle of winter and with marshy ground, it's not easy, but for those who love nature and birds, it's still the best time of year with the migrations

have a good evening

Michel

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Date of your route : Jan 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route is a little monotonous, were it not for the ornithological interest, with a multitude of birds to identify.
Having crossed too many muddy sections just before Le Burret, we followed the D54 for a while before reaching the village of Orx via various paths, where benches around the school playground allowed us to picnic comfortably with our feet and bottoms dry. From there, we took the shortest route back to the starting point. The downside: we ended up walking more than 16 km!
A good hike in the Landes region with only 70 m of elevation gain.

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hello
thank you for following my route through the Orx marsh
this route is not included in the park's official map
advantages: not many people – you can start with the park route and cross the road to my route
disadvantages: no cleaning, so it can be a bit difficult at the start of the season, but it's the best because of the migratory birds

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Date of your route : May 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

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Date of your route : May 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A stroll accompanied by birdsong, frogs croaking and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.
Absolute tranquillity throughout the route.
The only slight downside is halfway between points 2 and 3, where the trail disappears into tall grass, making you want to turn back.

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Date of your route : Sep 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

First of all, we suggest renaming this route because this part of the marsh is actually located to the east of the main marsh... Which, of course, does not change the description of the route.
As a preamble, we would also like to point out that we have combined this route with the one called "Le Marais d'Orx", which means that the total distance covered is around fifteen kilometres, but avoids having to travel twice along the dam road (which is not very pleasant due to the traffic).
This part of the marsh is completely different and much wilder, allowing you to appreciate it even more, even if the vegetation is sometimes a little "invasive", which is intentional on the part of the site's operators. Nature must be allowed to live and biodiversity must be encouraged. We have rarely seen so many different butterflies and insects in one place.
For those who might be put off by the invasive nature, rest assured that even if no one has been there for a while, which was the case for us, and even if the path is almost invisible, you just need to stay between the peripheral canal and the marsh. Of course, trousers are preferable for comfort and to avoid damaging your legs.

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

Hello,
The trail is not maintained by the park. Tall grass, nettles... (end of July 2022)
Do not take children there!!!!
On the way back, I informed the park office, who told us that it was not part of their jurisdiction.
It's a shame because it's a pleasant route when you add the western part of the large lake.

We didn't meet anyone on the trail!

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Date of your route : Dec 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A walk to do in the afternoon for photos (sun behind you). Given the time of year, there are (still) quite a few people who have nothing to do with it! Noisy walkers... be patient! We came for the common cranes... didn't see any.

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Date of your route : Sep 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

I wouldn't say it's worthless, since we can see the marsh from time to time, and the vegetation is very tall. You mainly find green collared ducks, which are very common throughout the country... A viper, a nutria, a crayfish and a pheasant... Crossing the footbridge is, let's say, dangerous: there is no place for pedestrians and the road is very narrow for two cars... Not recommended for people who are not very mobile.

In short, there are no technical difficulties, it is dangerous, of limited ornithological interest, and the landscape is flat and not very visible.

The short marsh route is more recommended and not dangerous, but it adds 3 to 4 kilometres... We took it on the way back.

In conclusion, it is of no interest to people who are used to Visorando hikes, and it is dangerous at the start. For a walk, the short marsh route is nice

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It is indeed more interesting
but I planned this hike for a group of elderly people, so I needed a route that wasn't too long, and walking along the road allows us to see some fish
Similarly, to break up this walk during the day, a picnic table would be needed

Thank you for your discussion

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Date of your route : Jun 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

To make this hike even more interesting, you can start with the nature park route (marked from the Orx marsh house), which allows you to discover much more: a more wooded path that follows the stream, wildlife observation posts, explanatory panels, etc. You then rejoin the initial route at point 2 on the guide map.The route described in the guidebook takes you along a road that is of no interest for more than a kilometre. For the return journey, you can take the same path or leave a vehicle at point 1 on the map. This alternative does not add much time to the original route.

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Date of your route : Jun 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

an easy and very pleasant hike! A peaceful environment. An opportunity to admire many birds – a chance encounter with a deer.

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

The Orx marsh is a wonderful discovery! This easy walking route takes you around an unusual and peaceful ecosystem. During our walk (in June), we saw lots of nutria, majestic storks, Louisiana crayfish, herons galore, a couple of grass snakes and, above all, beautiful scenery! The path was perfectly passable when we walked it (well-cut grass, not much mud) If you still have energy at the end of the route, we recommend combining this hike with the observation trail that runs along the southern shore of the "lake" (+4km round trip; hike also listed on Visorando). Thank you for this route!

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Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Flat walk. Very interesting for observing wildlife (birds, water voles, amphibians, etc.). Some parts of the route had not yet been mowed, making it more difficult to walk through the tall grass.

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Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The grass is sometimes tall on the southern part of the trail, but this does not pose any difficulties. There may be muddy sections after rainfall.
Many birds frequent the marsh, as well as nutria and wild boar
A very peaceful, pleasant and relaxing route

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