Embarcadère Prada, boat embarkation point in Coulon, France
Embarcadère Prada is a boat embarkation point on the waterfront in Coulon, facing the Maison du Marais Poitevin. Small traditional flat-bottomed boats set off from here into narrow green channels shaded by ash and alder trees.
The embarkation point was started in 1977 by Monique and Tonio Prada. The family sold the business in 2015, but it continues to operate as a small family-run activity on the same quay.
The name comes from old customs along the Sèvre Niortaise, where traders once paid a fee to cross at certain points. Today visitors see that tradition continued in a simple way, with boatmen sharing local stories as they push the boats along with a pole.
You can join a guided trip with a boatman or rent a small boat and steer yourself using a simple printed map. It is easiest to arrive early in the day, when the water is still and the channels are quieter.
During the boat trips, guides sometimes set fire to a small pocket of methane gas on the water surface. The brief flame rising from the dark canal is a simple physical surprise that many visitors remember long after the ride.
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