Banc d'Arguin Natural Reserve, Natural reserve at entrance of Arcachon Bay, France.
The reserve encompasses sand islands spanning 4 kilometers in length and 2 kilometers in width during low tide at the entrance of Arcachon Bay.
The French government established the Banc d'Arguin as a national nature reserve in 1972 to protect marine wildlife and coastal ecosystems.
Marine guards from SEPANSO organization monitor the reserve and conduct educational tours every Wednesday to share knowledge about local birds and ecosystems.
Visitors can reach the reserve by taking boat services from Lège-Cap Ferret or Arcachon, with journey times ranging between 20 and 60 minutes.
The reserve transforms its shape continuously through wind and ocean currents, creating new configurations of sandbanks where seabirds establish nesting grounds.
Location: Gironde
Inception: 1972
GPS coordinates: 44.58450,-1.24213
Latest update: June 23, 2025 09:40
The Bassin d'Arcachon covers 155 square kilometers along the French Atlantic coast and offers numerous subjects for photography. The Dune du Pilat rises 110 meters above sea level and forms the tallest sand dune in Europe. Oyster farming villages such as Gujan-Mestras, L'Herbe, and Le Canon display wooden huts on stilts distributed along the shores. The Cap Ferret peninsula separates the basin from the Atlantic and presents long sandy beaches on both sides. The Cap Ferret lighthouse from 1947 reaches a height of 53 meters. The Île aux Oiseaux sits in the center of the basin and hosts two traditional stilt cabins, the Cabanes Tchanquées, which are surrounded by water at high tide. The town of Arcachon displays 19th-century villas in the Ville d'Hiver, a district with over 300 buildings in Belle Époque style. The Domaine de Certes et Graveyron nature reserve includes former salt marshes and fish ponds now inhabited by herons, spoonbills, and other water birds. The beaches of Pereire and Pyla-sur-Mer provide direct views of the basin and nearby pine forests.
Dune of Pilat
3.2 km
Côte d'Argent
637 m
Cap-Ferret lighthouse
6.9 km
Église Notre-Dame-des-Passes d'Arcachon
7.2 km
Mimbeau beach
6.9 km
Zoo du Bassin d'Arcachon
8.3 km
Église Notre-Dame des Flots du Cap-Ferret
7.7 km
Tramway du Cap-Ferret
8 km
Plage de l'Horizon
8 km
Blockhaus du phare du Cap Ferret
6.9 km
Plage des Arbousiers
7.6 km
Pyla Camping
2.2 km
Pointe du Cap Ferret
4.2 km
Escaliers de la corniche
3.3 km
Plage de la Pointe aux Chevaux
4.2 km
Église Saint-Louis des Abatilles
8.4 km
Scenic viewpoint
8 km
Plage du petit Nice
3 km
Plage de la Corniche
3.1 km
Plage des Abatilles
8.4 km
Plage de la Lagune
4.2 km
La Corniche
3.2 km
Croix des Marins
4.3 km
Plage de la Lagune
3.9 km
Manège du Moulleau
7.1 km
Bunker Vault d'Arthur
6.3 km
Cap Carmmel
7.5 km
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