Réserve naturelle nationale des prés salés d'Arès et de Lège-Cap Ferret
Réserve naturelle nationale des prés salés d'Arès et de Lège-Cap Ferret, National nature reserve in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
The reserve spans 496 hectares of protected land, featuring salt meadows, wooded dunes, wetlands, and natural transitions from sea to forest environments.
Established in 1983, this protected area emerged as a response to preserve extensive salt meadows from increasing urban development pressures in the Arcachon Basin.
Local fishing and agricultural traditions within the reserve reflect generations of inhabitants maintaining balanced relationships with natural resources.
Visitors can explore 9 kilometers of marked trails throughout the reserve, which connects various ecological zones while maintaining minimal environmental impact.
The site houses 250 plant species, 170 bird species, and 11 fish species, making it the largest salt meadow ecosystem in the Aquitaine region.
Location: Lège-Cap-Ferret
Location: Arès
Inception: 1983
GPS coordinates: 44.76889,-1.16361
Latest update: June 23, 2025 09:53
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.
Cabane tchanquée
8.3 km
Chapelle de la Villa Algérienne
10.8 km
Plage du Grand Crohot
6.5 km
Marine natural park of bassin d'Arcachon
5.9 km
Plage du Truc Vert
9 km
Vestiges gallo-romains d'Andernos-les-Bains
5.4 km
Plage de Mauret
7.8 km
Golf du domaine résidentiel naturiste La Jenny
9.9 km
Plage du Betey
6.9 km
Église Saint-Éloi d'Andernos-les-Bains
5.4 km
Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul d'Arès
1.9 km
Plage Nord de Taussat
9 km
Golf des Aiguilles Vertes
10.3 km
Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix d'Andernos-les-Bains
7.6 km
Casino d'Andernos
7.8 km
Plage de la Croix des Marins
3.1 km
Plage du domaine résidentiel naturiste La Jenny
10.9 km
Cabane Tchanquée n°53
8.3 km
Chapelle Sainte-Bernadette de Cassy
10.8 km
Plage de Cassy
10.6 km
Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Pins du Piquey
6 km
Cabane tchanquée n°3
8.3 km
Ile Aux Oiseaux (partie marine)
8.4 km
Scenic viewpoint
9.4 km
Scenic viewpoint
3.1 km
Église Saint-Pierre de Lège
3.2 km
Chapelle Saint-Louis de Taussat
9 km
Chapelle d'été de Piraillan
8.6 kmReviews
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