Wow, what a show, thank you Mother Nature! It is a few kilometres from the Rhone Valley, next to the Drôme Provençale, that the river has shaped this magnificent landscape for thousands of years. Welcome to the Gorges de l’Ardèche nature reserve!
View from above: an impressive setting !
The gorges begin at Vallon-Pont-d’Arc and end at Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche.
You take the scenic road, carved out of the cliff along the river for 32 kilometres. Watch out for sensitive hearts, it’s spinning! You can stop easily and take pictures as you wish, 11 belvederes have been arranged offering spectacular views. The tourist road of the Gorges of Ardèche allows a motorized stroll of the most pleasant for the eyes, and often the favorite of our friends the bikers.
©Sébastien Gayet - Pont d'Arc-Ardèche
©P.Crochet
©Pont d'Arc-Ardèche
The Pont d’Arc : emblem of the southern Ardèche
It is THE unique tourist site of the Southern Ardèche: the Pont d’Arc, a natural phenomenon created by the Ardèche river. This stream broke through the limestone rock to make way for a 54-metre high stone arch. What a joy to pass underneath in a canoe/kayak, it’s an exclusive moment. You can also admire the Pont d’Arc from the very small beach next door, but we warn you in August it’s crowded like on the French Riviera!
There are many activities to be discovered along the route of the gorges: canoeing, canyoning, caving… The famous Gorges of Ardèche also offer underground adventures, the main caves being the Pont d’Arc Cavern , Aven d’Orgnac and Saint Marcel d’Ardèche cave.
Other river for canoeing: the Drôme
Less known than the Ardèche, the descent of the river Drôme by canoe seduces visitors in search of wild nature and green leisure. Between lavender and cicadas, the Drôme is the ultimate wild torrential river in Europe, i.e. no dam regulates the river: it is a completely “free and natural” river!
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Consult the practical information of the Ardeche gorges nature reserve