Why do You Only Want to See Lavender in Provence? These Activities are Also Really Fun!

Lagarde d’apt is located about 20 km from the small town of Apt. It is also about 30 km from Roussillon and Gordes. It has the darkest night sky in Europe. The Observatoire Sirene is open to visitors and allows people to stargaze with high-powered telescopes. If you are an astronomy enthusiast, you can take a special stargazing course here. However, you need to book in advance. If you book a stargazing course here in advance, many facilities like the parking lot, kitchen, and computers will all be free to use. It is recommended you take your own telescope and other equipment if possible. You can use the other facilities in the observatory by paying 20 euros.

Raskas Kayak is very popular. They offer half-day or full-day kayak trips from Marseille, allowing you to visit some beautiful places that are impossible for boats to go to. You can swim in fjords or explore native animals or plants on foot under the leadership of a local guide. You need to book in advance at the club. There is a registration form on the page after you click on the “in English” button on the official website, or you can call or email them to register.

Please do not miss the snorkeling and diving here if you want to have a close encounter with fjords in the National Park of Cape Canaille. You can see local marine creatures in the emerald sea. You can register through a club called Dune Marseille and the trip sets off from Marseille Port. You do not need to have any experience if you want to snorkel, even if you cannot swim. People who have a diving card can rent diving equipment here. If you are more ambitious and have enough time, many different levels of courses are provided for you, and then you can get a diving card.

Le Parc naturel régional de Camargue is a French national park, and the town is located in southern Arles about 15 km away. You can drive there by yourself or join a local tour group. People who love wildlife and photography must not miss it because there are salt fields, flocks of bison, white horses, and 500 species of birds, including pink flamingos. You can visit Pont De Gau Bird Sanctuary and Domaine de la Palissade in the national park. More than 400 species of birds settle in the wetlands of Pont De Gau Bird Sanctuary. You can get a map at the gate where various bird-watching spots are marked. You can also experience horseback riding in Domaine de la Palissade, some of which pass through the local Gerard Salt Field which is rich in sea salt.

Gorges du Verdon is located 180 km northeast of Marseille and is one of the most popular places to travel in Provence. There are all kinds of outdoor activities in this valley, which is the biggest in Europe. If you think that water activities such as rafting and canyoning are not exciting enough for you, then you can experience bungee jumping from the highest spot in Europe. You can register for the outdoor activity club, Latitude Challenge, who will help you achieve your cool bungee jumping dreams at Pont de l’Artuby, which is 182 meters high. In addition to bungee jumping, parachuting is also provided here.

You can experience various water activities in Gorges du Verdon. If you go there in the summer, you can even experience canyoning with Survivor Games. A safety rope is attached to your body and you are slowly lowered down from the top of a steep waterfall stream, where you must look for a suitable descent point while preventing yourself from slipping and falling. If you want to experience water activities here, it is recommended to enter from Castellane, which is the outdoor activity base in the valley. Many campsites and outdoor activity bases are available here, for example Abroad Rafting. There are also outdoor clubs in Saint Mary’s Monastery Village, such as Des Guides pur l’Aventure, etc. It is recommended to book in advance on the official website.