Wildlife

The beautiful Provencal landscape is immortalized by Cezanne and Van Gogh. The great part about Provence is the wide diversity of habitats very close to each other. A complete Provence tour would include the famous wetlands of the Camargue, the stony desert-like Crau, Maquis, Mediterranean coast, raised plateaux incised by deep gorges and to the north the mountains of the Southern Alps which go above 7,000 feet.

In the mountains Wallcreepers, Chamois, Marmot and Ibex are to be seen. And within a few hours’ drive, in the wetland of the Camargue you would be able to see Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, Flamingos and Bee Eaters. In the interface between Alpine and Mediterranean habitats, the calls of Black Redstart, Nightingale, and Scops Owl can be heard near villages. The plant and insect life of course, also show a similarly wide diversity of species, with many species unique to our region. The area boasts over twenty-six species of orchid.

The disappearing peasant lifestyle still remains in the valley, where the clank of sheep neck bells creates truly atmospheric music. A beautiful pattern carpets the valley floor with fields of thyme, wheat, lavender, apricots and cherries, which are fringed by mulberry, almond, poplar, and lime trees.

Coppiced oak woodlands dominate the valley flanks, giving way to beech and hazel above 100m. In many places the improbably blue Provençale horizon is incised by vertically inclined limestone strata.