A tour of the Cap Ferret peninsula
A strip of land separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Arcachon Basin in the South West of France, the Cap Ferret peninsula is one of the region’s must-see places. You can visit it by taking a ferry that will allow you to observe the picturesque “cabanes tchanquées” up close. Once there, you can let yourself be guided through the villages of oyster farmers, you can discover its surrounding nature, its beaches or its marked paths on the occasion of a bike ride. In order to extend the walk you can go to the tip of the peninsula to discover its emblematic lighthouse of 52 meters high, registered as a historical monument. The one you will see dates from 1947 and succeeded the original lighthouse built in 1840 and then destroyed by the Germans during the Second World War. Moreover, not far from the lighthouse, a former German bunker is accessible to the public. The most courageous will have to climb the 258 steps of the lighthouse in order to reach its observatory offering a superb panoramic view on the peninsula and the Arcachon basin.
Salt marshes nature reserve :
Located on the northern part of the Arcachon basin in Gironde a few kilometers from Bordeaux, the national nature reserve of the Salt Meadows of Arès and Lège-Cap Ferret extends over approximately 400 hectares which makes it one of the largest in Aquitaine. It was created in 1983 in order to preserve the richness of the biodiversity of this environment. The site shelters numerous species of birds but also a rich fauna and flora that you will be able to discover thanks to a local guide and a pair of binoculars to not miss anything of this natural spectacle.
