Camargue Day Trip from Avignon: Flamingos, Horses & Walled Towns

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Free cancellationExcellent qualityLikely to sell out

1/9

Duration9h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Nine hours through Europe's widest river delta, from marshland to the sea

A full-day guided tour of the Camargue departing from Avignon takes you through the Rhône river delta to the Pont de Gau Bird Park, the coastal town of Saintes Maries de la Mer, and the walled city of Aigues Mortes, with entrance to the bird park included and a live English-speaking guide. The tour runs nine hours and suits travelers who want to see the region's iconic flamingos, horses and bulls without arranging their own transport or navigation.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Camargue region and towns

Drive through rice fields and ponds
Visit Pont de Gau Bird Park
Travel to Saintes Maries de la Mer
Visit fortified church and rooftop
Walk along beach promenade
Lunch break (not included)
Photograph Camargue horses and bulls
Explore walled city of Aigues Mortes

The Experience

You leave Avignon and drive an hour through rice fields and brackish ponds while your guide explains what makes the Camargue different from the rest of Provence. The Pont de Gau Bird Park sits in the heart of the regional nature reserve, and your admission is included. An easy walk along marshes and ponds on a marked footpath gets you close to the pink flamingos the region is known for, along with hundreds of other bird species that share the wetlands. The park was founded by a family of nature lovers in 1949 and remains the best place in the region to see flamingos without binoculars.

After the bird park, you head to Saintes Maries de la Mer, a coastal town built around a fortified church dating to the 11th century. The church, known as Our Lady from the Sea, holds the relics of Sarah, patron saint of the Roma, and draws large pilgrimages each May and October. You can walk the interior and climb to the sentry walk on the roof for a panoramic view (a separate 4€ fee). The town sits on the Mediterranean, so you have time to walk the promenade—where reproductions of Van Gogh paintings line the beach—or swim if you choose. Local restaurants serve seafood, bull meat and rice, though lunch is on your own.

The afternoon takes you through wild landscapes where your guide stops to point out and photograph Camargue horses and bulls, animals central to the region's culture and ranching traditions. You'll pass ranches, salt marshes and picturesque farms before arriving at Aigues Mortes, a 13th-century walled city founded by King Louis IX as a Crusade staging point. The massive rampart encloses narrow paved streets and small squares where you can shop and taste local desserts. The sentry walk atop the rampart offers views of the salt pans and rice fields stretching to the horizon, and is the best vantage point to understand how the city emerged from nowhere in the marshland.

What’s included

The tour includes air-conditioned transport with a live English-speaking guide.
entrance to the Pont de Gau Bird Park.
and parking fees. Lunch, drinks and any optional activities like the sentry walk fee at Saintes Maries de la Mer church (4€) are on your own.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by PROVANS

Is this one for you?This is a shared small-group tour with a fixed itinerary and schedule, so it suits travelers arriving in Avignon for a day and wanting to see the Camargue's main sights—flamingos, wild horses, medieval towns—without renting a car or planning the route themselves. The nine-hour commitment and live guide mean you move as a group, which is what keeps all three stops and the long drive inside a single afternoon.