The Gorges du Verdon is a river valley deeply eroded with huge steep rock walls. The gorge, also known as 'the Grand Canyon du Verdon', is located on the border of the departments of the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in Southern France. This gorge, carved out by the Verdon River over a length of 25 km, is the largest in Europe.
Gorges du Verdon is part of the Verdon Regional Nature Park, which covers no less than 180,000 hectares. The most impressive part of this beautiful natural phenomenon lies between the towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. The gorge is only six meters wide at various places. It goes without saying that this place is high on the wish list of people who go on holiday to the South of France!
The area around Gorges du Verdon is loved by hikers, climbers, water sports enthusiasts and nature lovers. There are more than 100 kilometers of hiking trails, including the famous Martel path, the 'Sentier Martel'. This fifteen kilometer long path is named after the Frenchman Édouard-Alfred Martel, he was the first in 1905 to make the journey across the bottom of the gorge. With his quote: "The Verdon gorge is the most American of all French canyons; I can maintain that after seeing the Grand Canyon", he nicknamed the Grand Canyon du Verdon.
At the tourist offices in the region, special booklets are available for sale with walking routes accompanied by beautiful photos. Under normal circumstances, it takes approximately 7 hours to complete the entire Martel Path. If your condition is good and you are well equipped with sturdy shoes, a flashlight and perseverance, it is a challenge to complete this tour. It is an exciting journey through tunnels and through caves, along banks and via constructed steel stairs.
The Gorges du Verdon ends in the Lac de Sainte-Croix reservoir. This reservoir of 14 km long and 2 km wide is aimed at tourists. Canoes, kayaks, pedal boats and motor boats are rented to people who want to visit the gorge from the water. You rent them for an hour, half a day or a day. By canoe, pedal boat or rafting you see the gorge from a very different angle than from the car or walking and you really experience how steep the slopes are. Rafting is a challenge because of the difficult rapids.
If you want to see the Gorges du Verdon by car, one of the recommended routes is the Route des Crêtes. This narrow and winding route starts at Moustiers Sainte Marie and runs through the mountain village of La Palud-sur-Verdon, the center of mountaineering, to Castellane. With its beautiful viewpoints, this tour around the gorge is one of the most beautiful tours in Europe. A nice point to stop for a moment is on one of the two bridges over the Verdon. You have a fantastic view from the middle of these bridges!
Nice to know: the majority of tourism around the Lac de Sainte-Croix is determined by a hydro-installation. This installation allows the water collected in the reservoir on Tuesday and Friday to flow into the gorge, making sports such as rafting and canyoning possible. Most sports are therefore only offered on those days.
If you're lucky you will also encounter birds of prey during a visit to the Gorges du Verdon. Various birds of prey have been released, such as the griffon vulture. They fly above the gorge and are clearly visible from various vantage points. The vultures were extinct here, but now nest on the steep rock faces. You also have the chance to encounter chamois who walk down to drink from the river.
If you want to see and experience the Gorges du Verdon, we recommend spending at least a day for that. Whether you go hiking, swimming, touring in the car or coming to spot animals, it will be an unforgettable day anyway!
