Rice bike ride and Camargue horses

6 points of interest

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  Flora

  The Verdier marshes

  Verdier Marshes consist of four former fishponds totalling 120 ha with diversified habitats (reed beds, scirpiies, tamarisk groves). The site was set up for a herd of Camargue cows which ensures pasture pressure in the pond and keeps the marshes open. The Verdier Marshes are attractive to waterbirds, giving them a real ornithological interest. In free access, the site has an observation platform.

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  Flora

  The Tour du Valat Regional Nature Reserve

  Created in 1954 by Luc Hoffmann, the Tour du Valat is a research center specializing in the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. Initially oriented towards ornithology, the research then extended to all the fauna and flora of the Mediterranean wetlands. The estate is classified as a Regional Nature Reserve and covers 1845 ha. There are natural habitats characteristic of the Camargue, more than 600 species of plants and more than 300 birds.

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  Elevage et pastoralisme

  The Camargue Horse

  The Camargue horse is a very old breed (1978) and would descend from the prehistoric horse of Solutré. Symbol of the Camargue, with a gray-white dress, short ears and a shaggy mane, it is small, about 1.45 m at the withers. His dark hair of birth takes its final colour white-gray when he is around 4 years old. Raised in the Camargue, he is the companion of the guardian and the working tool for raising bulls. Breeding and reproduction criteria are strict to preserve his breed.

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  Produits du terroir

  Rice fields

  Rice farming has been present in the Camargue since the post-war period. Complex, this culture follows several stages: lifting, tillering, bolting, return and flowering. The land is flooded to promote the germination of rice grains and prevent the proliferation of fungi. Rice farming therefore requires freshwater irrigation and extensive drainage to develop the saltiest land. Huge amounts of water between the two arms of the Rhône (400 million m3 per year) are needed.

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  Patrimony and history

  Butter's draille

  Two assumptions are used to explain the origin of the name of this draille. Literally "drinking path", it would be at the time, the original access path that cattle borrowed to drink in the Rhone. It would also remind the presence of islands, formed by the Rhone, conceded to owners who agreed to pass travelers in exchange for a little butter. The peasants paid their taxes to the Arles consuls with goods and food.

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  Produits du terroir

  IGP rice from Camargue

  Sown at the end of April, the rice comes out of the water in May and is harvested between September and October. Production is now adapting to new consumption and is abandoning the cultivation of round rice for long and fine rice, which is more appreciated. They also grow red rice with a naturally colored caryopsis (fruit) and wild rice. In 2000, the Camargue rice obtained a sign of European quality, the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), recognition of the know-how of the producers.