Dragonflies & Birds of the Camargue

Tour Code: FRA05

An exciting 8-day exploration of the wetlands of Provence, as well as the nearby stony desert of La Crau and the limestone hills of Les Alpilles, one of Europe's premier dragonfly destinations, in search of both dragonflies and birds.

8 days from
£1,995 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,845
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

The Camargue is one of Europe’s best-known wetlands – a 'must' for any keen naturalist. We will explore the saline habitats, reedbeds and shallows of the Camargue, and the dry stony steppe of La Crau, and Les Alpilles (a range of limestone hills covered with aromatic herbs and scattered pines), in search of a diverse range of dragonfly species as well as exciting and exotic Mediterranean birds. This area of France is especially rich in wildlife, history and local culture, and we hope to enjoy a flavour of this diversity with some quality dragonfly and birdwatching, good photographic opportunities, and ample time each day to enjoy our famous Naturetrek French picnic lunches!

  • 30+ dragonfly species, most not found in Britain
  • Banded Darter, Goblet Damselfly & Green-eyed Hawker
  • Summer immigrants such as Vagrant Emperor
  • Enjoy courtship displays of Copper Demoiselles
  • Lagoons laden with Greater Flamingo, Black-winged Stilt, waders & storks
  • Raptors, including Eagle Owl in Les Alpilles
  • Excellent photo opportunities such as Blue-eyed Hooktails resting on rocks
  • Little Bustard, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse & Lesser Kestrel at La Crau
  • Guided by an expert Naturetrek naturalist

Grading

Day walks only.

The Camargue, that vast wetland which lies within the arms of the Rhone Delta, conjures up romantic images of wild white horses and black fighting bulls, gypsy festivals and the best olives in the world. It is also France’s (perhaps even Europe’s) premier dragonfly site where, in July, we may hope to see over 30 species, most of them not seen in Britain. If you seek to be inspired by dragonflies, this is the trip for you, both with the sheer numbers and brilliance of the species that we should see. However, the region is better known to naturalists for its birdlife, and we will not neglect this aspect of the natural world during our dragonfly-quest, enjoying the Camargue’s large breeding population of Greater Flamingoes, abundant herons, egrets and storks, and healthy population of raptors such as kites, vultures and the rare Bonelli’s Eagle. We will make short excursions to the limestone hills of Les Alpilles in search of Eagle Owls and also to the bizarre pebbly landscape of La Crau, not only to watch sandgrouse and Lesser Kestrels, but also to enjoy the top dragonfly river flowing through it. Indeed, we offer the opportunity to understand and enjoy at first hand the quintessentially Mediterranean habitats of the garrigue and maquis and their associated wildlife.

We begin our holiday with an exciting exploration of Les Marais du Vigueirat, a large wetland nature reserve, in search of Orange-spotted Emeralds, Green-eyed Hawkers and Goblet Damselflies. Special permits will allow us to venture further into the reserve than the general public, where we will spend the day wandering through marshes, woodland, open dry meadows and along disused canals; as well as looking for dragonflies, we will enjoy a large colony of egrets and herons comprising eight different species. On another day we will visit the saline lakes where the Greater Flamingoes breed, amongst them such other wetland species as Whiskered Tern, Slender-billed Gull and Kentish Plover before focusing on the canal in the Vallee des Baux where at least 15 species of dragonfly may be found in just a small area, including Southern Skimmers and White Featherleg. If conditions are right we will also make a trip to watch swarms of dragonflies coming in to roost in reedbeds before sunset, and to watch Dusk Hawkers.

Our fourth day will start early to ensure that we see the best of the wildlife, initially focusing on the habitat of dry garrigue and olive groves where Short-toed Eagles, exquisite Rollers, and various butterflies and Ant Lions may be found. Later we will search a marshy area for the delicate Banded Darter and then head into the limestone hills to observe Alpine Swift and Crag Martins, and to look for breeding Egyptian Vultures in Les Alpilles. Views from the easily accessible summit at La Caume provide amazing sunset panoramas.

On other days we will visit a Bee-eater colony which feasts largely on dragonflies (most probably including Red-veined Darters and Scarlet Dragonflies), enjoy breeding Collared Pratincoles, and check out the rice fields for tree frogs, various darters, Lesser Emperor and Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly. At Saintes Maries de la Mer we will hope for such summer immigrants as Vagrant Emperor or large swarms of more widespread species, whilst the coastal dunes provide yet another contrasting habitat for both insects and flowers. We will also visit the wetlands of La Maison du Parc and the Mas d’Agon Observation Point and rice fields.

Finally we will explore La Crau, a pebbly desert full of life! Here, strange insects such as the enormous bright green Saga pedo, fairy-like ascalapids, praying mantis and bush crickets may all be found, plus bird species such as Hoopoe, Lesser Kestrel, Calandra Lark and Great Grey Shrike. The Peau de Meau River attracts an incredible number of dragonfly species; Blue-eyed Hooktails pose to be photographed on rocks whilst Yellow-tailed and Copper Demoiselles engage in courtship displays and Southern Blue Skimmers compete for airspace.

We will revisit La Crau on our last day, before returning to the airport, in search of yet more dragonflies, and we will also visit a nearby lake to look for Orange Featherlegs and other species. An action-packed end to a rich and varied holiday!

 

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Montpellier/Marseille and transfer to Arles.
Day 2/7
Dragonfly/birding excursions from Arles.
Day 8
Fly UK
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation: Comfortable family-run hotel near Arles, serving good local food. All rooms have private facilities.
  • Food: All included in the price.
Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Sat 5th Jul – Sat 12th Jul SPACES £1,995
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,845
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£395
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Jason Mitchell
Jason-Mitchell.jpg

Tour Leader: Jason Mitchell

Jason was born and raised in Devon where, from an early age, he developed a passion for birds and other wildlife, most notably dragonflies and butterflies. From his earliest volunteering experience on the Exe Estuary he dreamt of working in nature conservation and after returning to education in his mid-twenties, graduated from Plymouth University and started work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the Pebblebed Heaths in east Devon. Since then he has also worked on various conservation projects for local government and the Wildlife Trust. In 2010 Jason returned to the RSPB as the North Kent Marshes Warden and latterly on the Blean Woods National Nature Reserve near Canterbury.

In June 2013, Jason moved to La Brenne in central France with his wife and young family in pursuit of a new challenge. La Brenne was an obvious choice; having visited the Loire Valley with his French wife over many years, he fell in love with the ‘Land of a Thousand Lakes’. Now well establish as a nature guide, he specialises in wildlife tours within France but also leads more widely across Europe, having lead his first wildlife tour to Italy for Naturetrek back in 2007.

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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours


We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.


The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:



Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection


Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader




  


 


All Birdwatching Tours

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Dragonfly Watching Holidays Led by Expert Naturalists


Dragonflies are certainly not for the faint-hearted! They are fearsome insects – if you are their size or smaller! They are also dazzlingly beautiful, with a wide array of hues and forms. Our dragonfly tours take you to some of Europe’s top habitats where we have the best chances of witnessing a range of species and their behaviour.


Naturetrek Dragonfly Tours


We like to respond to your specific wildlife interests and, in recent years, we have had an increasing number of requests for dedicated dragonfly holidays. We are pleased to be able to offer a selection of tours which focus on exploring habitats where some of Europe’s most diverse and spectacular dragonfly species are found.


All of our dragonfly tours are accompanied by at least one specialist leader. On some tours there may be a second leader with a different area of natural history expertise. Some highlights of our dragonfly holidays may include: observing clouds of damselflies as they emerge in late spring from pools, watching them hover over a lake or stretch of grassland, or witnessing a fight to the death between territorial males.


We’re equally comfortable providing opportunities for the dedicated enthusiast to debate the finer points of identification with our expert guide, or to simply enjoy their beautiful display of colours and forms.




Our specialist recommends...






"I’d recommend our Sardinia’s Dragonflies tour – it has about 35 species, most of which are not found in the UK, and its proximity to Africa means it hosts some rather exotic species such as Banded Groundlings. Island Bluetail will interest the real enthusiast, whereas Copper Demoiselles are a bit easier to find." 

David Smallshire - Tour Leader


 




All Dragonfly Watching Tours

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!