Ornithological Park of Pont de Gau — Attraction in Arles

If you are a bird lover you will love this place. If you love flamingoes you will be in heaven here, there are thousands here and viewing opportunities are plentiful and so close by that you can see every detail on the birds.

This was our first visit here and it was very busy, it was around lunchtime and there was a long queue to get in. Masks are obligatory inside and the queue is supposed to socially distance as there were marks on the ground to indicate spacing but many people were ignoring the distancing.

Once inside, there is lots of space and a clearly marked trail to follow around the park which gives a good walk. You are given a small map with the layout on it so you can skip ahead or miss out a big loop if you want to do a shorter route around. There are some books about the park on sale as you enter, we didn't buy one but they appeared to offer good value.

Entry cost is 7€ per adult, not sure about the cost per child or if there is a family ticket on offer. 7€ is really very reasonable given that you could spend several hours here. There are many hides, high level viewing areas, seating places and picnic benches and areas spread around. The high level ones would not be suitable for the disabled as there are a number of steps however many of the other viewing areas are both accessible and give an excellent view of the birds.

The paths around the park are, in general fairly wide, dry and easy to navigate although if you get near to the waters edge it may be a little marshy underfoot.

Birds seen today, flamingoes, shell ducks, coots, moorhens, storks flying overhead, egrets, glossy black ibis, avocets, herons and not a bird type but lots of coypus swimming and one cute little guy who was sitting on the path as we passed ( he was munching some juicy...

We had to laugh because it's so very French to have a world class ornithological park that doesn't open until 9:00am! Any birder will tell you that the best time to see wildlife is early morning. The birds are active and eating and bathing and flying around. When the sun gets high, they hide.

My advice: Show up right when they open (parking will be easy at that hour). They feed the flamingos just before opening and you will have a small window of time while the birds are active and busy. Don't stop when you see your first flamingoes. Follow the folks you see with the big cameras and long lenses to the larger feeding areas where the sun is behind you and big groups of flamingoes are very active.

By 10:00am, the whole place quiets down. You'll still see birds, of course, but the difference between 9:00 and 10:30 is like the difference between being surrounded by birds everywhere you look, and needing binoculars to spot interesting things.

Finally, wear lightweight but long sleeve clothing and bring bug spray and a hat. The bugs are much less of an issue in the early hours but you'll feel more comfortable if you're prepared. There are spots to walk off the main path or through brushy areas for good views. You won't feel comfortable doing that in shorts...

We came all the way from the UK to visit this place, so kinda slightly more than the €8 per person but well worth the time to get here. There is plenty of bike parking both inside the park and out; inside was recommended. Car parking is a little limited but road parking is possible. The park has all the birds and more than you'd expect in the Carmargue. Besides the ubiquitous Flamingos, we saw a single Stork, lots of Heron, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt, Little Egrets, Little Terns and a variety of gulls. We heard at least one Cuckoo, Nightingales, Cettis Warblers, sparrows galore and several beavers made themselves known. To walk the smaller circuit is about 2.5km and the longer part about 5km. You should plan to spend at least half a day here with your camera for memories that will last forever. There are 2 picnic areas near the entrance and one set of toilets. There is a small shop where you can buy snacks, drinks and ice cream. The toilet signage isn't particularly clear that the Mens is men only; several women were noticed wandering by the cubicles and urinals. All in all, we spent a great afternoon there and thoroughly recommend you visit if you're...