General public
Special interest groups
Children and young people

You are welcome to share our enthusiasm for this exceptional nature reserve. You can discover its richness and variety through one of our guided tours for the general public, a special interest tour or a school outing.
Visits to the Reserve are confined to the period from mid-October to mid-July. The Reserve is wonderful in the spring! It's then that you'll see the widest variety of species and the temporary ponds in all their finery!

Don't forget to come equipped with the following :
- walking or tennis shoes
- a hat and a bottle of water
- long trousers (shorts not recommended)
- a picnic, if you're coming for a whole-day school visit.

Conditions for visiting :
- reservations are essential, at least 3 days in advance (the Reserve is on private land)
- small groups (15 people maximum for each guide)
- an information folder is given to each visitor or trainee (brochure, technical notes, etc.)

Entrance fee :
each person/pupil is asked to contribute 4,57 € towards the folders or educational material provided

General public : (link to guided visits)

Come and discover an unusual corner of the Mediterranean wetlands ecological system: the temporary ponds. Other surprises also await you at the Roque-Haute Nature Reserve...
We can advise you about visits specifically designed around a theme, or to suit your particular needs (for example, the management/botanical…aspects. Tell us what you would like!
Remember: the Reserve covers several different private properties. According to the contract we have signed with the owners, only 500 visitors a year are allowed to enter the site. So it's essential to book early!

Like to know more? You can have the leaflet on "Guided visits" on request
- Time needed to walk round the circuit : one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours.
- Degree of difficulty: easy for people in average physical condition.

Special interest groups: (link to guided visits)
If you are interested, we can arrange day or half-day visits to illustrate any special interest you may have, say as part of a training programme or to help to make employees, club members etc. aware of the need to protect nature. There must be at least 10 people in the group (examples are: associations (clubs); works committees, university groups, environmentalists, training establishments). Consult us!

School outings : (link to guided visits)
We organise nature rambles or teaching programmes for children or young people from primary level to the upper secondary level.
The objective is to let pupils explore the Reserve's natural treasures (habitats, flora and fauna, volcanoes) and encourage them to respect nature.
Outings are organized with the class teacher or the guide, according to the school programme or other needs.
(These visits are only available at present with commentaries, documentation, etc... in French.)

We have worked out programmes for visits on seven different themes (teaching modules):

1 - « Temporary ponds : a treasure-trove of living things »
Definition of a nature reserve and exploration of the precious things it hides. Biodiversity
Level: Primary / Lower secondary
Length: half day

2 - « Budding Botanists »
Some botanical concepts introduced via the rich diversity of the Reserve's plant populations. Study of the vegetation in the ponds and observation of the protected plants
Level: Primary/ Lower and upper secondary (flexible)
Length: whole day

3 - « Small animals in the temporary ponds »
Discovery of the animals which characterise a temporary pond (aquatic invertebrates, amphibians) and the protected species
Level: Primary, lower and upper secondary (flexible)
Length: half day

4 - « Managing a temporary humid zone »
Natural evolution of the temporary ponds and practical and scientific management of the Reserve. Importance of human activity on these humid zones
Level: Upper secondary and higher education
Length: half day

5 - « The temporary pond »
Investigation of this unusual ecosystem. Various types of pond and their hydrology.
Level: Primary/ lower and upper secondary (flexible)
Length: half day

6 - « The Roque-Haute volcano »
Importance of geological factors in the formation of Roque-Haute's landscape. Volcanism.
Level : Secondary
Length: half day

7 - « Diversity of the Mediterranean landscape »
Exploration of several of the Reserve's natural habitats (including the protected temporary ponds) and factors influencing their formation (human role)
Level: Primary / Lower and upper secondary (flexible)
Length: whole day

Like to know more? Please request a copy of the leaflet "Programmes for schools"