The final stop on our tour of Provence last week was the incredible Gorges du Verdon. Also known as the European Grand Canyon, this is the world's second largest gorge and an incredible natural wonder.
We started out with a hike en route to the Gorges, outside the town of Sainte Laurent du Verdon. Our hike took us along a winding river with some incredible cliffs, but certainly just a prelude to the Gorges themselves.
We stayed at a cute inn just outside the town of Moustiers Sainte Marie and had a great time hiking around Moustiers, a unique site in itself (above).
The Gorges have to be accessed by car, which induced some perilous driving on the Route de Cretes, an incredibly windy scenic road that works its way around the Gorges and provides some breathtaking views.
Although it wasn't quite warm enough for rafting on the river, but we were fortunate sure we arrived before tourist season so the roads were relatively empty and we were able to cruise at our own speed, enjoying the many lookouts along the way.
One of the other interesting features of the area are the lakes, which were man-made over the past 80 as part of an electricity scheme. The lakes shimmer an unnatural bright blue, more like the Caribbean than a man-made reservoir.
Finally, we encountered quite a bit of the local wildlife, from hawks soaring over the Gorges to mountain goats, feeding on the surrounding hillsides. These animals seemed completely nonplussed by the cars / humans around them.
We definitely would call this a "must see" sight. Also, Moustiers is a wonderful town with some great restaurants and a great way to explore a different part of Provence.
Looks awesome.
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