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A landscape of lagoons, marshes, wild bulls and Europe’s only cowboys (see The Camargue).

Mercantour National Park, sprawling over 700 sq km (270 sq miles), is one of Europe’s largest and its rocky slopes are home to rare species including chamois, ibex, moufflon and marmot. Golden eagles and the rare lammergeier vulture soar above the peaks (see Vallée des Merveilles and Musée des Merveilles).

The Luberon region contains a wide range of habitats. The northern mountains are wild and exposed, while the central massif shelters the southern slopes, creating a gentler environment. Moorland, cedar forest, chalk hills and deep river gorges shelter wild boar, eagles, owls and beavers (see Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon).

Port-Cros is the smallest of the Iles d’Hyères, and the national park protects the delightful island and 18 sq km (7 sq miles) of sea around it from the development that has overtaken so much of the coast. On land, it shelters beautiful butterflies and rare sea birds, and there is excellent scuba diving and snorkelling (see Scuba Marine Park, Port-Cros).

The lonely peak of Mont Ventoux, at 1,910 m (6,260 ft), seems to guard the gateway to the region. Bare of trees, its higher slopes are known as the désert de pierre (stone desert) and are snow-covered from December to April. It has featured in the Tour de France, and even the strongest cyclists dread the treacherous ascent (see p119).

The chalky hills of the “Little Alps” rise no higher than 500 m (1,640 ft) but display an arid beauty. This miniature sierra stretches for 24 km (15 miles) between the rivers Rhône and Durance, and the GR6 hiking trail which crosses it is one of the finest walks in Provence (see p73).

High in the mountains of Haute-Provence and the Alpes-Maritimes, the parallel canyons of the Gorges du Cians and the Gorges du Dalius are awesome ravines, carved by icy fast-flowing streams running down from wine-red cliffs. The main landmark is the Gardienne des Gorges, a huge boulder shaped like a woman’s head, standing at the north end of the Gorges du Dalius (see Gorges du Cians).

The clifftop village of Gourdon, set in rugged limestone country, stands above the dramatic Gorges du Loup, the most accessible of the gorges and canyons that slash through this craggy landscape. The Loup stream plunges over high cascades and has carved deep potholes such as the Saut du Loup (“Wolf’s Leap”) (see Gorges du Loup).

Thickly wooded with forests of cork and holm oak, pine, myrtle and sweet chestnut, the dramatic Massif des Maures is wild, hilly and sparsely inhabited, even though it is only a stone’s throw from the busy coastal hotspots. It is home to France’s only surviving wild tortoises, and makes a welcome change from crowded beaches (see p79).

If dinosaurs and fossils are your thing, this park in the limestone country around Digne is the place to head for. It’s the largest of its kind in Europe, covering 1,900 sq km (730 sq miles) of rock, rich in fossils from ancient seas and tropical forests dating back 300 million years.