Gorges du Tarn
Canyon Of The Tarn Between The Limestone Plateaus Of The Causses; Part Of The Causses And The CéVennes UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape (2011) · Sainte-Enimie, Occitanie
The Gorges du Tarn are a deep limestone canyon in the south of the Massif Central, where the Tarn river has cut down between two high, dry plateaus, the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre. The canyon runs for roughly 50 km from near Ispagnac to Le Rozier, with cliffs several hundred metres high, green water, and small stone villages squeezed between the river and the rock. The best known is Sainte-Enimie, a steep medieval village of stone houses on the right bank. A narrow road runs along the bottom of the canyon, busy in summer. The river is gentle for most of the year and is paddled by canoe and kayak, while at La Malène local boatmen take visitors down the narrowest section, the Détroits. Above, the Causses are open grasslands with sheep farms, caves such as the Aven Armand, and griffon vultures reintroduced in the Jonte gorge nearby. The whole area is part of the Causses and the Cévennes UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape of agro-pastoralism, inscribed in 2011.
Sainte-Enimie and La Malène, Lozère, Sainte-Enimie, Occitanie, France
The road through the canyon and the viewpoints on the Causses are open at all hours, though the canyon road is narrow and slow in summer and can be closed briefly after rockfalls or storms. Canoe and kayak hire runs mainly from spring to early autumn, with most outfitters closed in winter and some sections impossible when water is too low or too high; confirm each company's season. The La Malène boat trip through the Détroits runs from about spring to autumn, weather and water permitting, with a return by minibus; confirm times and whether booking is needed. The Aven Armand and other show caves open from spring to autumn and close in winter, with guided visits at intervals. The vulture viewing centre in the Jonte gorge and the Przewalski horse site on the Causse Méjean keep seasonal hours. Many restaurants, shops and hotels in the small villages close from about November to March. In July and August, parking in Sainte-Enimie and La Malène fills from mid-morning.