Contents of article "Family days out"
Gorges de la Fou
Grottes des Canalettes
Mont Oz’Arbres
Les Aigles de Valmy
Réserve Africaine de Sigean
Tautavel Centre Européen de Préhistoire
La Vallée des Tortues
Aqualand (St Cyprien)
Parc Animalier des Angles
Le Parc Animalier de Casteil
chateau Fort Liberia
There is so much more to the Pyrénées-Orientales than a beach and mountain holiday. The rich heritage and history of the Catalan culture, in war and peace, has left its mark on the architecture, culture, and way of
life in the Roussillon. Whether you are interested in sport, architecture, art, singing and dancing, scenery, shopping, water parks, theme parks, there really is something for everyone.
Below you will a selection of the many places to visit in the region with times and prices where applicable. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any regional attractions to add.
Gorges de la Fou
Open from April to November 10H - 18H
Admission:Adults 5€ Children 2€50 Group admissions on demand
How to get there : Take the road from Amélie-les-Bains to Prats-de-Mollo and you will find it on your right not far after Arles-sur-Tech
Address: Route de Prats-de-Mollo 66150 Arles-sur-Tech
Tel: 04 68 39 16 21
A unique geological formation created by a fault in the rock, about 200m dee
This walk will take you through the gorge, past caves and waterfalls and up to a platform where you can sit and admire the view. You will be issued with a hard hat on entry, just in case! I enjoyed my visit to the Gorges but didn’t like the fact that, when you got to the end, all you could do was come back down on the same path. You don’t need to be particularly fit for this visit, but the path does climb and has quite a few steps. Count on taking 45mins to an hour to walk up and back. There is also a shop and café on site and a free carpark.
Grottes des Canalettes
Open: All year - 10h00/10h30 - 17h30/18h00 depending on season (worth ringing to check in advance)
Admission: Unsure at this point in time but reductions available if you visit more than one cave.
How to get there: From Perpignan, take the RN 116 towards Andorra passing through Prades. Villefranche de Conflent and the Grottes des Canalettes are clearly indicated.
Address: 2 rue St. Jacques, 66500 Villefranche de Conflent
Tel: 04 68 96 23 11/06 07 27 11 31
These fascinating caves, have been formed naturally by the slow effect of water on the rockface, trickling down and gradually forming underground rivers which have created the caves through the process of erosion. The underground rivers have hewn passages out of the solid rock, sculptured the walls and created vast chambers furnished with stalagmite, stalagtites and coloured pillars of mineral rock. At the end of the visit, after following a man-made pathway for visitors, passing through the caves, there is a ’son et lumiere’ in the auditorium to illustrate the colours of the minerals along with the music of Strauss, Bach, Casals, Pavarotti.
All very beautiful but not for the claustrophobic!
There is a constant temperature of 14° - worth taking a ’woolie’ if you get chilly easily.
Riverside picnic area, bar and shop on site.
Mont Oz’Arbres
Adventure Theme Park
Open: April to November 9h30 - 19h30/20h30 depending on time of year.
Admission: Adults 18€ Junior (-18) 16€ Children (-1m40) 7€ Supplements apply for the ’Grande Tyrolienne’
How to get there
From Le Boulou (last exit on the motorway before Spain), Take direction Prats-de-Mollo La Preste, passing through Amélie-les-Bains and Arles-sur-Tech.
Address: Le Galliné, Route d’Espagne
66230 Prats de Mollo La Preste
Tel : 04 68 22 43 55/06 19 23 88 41 Fax : 04 68 39 28 70
Constructed on the site of a former ’pépinière’ (garden centre), this adventure park sounds like a whole lot of fun! It offers a range of sporting and nature activities for all ages; tree and rock face climbing, picnic and play area, guided walks and climbs with registered ’moniteurs’. New last year was the ’Space jump’, a 400m long tyrolienne 4om from the ground.
Rustic accomodation is also available at a cost of 58,50€ per person in a log cabin, including breakfast and all park activities, or 36,50€ for a night in a hammock, also including breakfast and all park activities.
My fourteen year old son visited with the school this year (2007) and had a fantastic time - particularly good for young teens - a bit of a challenge involved but safe and well supervised.
Les Aigles de Valmy
Birds of prey and many other birds
Open: 9th April to 2nd November 14h - 18h30
Admission: Adults 8€ Children 6€
How to get there: From Perpignan, take the RN114, direction Collioure/Port Vendres. Leave the dual carriage way at exit 12 and Valmy is signposted from there.
Address: Chemin de Valmy, Route de Collioure, 66700 Argelès-sur-mer
Tel: 04 68 81 67 32
Eagles, cormorants, owls, and other feathered animals. Performances of birds in free flight, daily at 14h30 and 15h45
shop and café on site
Réserve Africaine de Sigean
Safari Park (15 km south of Narbonne)
Open - every day throughout the year from 9h00
Address Réserve Africaine de Sigean 11130 Sigean
Tel : +33 (0) 4 68 48 80 85
Email : ra.sigean@wanadoo.fr
Web site : www.reserveafricainesigean.fr
How to get there: From Narbonne, take the RN 9, direction Perpignan
3,800 animals in 300 hectares of nature reserve. Lions, bears, alligators, giraffes, rhinos, flamingos, bears, monkeys......
On a 6 kilometre circuit, you are able to drive around this park and look at the animals from your car. There is also a walking circuit of 2 to 3 hours to see the less dangerous animals!
Cafeteria on site.
Don’t forget to take your binoculars.
Your comments
"The last time we were there was in September and we really noticed the difference - much more crowded and very hot this time! Many of the larger animals were sleeping in the shade - except for the ostriches and Zebras which were wandering around.
It is a really great place to take smaller children - there are plenty of catering facilities and a special enclosure where kids can climb over the fence (ladder!) and play with the "chèvres nains" (very small goats). There are always babies to pet and captivate the "little ones"!
If you do the full tour (car safari - then the full walking tour) then you will be walking at least 5 kilometers so appropriate footwear needed!!
The car "safari" is for the larger more dangerous animals and the walking tour also passes certain areas where one looks down into fenced enclosures with packs of African wild dogs, cheetah, etc. where you keep a close eye on young potential fence climbers!!! Because these areas are well below the bridge you cross, the fence is low enough for an adult to lean on - and for me that means potentially dangerous - especially among a pack of wild dogs!! "
Tautavel Centre Européen de Préhistoire
A journey back in time
The Tautavel men lived in a cave ’Caune d’Arago’ 450,000 years ago. Archeological digs in 1964 and 1971 discovered the skull of the Tautavel Man.
Open:
Jan, Feb, March, Oct, Nov, Dec - every day from 10h00 - 12h30 and 13h30 - 17h30
April, May, June, Sep - every day from 10h00 - 12h30 and 13h30 - 19h00
July, August - 10h00 - 20h00 non stop
A second museum, the Musée des 1ers Habitants de l’Europe is nearby and open at similar times, with some small changes.
Address: Avenue Léon-Jean Grégory 66720 Tautavel
Tel: +33(0) 4 68 29 07 76
e mail: tautavel.reservation@wanadoo.fr
Web site: www.tautavel.com
How to get there: From Perpignan, take the D117 direction Estagel turning off onto the D9 for Tautavel. The museum is well signposted at 2 km from the village centre.
With 22 different rooms,including the reconstruction of the original cave, you get the chance to meet the Tautavel Man and see how he lived. Interactive visits with english receiver. ’Stone workshops’ in which you learn to cut stone and light fires (without matches!)
22nd - 25th July and 5th - 8th August
prehistoric workshops, painting and face painting. Prehistoric market et meal. Special workshops organised for children.
La Vallée des Tortues
Situated in the middle of the ’vallée heureuse’ at Sorède, you can enjoy nearly 35 diffent species of tortoise from all over the world.
Open: 7/7
March - May: 10h00
June - August: 9h00
September: 10h00
October to November: 11h00 - 15h00
Length of visit: 1h30
Address: Mas del Ca - " La Vallée Heureuse " BP 15 - 66690 SOREDE
email : contact@lavalleedestortues.com
Admission: Adults - 7 € under 10 - 4 € under 3 - free
For guided tours, ring 04 68 95 50 50
How to get there: From Perpignan, take direction Argelès-sur-Mer (N114) and exit at Sorède
Amongst the 35 different species of tortoise in this naturally created conservation zone, you will find the giant tortoise of the Seychelles, La tortue d’Hermann, the only French land tortoise and its babies, the Radiata de Madagascarthe, said to be one of the most beautiful tortoise in the world and many more.
Aqualand (St Cyprien)
Water adventure park - great fun for all age groups - a day out for the whole family.
Open: from Wednesday 22nd June - Sunday 4th September - 10h00 - 19h00
Admission: Adults - 22€ Children - 16€
Address:Chemin Du Mas Des Capellans Bp 68 F-66750 SAINT CYPRIEN
Tel: (33) 4 68 21 49 49
Fax: (33) 4 68 21 15 47
e mail: stcyprien@aqualand.fr
How to get there: 20 km south of Perpignan, direct acces via the D81 from Perpignan - St Cyprien (between Saint-Cyprien and Argelès-Plage).
Water slides, rapids, wave pools, the Black Hole, the Anaconda ...... restaurants, cafés and shops on site as well as lifeguards and medical facilities. Not cheap so worth going first thing in the morning and spending the whole day there to really get your money’s worth.
Parc Animalier des Angles
At an altitude of 1,800m, unique in the Pyrenees, this park next to te popular ski resort of Les Angles, is full of local wildlife such as wild boar, bears, bison and wolves, bears......... Two walking circuits allow you to discover the wild animals of the Pyrenees in their natural mountain
setting. The longer circuit is 3,500m and the shorter 1,500m. There are picnic areas, and ample parking. Dogs are not allowed. Good walking shoes are recommended.
How to get there
Open: All year round. Winter - 09h - 17h Summer 09h - 18h
Admission: Adults - 8€ Children - 6,50€
Address:Parc Animalier des Angles, B.P. 10, 66210 Les Angles
Tel: +(33) 4 68 04 17 20
Fax: (+33) 4 68 04 17 21
e mail: parcanimalier@aol.com
Le Parc Animalier de Casteil
(Casteil animal park)
A "small but delightful" zoological park, close to the village of Casteil, which is located 2 km up the Cady valley from Vernet. Established by a local family, the park is home to lions, bears, monkeys, a llama, deer, and several species of bird. Children and adults alike will love it. Situated at the foot of the Canigou, in the pretty village of Casteil, the animal park is spread out over more than 20 hectares, at an altitude of 797 to 967 metres, 55 kilomètres from Perpignan, 95 kilomètres from Andorra, 65 kilomètres from the coast and less than 2h30 from Barcelona
Open: February/March/April - Wed, Sat, Sun - 13.00 - 17.00 (plus all weekdays duting school holidays)
May/June/July/August/September - every day - 10.00 - 18.00
Oct/Nov/Dec - Wed, Sat, Sun - 13.00 - 17.00 (plus all weekdays duting school holidays)
How to get there
Admission:
Adults - 7€ Children (U12) - 5€ (U3 - free
Group rates available on request
Address: Parc Animalier, 66820 - Casteil
Tél: 0468056754
Fax: 0468055408
How to get there: (click on map for directions)
chateau Fort Liberia
‘L’affaire des Poisons’ and chateau Fort Liberia
Built by Vauban in the 17th century, chateau Fort Liberia overlooks Villefranche de Conflent. From Villefranche, there is a shuttle service (payment) or you climb the hundreds of steps via an undergrund tunnel called the milles marches (thousand steps). Expect to take a good twenty minutes, but it’s definitely worth the climb!
As a result of the murder scandal known as the ‘affaire des poisons’ (poison affair) which rocked France during the 17th century, several infamous lady poisoners were chained up in the ’prison des dames’ of the chateau Fort Liberia. Following the trial of the Marquise de Brinvilliers, who had conspired to poison her father and brothers in order to inherit their estates, there was paranoia amongst the nobility, due also to a number of other mysterious deaths. Louis XIV himself become alarmed and had his servants taste all his food before eating. There followed a period of hysterical pursuit of murder suspects, during which a number of prominent people were implicated and sentenced for poisoning and witchcraft. Many of the condemned were transferred to France’s safest fortresses such as Salses, Fort les Bains and Villefranche de Conflent, where they were chained up and imprisoned for life
FORTERESSE DE SALSES
The Forteresse de Salses is a northern Catalan fortress in the commune of Salses-le-Château, clearly visible from the A9 autoroute and it is possible to visit from the motorway rest area. It is a French National Monument and museum and houses a collection of modern, avanguard sculpture.
The fortress was built between 1497 and 1504 by the Spanish architect Francisco Ramiro Lopez for the King Ferdinand of Aragon, King of Spain to protect their northern province of Roussillon. It was taken by the French in 1642 and has since been rebuilt by the famous French military architect Vauban. Behind the defensive walls the fortress features buildings on three to six levels linked by a maze of corridors and walkways. The fort incorporates three independent sections: living quarters, battlements and keep.
