Verdon Gorge

There are not many places in the world, from which the spirit is literally breathtaking, and the Verdon Gorge is one of them. The Verdon River for many millennia broke its course in the soft limestone of the Alpine foothills, and now the width between the "banks" of the Provencal Grand Canyon is up to 1500 m, and the depth is almost 700. This is the largest canyon in Europe - and, moreover, the most picturesque: the emerald color The waters of the Verdón River and the Sète-Croix lake adjoins the green ramparts of Provencal vegetation, the bright blue of the southern sky and a variety of shades of rock.

It is difficult for a modern person to understand this, but before that, the amazing beauty of the Verdon Gorge was of little interest to anyone: until the 18th century, references to it were rare and described the canyon only as an annoying obstacle in the way. Royal cartographers reached the gorge only at the end of the monarchy, in 1778, and became popular with the general public 100 years later - on the wave of romanticism of the 19th century.

Tourism in those places developed extremely slowly: the almost complete lack of infrastructure and poor transport access prevented it. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, scientists and solitary enthusiasts penetrated the Verdon Gorge. Sometimes these qualities were combined in the same people - then the gorge parted with one of its secrets. So, in 1905 the expedition of Eduard Martel on two canoes overcame almost the entire canyon, including the famous "Styx" - the place where the river narrows to only 6 m and winds among the lumps. Only thanks to Martel, scientists have finally received a detailed map of the gorge.

Martel's expedition could not pass the "Funnel" - a famous and gloomy place, where the river Verdon for a time disappears underground. This was done by Robert de Joly a quarter of a century later (to go through the "Funnel" through, he needed a diving suits).
Before the Second World War, construction of dams for power plants begins, and the Verdon Gorge grows with 5 artificial lakes. The largest and most picturesque of them - Lake Sainte-Croix - becomes a separate attraction.
Convenient roads are laid along the canyon, tourists can choose either the route along the north bank through D952 and then through D23 (the landscapes of the right bank are severe enough and differ in the abundance of rocks), or along the southern side of the canyon through D71 and D90 (this is a favorite tourist route, it is more Picturesque, but the lush greenery sometimes closes the view of the gorge itself).

If you prefer walking, you can take advantage of special hiking trails. The most popular of them, the Martel Trail, stretched for 15 km in length. It is not easy to pass it: it crosses several tunnels, besides, many stairs cut in the rocks, the longest of which has more than 200 steps, will have to be overcome. It is not recommended to trail with small children and pets - in some places they will have to be carried on their hands. Do not forget sunglasses, flashlights and warm clothes (the tunnels are not lit, besides it's cold inside at any time of the year).