The Vallée de la Méouge and the Vallée du Buëch

The River Méouge rises at the foot of the Montagnes d’Albion then flows through the hills of Drôme Provençale into the Hautes-Alpes region at Salérans. From Barret-sur-Méouge onwards, the river has gouged 7km of natural gorges in the limestone, giving the winding river an unusual appearance alternating between sand or pebble beaches, narrow waterfalls, whirlpools, deep pools and natural reservoirs.  This great variety of features creates a superb natural adventure playground with pools to jump into, swim and have fun.

Fans of old buildings will love the old Roman three-arched bridge which crosses the Méouge just before the Vallée du Buëch, as well as the remains of a mill which was washed away by floods in 1901.

Budding geologists can admire the enormous limestone blocks with ivory-coloured layers. There are also information boards about the local wildlife - Mediterranean and mountain influences encourage wide biological diversity. Plant life is remarkably varied and plentiful and includes a certain number of indigenous species.  It is also particularly well-preserved thanks to the low population density of the area. Ten important plant species can be found, two of which are protected at national level : euphorbia graminifolia  and scandix stellata.

The Gorges de la Méouge Nature Reserve is also home to some exceptional animal life, for example, the Mediterranean barbel (fish), marsh fritillary butterfly and lesser horseshoe bat.

In spring and summer, take an invigorating kayak trip down the Méouge or fly over it on a hang glider or paraglider from the base at Chabre which is also a wonderful viewpoint of the Alps and the Vallée du Buëch !