Gorges du Tarn

The Tarn cut about fifty kilometres of canyon between the Causse Mejean and the Causse de Sauveterre, two high limestone plateaus, leaving walls up to about five hundred metres. The road follows the water almost the whole way, passing hamlets built on ledges and rock shelves, among them Sainte-Enimie, La Malene and Castelbouc, whose houses seem stacked against the cliff. The narrowest section, the Detroits, is best seen from the water, and flat-bottomed boats have taken passengers through it for over a century. Vultures reintroduced from the 1970s soar over the rims. Canoes run the calmer stretches in summer.

What you actually see

• The cliff hamlets - villages built on ledges above the water.
• Les Detroits - the narrowest section, seen from a flat-bottomed boat.
• The vultures - griffon and other vultures reintroduced over the rims.
• The canoe stretches - paddling sections between the villages.

When to go

May to June and September; July and August fill the single road and the river with traffic. Water levels drop in late summer, which limits canoeing. Spring gives the strongest flow.

Honest expectations

The gorge road is narrow, winding and congested in August, with limited passing. Parking in the villages is minimal. Vultures are common but never guaranteed.

Nearby

The Millau viaduct lies southwest; Aven Armand is on the plateau above.