Horse riding in the Camargue

The Camargue is the wild, watery delta where the Rhône meets the Mediterranean, and it comes with its own horse: the Camargue, a hardy grey-white breed that has worked these marshes for centuries under the region's cattle-herding gardians.

Riding one through the delta is the way the landscape was meant to be crossed.

You move at a walk and canter through lagoons and salt flats and reed beds, past pink flamingos wading in the shallows and the black bulls raised here for the arena, in a flat, luminous, half-drowned landscape unlike anywhere else in France.

The native horses are calm and sure-footed in water and bog, and rides are guided and graded, so complete beginners can join a gentle outing while experienced riders can push on to longer trails and faster paces. It is gentle, atmospheric, and quintessentially Provençal.

A guided ride on a native Camargue horse — a small, calm, sure-footed grey breed at home in water and marsh — through the delta's lagoons, salt flats and reed beds.

Outings range from a gentle hour or half-day at walk and trot to longer trails with canters across open ground, graded to the group, so beginners and experienced riders both fit.

Expect wetland everywhere: you may ride through shallow water, and wildlife — flamingos, herons, the region's black bulls and white horses grazing wild — is part of the scene. Summer brings heat and mosquitoes; the light and birdlife are the reward. Basic instruction is given for first-timers.

Ride with one of the many Camargue manades or equestrian centres around Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer or Arles — rides are guided, and beginners are welcome on gentle outings with a short briefing first.

Go in spring or autumn (roughly March–June or September–October) to avoid the fierce summer heat and mosquitoes, which can be punishing in the marshes. Wear long trousers and closed shoes with a small heel, and bring sun protection, water and insect repellent.

Say your riding level when booking so the outing and horse suit you. Longer half- or full-day trails reward more confident riders; an hour is plenty for a first taste of the delta.