The Blaye Bourg Terres d’Estuaire destination is a multifaceted territory! From the emblematic Gironde Estuary to the Double Mysterious forest, including the vineyards that dot our land and the protected wetlands, our rich natural heritage constitutes the DNA of our territory... and makes us proud!
The estuary archipelago!
Observable from space and extending over no less than 80 kilometers long, the Gironde Estuary humbly wins the title of largest estuary in Europe and has shaped the history of our region for millennia.
Where the Garonne and the Dordogne meet, an archipelago whose constantly changing islands emerge or disappear from the water, bears witness to a unique geological phenomenon. To the rhythm of the tides and currents, the sediments carried by the ebb and flow of the waves gradually settle, first into mudflats, then little by little into green and fertile islands!
But if the creation of this archipelago over the centuries is quite a story, History does not stop there! Populated by wildlife and colonized by humans, the islands dotting the estuary have played a vital role in the preservation of vines by resisting, thanks to their isolation, the phylloxera crisis.
Today, they are refuges for local fauna and flora. The New Island, classified Natura 2000, can be discovered during guided tours while that of Patiras can be visited during the Fingertip Lunches. Although the other islands are not accessible to the general public, they can still be admired from a boat, during a cruise on the estuary.
Choose your activity on the estuary
Wetlands, reservoir of biodiversity
Our wine-growing landscapes are crossed by the Moron and the Livenne, the destination Blaye Bourg Terres d'Estuaire is also a land of streams and swamps which flow into the estuary, and un first-class refuge for fauna and flora !
Protected since 2011 by a Natura 2000 convention, the Blayais marshes and the Livenne hydrographic network represent 13 hectares of surface area and extend over 40 municipalities in Gironde and Charente-Maritime ! Wet meadows, reed beds... these areas alone bring together remarkable and complementary habitats which serve as wintering sites, nesting sites, and migratory stopovers for many protected species.
Terres d’Oiseaux, the outing to do at all costs!
A favorite place to observe local and migratory fauna in the heart of the marshes, the Terres d'Oiseaux ornithological park is also an unmissable visit open to the whole family.
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The Double forest, land of leisure and discovery
Unmissable star of our destination, the Double forest goes beyond administrative borders to extend majestically across the departments of Gironde, Charente and Dordogne!
Thanks to its many watercourse and its pond, this natural space is home to an entire ecosystem as rich as it is precious! Umbrella pines flirt with century-old oaks, ash trees with alders, ferns with heather... and in this patchwork, there is a whole range of wildlife! In addition to roe deer, deer, wild boars and foxes, there are migratory birds. which can be observed at certain times of the year as well as rare and endangered species such as the European pond turtle.
For a hike, during a mountain bike competition for the more sporty or from the canopy thanks to a treetop adventure, the Double forest is above all an emblematic site of the natural heritage of our territory, part of which is protected by a Natura 2000 convention.
The reasoned maintenance of the forest with the preservation of 100% wild areas allows the general public to discover all the facets of this forest, which changes its face each season!
Our nature favorites
