Hi I am posting this a second time because somehow the title got mixed up with my name :-( I hope to attend the Pelerinages de Gitans (or sometimes called Le Grand Pelerinage des Saintes Maries de la Mer) this Spring. I have always been fascinated with gypsies and heard that the wildlife in the Carmarrgue area is very interesting. This event is supposed to be very colorful and charming. Have you gone? When? Was it worth it? What did you find was the best part of the festivities? I have two days and a car. Wondered where is best place to stay IE close in or farther away? Aigue-Mortes , Arles or somewhere else. Will traffic be impossible? Do they have shuttles? I guess biking is too far, huh? Any suggestions for a clean, inexpensive hotel or B and B's that has French flavor?
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Vancouver, Washington, United States
59 posts
I can't answer most of your questions but I just wanted to say I was there last spring. We stopped long enough to get out and see the ocean:) We visited the bird sanctuary in the area (Parc Ornithologique de Pond de Gau). While you may have images of seeing wild white horses running carefree through the Camargue, I didn't see any but I saw enough flamingos at the bird sanctuary to last me a lifetime:) We spent half a day there and enjoyed it so. Took about 400 pictures of just the flamingos! You'll also see herons, ibis and many, many other kinds of birds nesting in the trees. In the caged protected areas, I saw a momma stork feeding her baby. Visiting that sanctuary was a highlight of our trip.
From what I saw of Saintes Maries de la Mer, any available hotel rooms are probably already taken, so you might indeed need to stay as far away as Arles??