The Banc d’Arguin in Arcachon

Dune du Pilat, Landes forest, Landes de Gascogne regional natural park, Courant d’Huchet national nature reserve, Landes lakes, ocean beaches… During your camping holiday in Gironde near Landes, you will have the opportunity to discover several areas natural wild and protected. Want to add another to your list? Head for the Arguin bank, in the center of the Arcachon basin.

A sandbank for swimming and sunbathing between the Dune du Pilat and Cap Ferret

Of course, there are the fine sandy beaches several kilometers long on the Silver Coast. Surfers spots such as Lacanau, Biscarrosse, Moliets, Seignosse and Hossegor. Lake Aureilhan near Mimizan, Lake Hourtin, Biscarrosse and Parentis lakes, Cazaux and Sanguinet lakes. If you are looking for a discreet and original place to bathe on the Landes or Girondins coast, we invite you to take a tour of the Banc d’Arguin National Nature Reserve in the Arcachon basin. Be sure to bring your picnic, towel, sun protection, water bottle, sunglasses, and swimsuit with you. And of course, your camera. Because once you are comfortably seated on this sandbank which stretches for 4 km at low tide, you will be amazed. You might feel like you’re in the middle of the Pacific, in Polynesia for example. Normal, you will bathe in crystal clear water while your children go shellfish fishing. You will see other nature lovers who, like you, have taken a lazy day in the Arcachon basin to take a well-deserved nap and swim away from the beaches frequented by tourists. Why such a change of scenery? Because the Arguin bench has to be earned.

How to get to the Arguin bench in Arcachon?

The sand spit that makes up the Arguin Bank is part of a national nature reserve that covers an area of ​​over 4,300 hectares. Located off La Teste-de-Buch, it is only accessible by boat. Several companies offer their services from Cap Ferret (20 minutes) and Arcachon (1 hour). Depending on your holidaymaker profile and your budget, you can make this beautiful crossing by water taxi, barge or pinasse. You can also rent your own boat for a day, if you have your license.

Wildlife of ornithological interest

The Arguin bank is home to remarkable ecosystems. You will certainly see oysters during your day (be careful, their collection is regulated) and other molluscs, clams and cockles. The Banc’Arguin National Nature Reserve is a refuge for migrating birds. Beautiful species such as the oystercatcher, the barge godwit, the curlew, the sandpiper and the sandpiper, which is distinguished by its black head and the tip of its yellow beak, make it their wintering site.