Landscapes

Varying in depth from 200 to 300 metres, the gorges are a real canyon hollowed out of the heart of the garrigues by the River Hérault, their one and only architect. Deep in the gorges, the rocks that frame the river bed seem to have been torn down and sculpted by some mad artist with a love of wild, disordered landscapes.

The channel, which winds its way from the Pont du Diable, marking the mouth of the Hérault Gorges, to the outskirts of the village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, is punctuated at intervals with Marmites de géant (Giant's cauldrons), the result of the erosion of the limestone by the swirling waters during periods of very heavy rainfall in the last million years, when the water level was higher and the currents stronger.

A magnificent sight, and a real oasis in the heart of these arid lands, the Hérault Gorges all have their own special characteristics: whether the waters are calm or turbulent, they are, above all, a fascinating spectacle.