#les calanques

[jeanfrancoisrey]

Les calanques de Piana se font voler la vedette…

[harechristian]

Les Calanques on the way to Cassis

[blackmelanine]

Les Calanques, 2020

[sketchbookpassion]

Port de Cassis, France, Septembre 2017

[internal-morgan]

Cassis, France

[supparis]

Calanque du sugiton. Hiked an hour to get here. Climbed up and down an elevation of 300m. The water is ice cold.

[jacklives]

Les Calanques by Isabelle Bertolini

[parisblogue]

WEEKEND TRIP: HIKING THROUGH LES CALANQUES

According to Wikipedia, a calanque is “a narrow, steep-walled inlet that is developed in limestone, dolomite, or other carbonate strata and found along the Mediterranean coast”. Parc National de Calanque is situated between Marseille and Cassis, and is absolutely scenic - inlets of striking aqua blue water between craggy white cliffs dotted with trees.

Last April I took a boat tour departing from Cassis, passing by many of the calanques, but we were not allowed to stop and swim. This year when I revisited Marseille, I pledged to hike through the Calanque National Park and go for a dip in its crystal blue waters. 

There are many calanques that you can visit, Sugiton and Morgiou being two of the easiest to reach by foot. You can drive to Luminy, park the car, and depart from there. We decided to go to Sugiton. 

Tips: -Check the weather conditions before you go. When it’s too hot, they don’t allow hikers because of forest fire concerns -The hike takes an estimated 55 minutes and is mostly easy - there are some very smooth paths that give way to more wild, steep, and rocky parts -Bring all of the water and snacks that you will need (plus sunblock, and a towel if you want to swim) -There is a small cafe stand in the Luminy parking lot, otherwise you can get more variety at the local Paul cafe in Luminy -Be respectful! Take your trash with you when you go -It’s pretty crowded, especially on the weekends -The water is COLD. Was not prepared for that! 

At the end of the hike, my friend’s iphone app had recorded us hiking 10.6km and the equivalent of 62 flights of stairs (we did a few paths, one going all the way up to the top to the scenic part, and then another one going all the way down to Sugiton). 

After a few dips in the sea (and some cliff jumping!) we drove a very scenic route from Luminy to Cassis and treated ourselves to some drinks in the port of Cassis. More on that in the next post.