Sail and be safe with the hints of the Regional Natural Park
The Park has prepared navigation factsheets to make descents safe both for beginners and experts on the Loire and Vienne rivers. You will find a location map for the itinerary, safety instructions and information about heritage spots you will be able to observe from the canoe.
From Tours to the Ponts-de-Cé on the Loire, including Chinon or l’Île Bouchard on the Vienne, you can choose between 9 different itineraries to crisscross the territory :
- Tours / Luynes : « Le Castor d'Europe »
- Luynes / Langeais : « Les boires »
- Langeais / La Chapelle-sur-Loire : « Le chanvre »
- La Chapelle-sur-Loire / Candes-Saint-Martin : « La marine de Loire »
- Montsoreau / Saumur : « Les oiseaux de Loire »
- Saumur / La Ménitré : « Le tuffeau »
- La Ménitré / Les Ponts-de-Cé : « La Loire et sa maîtrise par l’homme »
- L’Ile-Bouchard / Chinon : « La migration des poissons »
- Chinon / Montsoreau : « Entre bocage et confluence... »
Protecting the birds of the Loire
You will see many birds on your itinerary, just open your eyes! Maine-et-Loire is the French department with the most important population of terns. These graceful birds nest here every year between March and September. You can watch them, but careful, it is a species which needs a lot of calm during reproduction.
At this period, they are very sensitive to disturbance. The presence of people or animals on the sandbanks where they nest can be enough to make them leave and abandon their brood. The Park and the “Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux” (LPO, Bird protection League) work together on protection measures in order to offer the best nesting conditions to the tern population.
Every year, signs are put up on the islets they nest on. It is strictly forbidden to land there. In addition to this, a biotope protection order prohibits the access to the “sandy islets detached from the riverbank“ (meaning sandbanks not accessible by foot), covering the entire bird reproduction period from April 1st to August 15th.
This order applies to the areas between Saumur and Montsoreau as well as between La Daguenière and Juigné-sur-Loire. The Park and the LPO aim above all to raise awareness about this protection issue. The prefectorial order includes fines for offenders. Be careful and watch out!
