Camargue White Horses & Picturesque Provence Photography Tour
- Location: Perth, Western Australia
- Product code: PCSJX0
We are advertising this tour early as we need to confirm it with our partners by Sept 25th 2025 so please enquire now if you are interested. A deposit will be required to be paid before this date to secure the tour.
Provence captured my heart some years ago and it's long been my desire to add it to my photography tour options. It has drawn artists for centuries with its unique light quality and amazing views; it has even driven a few of them mad! We will spend our time in two distinct regions, the Camargue and the Luberon. The Camargue is a wetland of international importance home to hundreds of species of birds, including pink Flamingos and the Camarguais, a traditional breed of white horses who have lived wild in the harsh marsh environment for thousands of years. The Luberon is renown for its picturesque landscapes and charming medieval villages with ochre coloured buildings and rich history. Between the 2 regions we will visit some iconic places including Arles, St Remy de Provence and the Roman Aqueduct, the Pont du Gard.
Our French partners will give us private access to the bird sanctuary, at dawn before they open to the public so that we can capture the flamingos and many other birds as they come into the marsh ponds from their roosting sites. They will arrange 5 different private shoots with the horses, some at the beach and others in the marshes. All shoots will give us time to photograph these magnificent animals. Our visit to the Camargue coincides with an amazing 2-day festival that celebrates the skill of the horseman of the Camargue, the Gardians, who look after the semi feral horses and the famous black Camargue bulls.
After 5 full days of photography in the Camargue we will move further into Provence to explore more of what it has to offer. Our first destination is the ancient Roman Aqueduct, the Pont du Gard. The incredible UNESCO site is over 2000 years old and is an architectural masterpiece, 275 metres long built on 3 levels to move water to the Roman city of Nimes. We will move on to the walled town of Arles, one of my favourite towns in Provence, complete with its own Roman arena. It dated back before the Roman era but it has a medieval feel with narrow cobbled streets, shuttered windows and street cafes. Vincent Van Gogh spent time here and it feels like he only left last week as locations he painted works like Starry Night over the Rhone and Garden of the hospital are almost exactly the same. We will stay in Arles overnight, as it is a great place to wander around in the evening with so many photo opportunities. Just near our hotel there is a modern art centre called Luma Arles with an extraordinary 56-metre tower covered with 11000 stainless steel panels. It stands in a garden with a reflecting lake that gives us images so different from the rest of the region.
We start our eighth day together with a visit to the picturesque Saint Remy de Provence on the way to the Luberon region. Saint Remy is the birthplace of Nostradamus and that has been associated with Van Gogh and other painters. The pretty paved streets give us multiple photo opportunities with little shops displaying their wares on the street edge, churches, hidden fountains and markets. We will move on to our hotel for the next few days in the village of Roussillon. After checking in we set off to photograph the first beautiful Luberon village, with the warm sunshine lighting up the flamboyant, technicolour glory of reds, yellows, oranges and pinks that merge one into the other as you wander around the spiralling streets of the village.
Our time in the Luberon will be a mixture of landscape, architectural and street photography, photographing different medieval villages perched atop ancient rock formations, frozen in time, with breathtaking views. Cobbled, winding, narrow streets, tall stone houses, with coloured shutters and quaint doors, dominating the valleys below, each with its distinct flavour for us to capture.
For our final full day we will move to the City of Aix de Provence via one of the most beautiful villages in France, Lourmarin. Aix is the essence of Provence, where people sit on street cafes along the wide streets and plazas drinking coffee to see and be seen. Although it’s a larger place it still has the same relaxed feel that the villages and towns have. It was the home of artist, Paul Cezanne, and has inspired many more. The city has many fountains, churches, pretty squares and countless other images for us to capture.
We will have time after breakfast on our last morning in Provence to have a short photo walk near our hotel before we transfer to Marseille Airport by noon to check in for our homeward flights.
What is included:
11 nights Hotel Bed & Breakfast in single room (if you are traveling and sharing a room with a friend a discount can be applied)
Welcome and farewell dinner
All land transport from pickup in Montpellier Airport to drop off at Marseilles Airport
Photographic guidance from 2 professional photographers, Anna-Mair Francis and Serge Krouglikoff
5 private shoots with the horses of Camargue
Hire of waders for horse shoots
Early entry into the Parc Ornithologique
What's not included:
Airfares to Montpellier and from Marseilles
Camera or equipment
Snacks, Lunches or Dinners if not listed
Soft drinks or alcohol
Mosquito spray (recommended for the Camargue) can be purchased at GBP 15 per bottle
Travel insurance
Tips
Laundry
Please note: The total cost of the tour is Pounds Sterling GBP 4630 as per our partners requirements which is approximately AUD$9555 (as of March 25) this figure in AUD may change. The deposit can be paid in AUD ($2000) using this website but I will also accept a deposit GBP1000. You will need to contact me to pay in this way. The final balance is to be paid in GBP (Pounds Sterling) to a UK bank account.
Due to our partners terms and conditions we need a minimum of 6 people on this tour for it to go ahead so please do not book European flights until this tour has been confirmed. With this in mind we need to firm this tour up quickly. We will need deposits as soon as possible as we will need to confirm the dates with our partners twelve months in advance, End of September 2025. Once the tour is confirmed the deposit of $2000 is non refundable but if we do not numbers before then we will refund your deposit (minus booking fees).
ITINERARY Tuesday 29th September – Friday 9th October 2026
As our days will have early starts we will have a break most afternoons to nap or upload images etc. Some days there will be sessions with photographer Anna-Mair Francis.
Day 1. Tuesday 29 September
Flights arriving at Montpellier airport by mid-afternoon. You will be collected from the airport for transfer to your hotel in Aigues-Mortes
(Hotel Canal, Aigues-Mortes).
Late afternoon welcome/briefing meeting at the hotel.
Welcome dinner at local bistro included
Day 2. Wednesday 30 September
We leave before dawn for the Parc Ornithologique, which is a natural Camargue wetlands area with one of the largest arrays of birdlife in Europe, including the famous Pink Flamingos. Our privileged local contacts provide us with access the park, before sunrise and before it opens to the public, so you can capture wonderful, exclusive images as the birds fly in at sunrise. We will guide you to the prime locations, among the waterways and lakes, to capture a variety of species, from single birds perched at the nest, to large flocks of pink Flamingos.
Late afternoon sunset, we photograph the Wild White horses running through the marsh. We shoot several drives with the horses running across and towards your field of view. We will also take shots of the ‘Gardians’ (Camargue Horseman) dressed in their traditional Camargue shirts & hats, trident in hand, surrounded by the herd as well as some close-up portraits of both the horses and the ‘weathered’ ranchers.
Day 3. Thursday 1st October
At sunrise, we our session with the wild horses, running together through the shallow waters of the marsh, with a different composition. In-between the action, we take portraits and close-ups of the horses on their own or in small groups.
In the afternoon, we head to the beach for a shoot with a beautiful trained white Camargue stallion. We photograph him rearing on the top of the sand dunes and running along the golden sand of the beach, making for striking action shots and beautiful portraits.
Day 4. Friday 2nd October
In the morning, we head out early to a different beach for the ultimate spectacle of the wild white horses running along the golden sand and through the surf, with sea spray flying. We shoot several drives in different directions, so you can capture an assortment of action pictures, with a variety of lighting conditions. We will also photograph the horses at a nearby lagoon.
In the afternoon, we photograph two sparring wild stallions, which is a unique opportunity to see the white horses entwined at full height, in feisty temperament, with their manes flying.
Day 5. Saturday Festival 3rd October
We start with traditional breakfast (‘casse-croûte’) in the meadow with the Gardians and locals, in traditional Camargue dress. Standing in the shallow stream, we are in the centre of the action to capture the Gardians rounding up the bulls to herd them into town for the Abrivado (the arrival).
Early afternoon capture festival life in and around the beautiful town of Aigues-Mortes, including bull racing; pop up theatre animation; abundant food and wine!
Late afternoon, in Aigues-Mortes, it is time for the Bandido (the departure) – the Gardians flank one bull at a time as they gallop back through the narrow streets of town. The youngsters test their bravery by standing in the way as long as possible, to destabilise the horses and allow the bull to escape! Capture stunning action pictures of the horses and bulls, with the sun setting behind the stone archways of the old city gates. At midday and in the evening, there is a party atmosphere with a ball and concert on the main square.
Day 6. Sunday Festival 4th October
In the morning we capture the Abrivado, as they arrive for the day’s festivities. Again, the Gardians flank the bulls and they arrive at a gallop, clattering through the cobbled streets. Each farm (Mas) displays their skills with the bulls, herded by Gardians on horseback. Young lads attempt to get the better of the young bulls by distracting the horses –called the ‘Vachette’.
In the afternoon, we return to the meadow to capture the action of the arrival of the Bandido.
Day 7. Monday 5th October
Check out of the hotel after breakfast to visit the Roman Aqueduct the Pont du Gard. The bridge was constructed by the Romans, between 19 BC and 50 AD, as part of a grand undertaking to carry water 50 kilometres by aqueduct across hills and valleys, to Nimes.
We then leave for Arles, the capital of the Camargue and home to an ancient Roman arena and theatre. Arles is a lively melting pot of Celtic, Roman and contemporary culture. It was one of Vincent Van Gogh's favorite locations and little has changed since he set up his easle.
Check into our Hotel in Arles Centre.
Enjoy a shoot on the river at sunset and capture the atmosphere of the old streets and the Roman arena at night.
Arles photo walkabout guided by Anna-Mair & Serge
Day 8. Tuesday 6th October
Check out of the hotel after breakfast to depart for the Luberon area of Provence, stopping at the picturesque Saint Remy de Provence on the way
(photo walkabout guided by Anna-Mair and Serge).
We check into our hotel in Roussillon and after a briefing meeting, we set off to photograph the first beautiful Luberon village, with the warm sunshine lighting up the flamboyant, technicolour glory of reds, yellows, oranges and pinks that merge one into the other as you wander around the spiralling streets of the village.
Optional group dinner in a family-run, local bistro at your own cost.
Day 9. Wednesday 7th October
We set off before sunrise to photograph a stunning hilltop village known for its picturesque beauty and considered the jewel of the Luberon. We will capture the moment the sun rises over the valley floor and lights up the village, in the soft morning light. We return to the hotel for breakfast before returning to capture another of the famous Luberon villages.
In the afternoon, we set off again to photograph different medieval villages perched atop ancient rock formations, frozen in time, with breathtaking views. Cobbled, winding, narrow streets, tall stone houses,with coloured shutters and quaint doors, dominating the valleys below.
Day 10. Thursday 8th October
After breakfast we check out of the hotel to drive to the famous city of Aix-en-Provence (1 hr drive), home of Paul Cezanne. On the way we stop to enjoy and capture the town of Lourmarin, one of the loveliest Luberon villages and also officially one of The Most Beautiful Villages in France.
On arrival in Aix, we settle into the hotel and enjoy a walk to soak up the ambience of the beautiful city and capture street life.
Overnight Aix-en Provence and farewell group dinner included.
Day 11. Friday 9th October
After breakfast we enjoy a leisurely stroll through the picturesque city to for a final opportunity to capture its hidden treasures.
Check out of the hotel to depart for Marseille, arriving at around 12h00 to take your afternoon flight home.
Please note the itinerary is subject to change, due to unforeseen circumstances
Additional hotel nights before the tour in Montpellier and after the tour in Aix en Provence in Marseille can be arranged at extra cost.
