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This beach, 120 km from Bordeaux, is nicknamed the little Amazon of the Landes

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The Editor

©Natachaphotographies

Spring outing idea! The Courant d'Huchet, known as "the Landaise Amazon," is a classified natural reserve that spans over 600 hectares and showcases an amazing diversity, both in the richness of its ecosystems and its biotope. A true preserved gem that gives nature back all its rights.

A lifeline between pond and ocean

Just two hours from Bordeaux, a treasure of plant and aquatic life stretches silently between the Léon pond and the Atlantic Ocean: the Huchet Current, affectionately nicknamed the little Amazon of the Landes. This magical place, designated a Nature Reserve since 1981, thrives across 618 hectares of exceptional biodiversity, where humanity takes a backseat to let nature shine.

courant-huchet©Landes Atlantique Sud

Along nine kilometers of winding river, the water meanders through a lush green jungle. Maritime pines, cork oaks, bald cypress, and rustling reeds line its banks, creating a magical setting where you might spot gray herons, kingfishers, European minks, or the discreet cistudes, those little protected semi-aquatic turtles.

courant-huchet-petite-amazonie-landes©What to do in the Landes

Here, there’s no concrete, no dam: the mouth of the Courant d’Huchet is the only one in the Gulf of Gascony that has never been dammed, a rare testament to a coastline left in its natural state.

A gentle immersion, on foot or by boat

Visitors can explore this sanctuary at their own pace, on foot along the marked trails, or on the water, aboard the famous “galupes”, traditional boats guided by experienced boatmen.

>, true guardians of the memory and soul of the movement since the 1920s. From Lake Léon, boat trips (by reservation, from April to October) offer two to four hours of contemplation, amidst dunes, forests, and lagoons.

barques-courant-huchet

A world suspended between Léon, Moliets, and Vielle-Saint-Girons

This little slice of paradise stretches across the towns of Léon, Moliets-et-Maa, and Vielle-Saint-Girons, nestled in the heart of the Côte Landes Nature region. It’s easily accessible, with a trail starting from the Pichelèbe bridge (D328), and there's parking to make things even simpler.

courant-huchet-landes©Les Landes

A place of calm and fascination, the Courant d’Huchet is visited like one would leaf through an old adventure book—slowly, with respect, and with wide-open eyes. It’s the perfect spring getaway to rediscover nature in its wildest, most poetic… and deeply Landes-like form.