Our Locations
Les Courmettes (head office)
The Domaine des Courmettes, located between Grasse and Vence, is managed by A Rocha France. It is a Christian centre that welcomes churches and individuals for various activities and offers seminars, courses and themed holidays linked to raising awareness of ecological issues. At an altitude of 850 m, the site offers a unique and breathtaking panorama of the entire coastline from Nice to Cannes. A Rocha France has been managing this 600-hectare private site since 2008, with the dual aim of conserving nature and raising public awareness.
A range of activities are on offer to achieve these aims:
Seminars and discovery weeks
During the summer, we organise week-long seminars on various themes relating to the environment and faith. You can also come with a group of friends or from your church for a week of discovery. drinks and home-made products.
Youth Camps
We offer one- or two-week holidays for children and teenagers, with a variety of activities in the great outdoors:
Outings and nature workshops
Join us for an evening of sky-watching, a twilight walk to discover the nocturnal life – including the bellowing of the stag in autumn, or a bird-watching walk on the estate.
Walks on the signposted trails
Three trails for family walks or more challenging hikes. At weekends, take a break in our refreshment room, where we sell drinks and home-made products.
The centre also offers accommodation and community involvement. We welcome holidaymakers and volunteers for much of the year, and can host seminars and various events (conferences, weddings, family reunions, etc.).
Mas Mireille in the Vallée des Baux
Our “Mas Mireille” premises, located in Provence near the town of Arles, replaced the Tourades centre, which was acquired by A Rocha France in 2001 to establish its first Environmental Studies Centre.
The Mas Mireille’s primary vocation is to carry out scientific monitoring and management work on natural areas. This work is concentrated in the Vallée des Baux, and focuses on the fauna, flora and ecosystems: marshes, holm oak forests and limestone massifs. All the areas studied are part of the Natura 2000 network.
Mas Mireille is also a place to live, in keeping with the community spirit so central to A Rocha’s identity. In addition to our scientific offices, we welcome and accommodate many interns, volunteers and voluntary workers, who wish to share an exceptional human and naturalist experience for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than a year.
Mas Mireille is located in the heart of the Vallée des Baux, in a setting that is exceptionally rich in terms of its history, natural environment and landscapes.
- Located at the southernmost point of the Alpilles Regional Nature Park, it offers a panoramic view of the Alpilles massif, a limestone range that is home to the garrigue and its treasures of flowers, insects and birds.
The site adjoins the Costière de la plaine de Crau, a unique steppe habitat renowned worldwide for the richness and originality of its biodiversity (endemic insects, rare birds such as the Little Bustard, the Ganga cata and the Lesser Kestrel).
The town of Arles, dominated by its arena and its many bell towers, is just a few kilometres to the west. Outside the city of Arles, the historical and archaeological wealth of the surrounding area is impressive: Roman aqueduct, Roman mill, Montmajour abbey, Château des Baux de Provence, etc.
Finally, Mas Mireille is located in the heart of the Baux marshes, just a stone’s throw from the Ilon regional nature reserve and the marsh of the same name, which offers us the company of magnificent birds: pink flamingos crossing the sky at sunset in summer, greylag geese, as well as herons, kites, harriers, buzzards… These Baux marshes, for which A Rocha has now been working for over 20 years, reveal a remarkable biodiversity.