The Tarn and Jonte gorges - The great natural sites - An exceptional heritage

Towards the end of the Palaeozoic era, the Causses were covered by water. The sea withdrew at the end of the Jurassic. This phenomenon, combined with the raising of the Pyrenees and Alps, caused immense geological faults to appear, which then were deepened further by the various waterways: Tarn, Jonte, Doubie and Lot. Swallow holes, caves and gorges formed. The exceptional Jonte and Tarn gorges are symbolic of these landscapes.

The Tarn gorge

View of the gorge from the rock Hourtous

The Tarn gorge is a canyon between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre. It seems to have been formed in the Mesozoic era, with the Tarn making a path for itself from the Mont Lozère to the Garonne river.

The gorge stretches 53 kilometres from Ispagnac to Le Rozier. Calm passages alternate with rapids between two immense rock faces of up to 500 metres in height. All along the section in Lozère one sees cliffs and dolomites.

The two best known sites from which to enjoy this extraordinary panorama are the Roc des Hourtous on the Causse Méjean and the Point Sublime on the Causse de Sauveterre.

The Tarn gorge is a listed site and is protected under the Natura 2000 framework.

View from the Gorges du Tarn Point Sublime

Things to do in the Tarn gorge

- open-air sports
- Eco-Museum of the Causse and Gorges: the boatmen of la Malène, Vieux Logis, Les Boissets Farm.

The Jonte gorge

The Jonte gorge was shaped by the river Jonte, which has its spring in the Aigoual massif. It crosses Lozère in the Great Causses region and forms picturesque canyons. Descending from a height of 1,400 metres in the Cévennes, the Jonte presents marvellous landscapes for some 20 kilometres downstream of Meyrueis. At Le Rozier, it flows into the Tarn, a confluence that can be viewed from Capluc rock.

Analogous to the Tarn gorge, but less long and spectacular, the Jonte gorge is formed by the highest southern faces of the Causse Méjean, which can reach a height of 140 metres. The cliffs of dolomitic limestone are studded with ruiniform towers and pinnacles.
These wild and very steep-sided gorges are home to birds of prey reintroduced since the beginning of the 1980s, notably griffon and cinereous (or black or monk) vultures.

The Jonte is appreciated by hikers and climbers, but is also a favourite spot for fishing (NB. many sections of the river are fishing reserves). In complete contrast to the Tarn gorge, which is easier to access, all boats or craft are banned from the Jonte gorge.

The Jonte gorge is protected under the Natura 2000 framework.

Things to do in the Jonte gorge

Eco-Museum of the Causse and Gorges : Vulture House, the Causse Farm, Aven Armand swallow hole.