Les Détroits (the Straits) in Tarn river Canyon
The narrowest and deepest part of the Tarn river Canyon is called "The Straits" (Les Détroits). The Causse Méjean and Causse de Sauveterre cliffs dominate by 450 meters, while the canyon stretches over a width of barely 30 meters. This exceptional landscape can only be admired from below, floating on the river. Two solutions are available: a descent in a boat with a boatman, the Tarn river Canyon’s “Bateliers” who will tell you the history of the canyon and drive you through the Straits, or a more sporty descent by canoe or kayak. You will then discover a magnificent and serene landscape, of which tranquility will only be disturbed by the waves of the water moved by your boat.
The road built at the beginning of the 20th century runs along the Détroits (the Straits) but does not allow at this place to access the river. It was dug on the first cliff’s limestone overhang. At the top, on the Causse Méjean plateau, is the Roc des Hourtous, accessible from La Malène or Les Vignes, which offers a magnificent view over the Tarn river Canyon with a plunging view on the Straits. At the top of the cliffs, only 100 meters separate the two Causses’ plateaus. It is here, between the Rock de la Truque and the Rock des Hourtous that the famous tightrope walker Henry’s crossed the Tarn river Canyon on a rope in 1990.
