The most beautiful place on Earth is at sea
AMC CAPE GRACE
New 2025 : Departure from Marseille & Marina Baie des Anges available
THE CALANQUES NATIONAL PARK
“A natural wonder to be explored with awareness”
Located between Marseille, Cassis, and La Ciotat, the Calanques National Park is a rare gem on the Mediterranean coast. A true ecological treasure, it combines spectacular limestone massifs, deep turquoise waters, and exceptional biodiversity. This protected site is also the only national park in Europe to encompass land, sea, and peri-urban areas, right in the heart of a major metropolis.
At AMC Cape Grace, we are proud to sail in this protected area aboard our vessel Samba, officially licensed to operate in the Calanques. This certification is much more than a privilege: it implies a collective responsibility. As stakeholders in maritime tourism, we are committed to scrupulously respecting the park's rules and educating our passengers about the importance of preserving these exceptional landscapes.
Welcome to the Calanques National Park in Marseille
The tenth of its name, the Calanques National Park was created on April 18, 2012, by decree of the Prime Minister. Located in the heart of the Aix-Marseille Provence metropolitan area, it is both terrestrial and marine: it is the only one in Europe to be peri-urban and, in the Mediterranean, the only one to be continental, insular, and marine.
It consists of a coastline that stretches from Marseille to La Ciotat via Cassis, sealing the meeting between hilly massifs and a marine area punctuated by islands. A rich biodiversity lives there, but it is weakened by human presence.
On land, this complex is covered in places with vegetation designed to withstand drought and sea spray. Its rugged geomorphology has allowed many natural environments to remain wild.
At sea, the National Park plunges its cliffs into the waters of the Mediterranean. It boasts varied underwater landscapes, such as caves and canyons, home to numerous species.
The spaces of the national park
The Different Areas of the National Park:
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From Marseille to La Ciotat, the core zone of the Park is the most strictly protected area. It benefits from enhanced protection through specific regulations. In addition to its terrestrial core, the Calanques National Park is unique in that it includes a marine core zone, which accounts for 90% of the total core area.
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The land-based partnership area represents a zone of ecological solidarity with the core. Within this area, municipalities voluntarily commit to supporting sustainable development, with the guidance of the National Park authorities.
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At sea, the adjacent maritime area also reflects sustainable development goals, with the distinction that municipal adherence is not required in this zone.
natural heritage of the park: fauna
The Calanques National Park is made up of magnificent landscapes, with unique geology, where several rare or endemic species shelter and thrive. There are 100 protected terrestrial animal species, including several birds such as the Bonelli's Eagle, Cory's Shearwaters, bats, and reptiles such as the ocellated lizard.
In the Posidonia seagrass meadow, you can see many species of fish such as the salema, the sea bream, the wrasse and the seahorse, not to mention many invertebrates such as the diadem sea urchin.
Deeper down, the coralligenous ecosystem is characterized by an abundance of marine organisms. Colonies of tree-like red coral are found on dark rocky bottoms, while yellow gorgonians generally prefer the sides of walls, in depths of 10 to 30 meters. A species protected by a moratorium, the dusky grouper has begun to reclaim the seabed in recent years. Also protected, the Corb is very rare in the Calanques due to its vulnerability. It most often lives in the shelter of a rock or a fault where it can hide easily.
Further out to sea, you can see cetaceans such as the bottlenose dolphin and the striped dolphin, or the fin whale, which, after the blue whale, and with a length of around 20 metres, is the second largest animal living on the planet. You can also spot the loggerhead sea turtle off the Calanques, where it comes to feed...
natural heritage of the park: Flora
The Mediterranean floristic region represents 10% of the world's plant biodiversity , while it only constitutes 1.6% of the earth's surface... Furthermore, of the more than 900 plant species recorded within the perimeter of the National Park, 38 are protected and 43 are recognized as remarkable!
Along the rocky ridges and scree slopes, you can spot the Lobel broom, a small, thorny shrub that withstands the wind thanks to its cushion-like shape. Growing in scree and limestone pavements, the Provençal sandwort is a protected and endemic species: it is found only in Provence and nowhere else in the world.
The silhouettes of the Aleppo pine, often twisted due to their exposure to strong winds, most often dominate the scrubland. Along the trails, you can spot rosemary, thyme, and even cottony rockrose.
The coastal fringe concentrates halo-resistant plants, that is to say tolerant to the burn of salt from sea spray, such as the Marseille milkvetch which has adapted to the extreme conditions of its environment, thanks to its cushion shape and its small hairy leaves...
Historical heritage of the park
Within magnificent landscapes that are home to exceptional biodiversity, the Calanques National Park is also a territory rich in cultures, as evidenced by the many traces left by man over the millennia.
There are castles, country houses, artists' villas, a lighthouse, a rock cave, ship and plane wrecks, religious, agricultural, industrial, military and health buildings, as well as a few surprises, such as a ski lift and mysterious inscriptions...
Discover the cultural and heritage sites of the Calanques National Park
on board: let's be exemplary!
Sailing in the Calanques National Park is not just about admiring its landscapes: it is an act of ecological awareness.
On board the Samba catamaran, we ask each passenger to respect a few essential eco-friendly actions:
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Pick up your trash and don't let anything float away: the Mediterranean is the most polluted sea in Europe, with more than 200 pieces of trash per km². Every little bit helps.
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Do not touch marine or plant species while swimming.
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Protect Posidonia, an essential marine plant that takes over 100 years to regenerate. It oxygenates the water, shelters species, and plays a fundamental role in marine balance.
Consult the good practices and regulations of the Calanques National Park
our horizon
Towards more sustainable and more responsible tourism