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AMC CAPE GRACE
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Port-Cros National Park
"An island jewel between unspoiled nature and crystal clear sea"
Located off the coast of the commune of Hyères, Port-Cros National Park spans an archipelago composed of three major islands: Port-Cros, Porquerolles, and Le Levant. Listed as a protected area in 1963, Port-Cros is the wildest of the three and today forms the original core of Europe's first marine park. Dense forests, rugged coastline, and clear waters make it a hotspot for biodiversity preservation.
At AMC Cape Grace, we offer a respectful and sensitive immersion in this exceptional natural environment, protected for over 60 years. Our commitment is clear: to adhere to strict park regulations, inform our passengers about best practices, and actively contribute to the preservation of this living heritage.
Welcome to Port-Cros National Park
Off the coast of the town of Hyères, three remarkable islands stretch just a few kilometers from the mainland: Port-Cros, Porquerolles, and Le Levant. In ancient times, along with Corsica and Sardinia, they were connected to the Maures massif — a remnant of the ancient Hercynian mountain range that still faces them today.
Port-Cros, the smallest of the three, features a mountainous terrain entirely covered in dense forest. Spanning 700 hectares, it is compact yet rugged: 4.5 km long by 3.5 km wide. The island has few plains and several wild valleys, with a mostly rocky and steep coastline. Yet it offers two natural bays: Le Port and Port-Man. It is also surrounded by small islands and islets, including Bagaud, a fully protected reserve located to the west.
Porquerolles is the largest and most inhabited of the three Hyères islands. Its 30-kilometer coastline makes it a paradise for hikers and mountain bikers. The island peaks at 142 meters at the semaphore and stretches in an east-west arc, 7.5 km long by 3 km wide, covering an area of 12.54 km².
Porquerolles offers a variety of landscapes:
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The northern coast features beautiful sandy beaches lined with vegetation and pine trees.
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The southern coast, much like Port-Cros, is wild and steep, with cliffs hiding secret creeks and coves accessible only to the most adventurous.
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At the center lie cultivated plains, where vineyards and botanical collections from the National Botanical Conservatory flourish.
The spaces of the national park
Established on December 14, 1963, the National Park — whose core areas on Port-Cros and Porquerolles cover 1,700 hectares of land and 2,900 hectares of marine areas — is the oldest marine national park in both France and Europe. In 2012, the park underwent a major reform in close consultation with local stakeholders.
It's located between La Garde and Ramatuelle and consists of:
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Two “core zones”, located on the islands of Port-Cros and Porquerolles: areas under high-level protection
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A “partnership area” on the mainland between La Garde and Ramatuelle: a zone for sustainable development projects created in cooperation with municipalities that have signed the park charter
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An “adjacent marine area”, a maritime counterpart to the mainland partnership area
Due to its protected status, regulations must be respected both on land and at sea. The marine areas of the park are subject to particularly strict rules. Around the islands, there are two defined zones: a 300-meter zone around Port-Cros and a 600-meter zone around Porquerolles, where anchoring, speed, and use of motorized vehicles are restricted.
The national park has two main missions:
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To protect species, habitats, landscapes, cultural heritage
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To support and promote all initiatives related to the knowledge and monitoring of natural and cultural assets
natural heritage of the park: fauna
Coastlines, sandy to rocky seabeds, underwater caves...
The core areas of the Park offer a variety of landscapes that shelter a rich and diverse fauna and flora — from common to rare or unusual species, including endemic species found only in the Mediterranean basin, as well as invasive exotics.
Terrestrial Fauna: The limited size and insular nature of Port-Cros and Porquerolles give their terrestrial fauna a distinctive character, even if overall diversity remains modest. Some unique, endemic species, such as the phyllodactylus (a gecko species) or the Sardinian painted frog (Discoglossus sardus), can be found exclusively on the Îles d'Or.
Marine Fauna: The marine life in the park is particularly abundant and diverse, thanks to the variety of habitats — Posidonia seagrass meadows, coralligenous reefs, shallow rocky zones, and sandy bottoms — and to the active protection and management efforts by the park authorities.
Among the species commonly observed are:
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The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
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The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
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Large cetaceans such as the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
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Fish species like the sunfish, dusky grouper, sea breams, moray eels, and gilthead seabream
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Seabirds, including the Yelkouan shearwater and the yellow-legged gull
natural heritage of the park: Flora
The terrestrial flora present in the heart of the park and in the territory covered by the National Park is made up of typically Mediterranean species: olive tree, rosemary, Aleppo pine, etc., numerous rare plants protected by law, some of which are endemic, but also invasive exotic species such as witch's claws, etc.
The underwater flora is very rich and consists of colorful algae whose shapes and appearance can vary greatly, as well as flowering plants, such as posidonia, which forms vast underwater meadows called seagrass beds.
Mediterranean plant species represent a treasure trove of biodiversity. The Knowledge for Biodiversity Management department of the Port-Cros National Park helps identify them through regular inventories that can lead to scientific publications, as well as documentation suitable for the general public.
Historical heritage of the park
On the islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros, 18 forts and batteries bear witness to a tumultuous military past. Some are in ruins, others are undergoing renovation or have been transformed into museums and reception areas. Only three forts are open to the public: Estissac in Port-Cros, Ste Agathe in Porquerolles, and Fort du Pradeau on the Giens Peninsula.
From antiquity to the 20th century, the seabeds of the islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros contain traces of the past.
Several wrecks of merchant ships and isolated archaeological remains serve as reminders of the intense commercial activity that has existed since ancient times between the various Mediterranean civilizations. Hours of discovery await even the most experienced divers.
Discover the cultural and heritage sites of the Port-Cros National Park
The Pelagos Sanctuary
A second protected area is crossed, the Pelagos Sanctuary: the Pelagos Sanctuary is the only international maritime zone dedicated to the protection of marine mammals and their habitats in the Mediterranean through an agreement between France, Italy, and the Principality of Monaco. It extends from the Port-Cros National Park to northern Sardinia in the south and the Italian coast in the east.
Its main role is to promote harmonised actions and management measures for the protection of cetaceans and their habitats against all possible causes of human-induced disturbance and mortality (e.g. pollution, noise, accidental captures, injuries, etc.).
/!\ Please note: Whales and dolphins are protected by French, Italian, and Monegasque laws dating from 1995, which prohibit their capture and/or killing. In France, a ban on the intentional disturbance of marine mammals was also introduced in July 2011. This decree prohibits, from July 2021 (Decree of July 7, 2021), the intentional approach of these species within 100 meters in French Mediterranean waters.
on board: let's be exemplary!
On board our ships, we invite each passenger to participate in the preservation of this jewel:
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Pick up all your rubbish and don't let anything go to waste: the Mediterranean is the most polluted sea in Europe, with more than 200 pieces of rubbish per km².
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Respect the seagrass: it takes 100 years to regenerate 1 m² of uprooted material! Do not drop anchors in the seagrass beds.
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Do not touch flora and fauna when swimming: simple friction can harm certain fragile organisms.
our horizon
Towards more sustainable and more responsible tourism