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Where to see seals, dolphins and seabirds in Brittany
Grey seals at Molène and the Sept-Îles, bottlenose dolphins, gannets and puffins: where to watch marine wildlife in Brittany, and how to go about it.
6 min read
Brittany is home to colonies of grey seals, groups of bottlenose dolphins that live near the coast all year round, and the finest seabird colonies in France. Here is where to see them, without disturbing them.
The grey seals of the Molène archipelago
In the heart of the Iroise Marine Nature Park, between Le Conquet and Ouessant, grey seals rest on the rocks of the Molène archipelago. Boat trips leave from Le Conquet, Lanildut or Camaret, and often meet dolphins.
The Sept-Îles, the kingdom of birds
Off Perros-Guirec, the Sept-Îles reserve is home to the only gannet colony in France, puffins in spring and a small colony of grey seals. Boats tour the islands from Trestraou.
The Sept-Îles
- LighthouseÎle aux Moines Lighthouse, Sept-ÎlesPerros-Guirec / Sept-Îles · 2 hours to half a day.The only lighthouse in the Sept-Îles archipelago, 20 m high, rebuilt after 1944 and reached only by boat, on the only island where landing is allowed.
VillagePloumanac’hPerros-Guirec · 2 hours minimum, half a day to a full day with a walk to TrégastelPloumanac’h brings together a natural harbour, Saint-Guirec beach, an oratory, the Mean Ruz lighthouse and huge jumbles of pink granite along one of the finest stretches of the GR34.- ActivityPerros-Guirec Sailing CentrePerros-Guirec · 1 to 3 hThe Perros-Guirec sailing centre: optimist, catamaran, windsurfing, kayak and sea walking.
The bottlenose dolphins of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel
A group of bottlenose dolphins lives in the Normandy Brittany gulf. From Cancale, guided trips set out to meet them, with no guarantee: they are wild animals.
From Cancale
- ActivityAl Lark, observation des dauphinsCancale · 1 to 3 hoursAl Lark, an association founded in Cancale in 2004, studies and protects the marine environment, with boat trips devoted to the bay’s bottlenose dolphins.
ViewpointPointe du GrouinCancale · 1 to 2 hours.An iconic headland near Cancale with a panorama from the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to the Emerald Coast, with views of Chausey, Cap Fréhel and the Île des Landes.
Birds of the bays and marshes
The Séné reserve, in the Gulf of Morbihan, and the Bay of Saint-Brieuc welcome thousands of birds in winter. In Cap Sizun, the Goulien reserve is home to cliff nesting birds in spring.
Reserves and observatories
Natural siteRéserve naturelle des marais de SénéSéné · 2 hours per trail, half a day for bothAt the far end of the Gulf of Morbihan, 530 hectares of former salt pans, mudflats and meadows where avocets, spoonbills and stilts live. Covered hides, and a free trail open all year.
ViewpointPointe des GuettesHillion · 45 minutes to 1 h 30.A lookout in the heart of the Baie de Saint-Brieuc Nature Reserve, with a viewpoint indicator and an exceptional panorama over the whole bay, its tidal channels and mussel farms.
ViewpointPointe du RazPlogoff · 1 h 30 to 3 h, depending on the route and the time you spend.One of Finistère’s great panoramas, a Grand Site de France, with cliffs, the Raz de Sein strait, La Vieille lighthouse, the Île de Sein and the vast Atlantic.
Going further
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