le Levant

Le Levant island (called the inferior) is separated from Port-Cros island by a pass called "la passe des Grottes" and has a different topography. It is a long and narrow rocky ridge (its biggest width is 1 kilometre for 8 kilometre long). The highest crest is between 100 and 138 meters high and towers above rocks notched by rare creeks. Its mica-schistose of white or black crystals and rocks of pure quartz are a reserve of a very large variety of ores. Garnets, black tourmalines, the ironstone, … can be found.
The flora, less luxuriant than on the two other islands of Port-Cros and Porquerolles, offers a lot of essences : Alep pines, maritime pines, cork oak trees, scrub’s plants and a rather rare botanical specimen, the herb of apple ("Herbe à pomme") called so because of its very characteristic and special smell. Main animals are butterflies (more than 60 species), birds and dragonflies.
Le Levant island welcomed and sheltered different religious orders at the beginning of Christianity : "Lérins" monks, who have built there a branch of their abbey, then benedictine monks and finally "Frères de la Croix" monks have lived there since the XV° century in a monastery, which ruins still exist in the small valley called "Jas-Vieux". The island knew the english invasion in 1973 too. During the last century, the island was the property of the count of "Pourtales". One part of its grounds was transformed in a penitentiary for young people. This penitentiary had got 300 prisoners from 15 to 18 years old. But in 1866, a fire kindled by prisoners destroyed the penitentiary.
The island depends of the town of Hyères but is located in front of the harbour of Bormes Les Mimosas and the port of Le Lavandou. Now Le Levant is a paradise for naturists and welcomes more and more adepts, what creates of course many problems. In 1931 Gaston and André Durville, both doctors, began to build the first city of naturism of France. The city called "Heliopolis" was built on hills’ sides and is dominated by the old fort. At this time, the island used to have only between 15 and 20 inhabitants. Nowadays, Le Levant is famous throughout the whole world. Nowadays, Le Levant is famous throughout the whole world. Nevertheless, the main part of the island (600 hectares on 1000 hectares in the north-east part) is the property of the national marine, which has established a trial centre and is absolutely forbidden to public. Naturists and sailors constitute the inhabitants of this lovely island. Le Levant offers tourists a very modest mooring because of the military setting but sailing along the coast is wonderful. The water is transparent and underwater bottoms are rich and varied. Fishing is authorised and you can fish very big pieces, which can sometimes reach 10 kilograms (a big grouper of 70 kilograms was fished in 1970). Some shoals of mullets, gilt-heads and other fishes can be seen in the water in the early morning.

Portcros

Since the antiquity, the history of Port-Cros has been linked with the history of Porquerolles island. Port-Cros is called "La Mesé" too and that means the island of the middle. It is a small island with a surface of 640 hectares, 4,5 kilometres long, 2 kilometres wide and is called "Port Creux", that is deep port because of its deep indentation of the port. Its relief has an exceptional vegetation and is higher and more rendered uneven than the relief of the islands of Porquerolles and Le Levant.
Like the other rocks of the archipelago, Port-Cros was first inhabited by a people called "Ligure", then by the monks of "Lerins" who cleared it in the V° century. In Middle Ages, invaders followed upon invaders and pirates’ ravages ruined the island during 5 centuries. Port-Cros was the former property of the "Beauregard" count, who has renting its hunting, the island became a national park in 1963.
A sector of protection for flora and fauna extends to 600 meters from coasts and includes small islands called "Rascasse", "Gabinière", "Bagaud" island and some neighbouring small islands. Fishing and underwater fishing are forbidden as to destroy plants too. That will perhaps allow Port-Cros to stay a peaceful Eden. Footpaths wind through small valleys, in the penumbra of high scrubs often impenetrable, where you will find lentisks, heathers, arbutus, … You will have sometimes radiant vista on the deep blue of the sea or on the outline of old small forts. The island is very verdant and has also 12 springs and two of them are ferriginous. It has a thickset vegetable coat where you find unknown species on provencal coasts.
Some plants are single in France like teucrium marum which you find in dense scrubs. Some mushrooms, which are in the undergrowth of Port-Cros, are very rare like the "bloody lacteous" mushroom. The wood has a lot of perfumes like green-oak, Alep pine, cork oak, eucalyptus and olive tree. In this luxuriant vegetation, fauna has an absolute freedom. You will find there famous species of mediterranean countries but rare and single one too. Big sea birds (silvered seagull, crested cormorant) like the cliff of South. Hunted birds (falcon, sparrow hawk, blue rock thrush, bee-eater, hoopoe) in provencal wood have taken refuge in Port-Cros. Other species like sparrow, turtledove, wood pigeon, flamingo are used to calling at Port-Cros during their yearly migrations.
Finally, lovely and rare butterflies add their warm colours to this priceless richness. The underwater life is very busy and precious, particularly in the South of the coastline, where the water is absolutely pure and will allow you to see bottoms 40 meters deep. Plants, mosses and seaweed are covering rocks. That is an ideal place to dive (which is not forbidden) and you will drive out a lot of groupers, muraena, mullets and other fishes with several colours and of different forms, which are living free in this protected water. It is in this idyllic environment that the novelist Melchior de Vogue located his novel, which title is Jean D’Agrève (1897). His book has known an important celebrity at the beginning of the century.
At the entry of the small-valley called "Valon de la Solitude" you will visit Helen’s manor, the heroine. Another pleasant trip will let you discover a surprising vegetation : the bay of "Port Man", remarkable verdure semicircle. In order to access over-there, a path a little bit shaded and hilly winds through the natural landscape and crosses the island in its length. From the pass of "Port Man", you will contemplate Le Levant island, direct in the prolongation of the coast called "Maures". It is possible to go from the bay, well protected from north-winds, to the picturesque hamlet of Port-Cros by walking on footpaths. They bring you to the headland called "Pointe de la Galère", crossing the small-valley called "Janet", the valley called "Marma", go along the beach of "La Palu" and the small "Black" valley. The island offers you many walks that can be admired by solitary walkers out of the summer season. On the crest’s road towering above the meridional coast, you will admire the oweinspiring spectacle of sheer and coloured cliffs.

Ile de Porquerolles

The very lovely little port with its quiet jetty, a rocky headland covered with maritime pines, few pink and white houses edged with Mimosas, Tamarisks and palm trees. That is how you will discover this island by landing from a boat. Vedette-boats are used to serving the islands of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant. The smaller crossing leave the "Tour Fondue", located at the end of the headland of Giens to reach Porquerolles. Other vedette-boats in Bormes and Le Lavandou will bring you to the islands too. A big place with eucalyptus trees, a modest church, few houses of fishermen, … that is exactly the village you will discover.
This village has given its name to the whole island and was built 150 years ago around the old fort of "Sainte Agathe" (XV° century) in order to offer accommodations to soldiers’ families who were there in garrison. It is absolutely typical because it is located in the back ground of a tiny harbour, edged on north by the "Courtade" beach sheltering a small port where boats, which are linking islands to the coastline, berth.
Indeed, a long time ago, the island was a military camp used as a convalescent centre. The injured persons of the war of "Crimée" and of the campaign of Madagascar were tending over there. The incredible path of "Sainte Anne’s church" is composed of 14 boardings in walnut tree sculpted with a knife by a soldier of the african battalion. This soldier stayed on the island in 1868. Other forts fallen into ruins testify to the long military presence. The oldest fort called "L’Alicastre" was built when Richelieu was still alive. Its name comes from a legend explaining the existence of a fabulous monster (called "La Lycastre") that a mysterious knight would have shot down. This fort was used as a prison from 1848 to 1852. The legend says that the Iron Mask ("Masque de fer") was confined there while its boat, which was driving him towards "Sainte Marguerite" island, was obliged to call up at Porquerolles because of winds. During the algerian war, a lot of arab prisoners were deported there.
Only 20 minutes far from the continent, it is the biggest one of the "Gold Islands" (7,5 kilometres long and two kilometres wide) and has got 25 kilometres of coasts. During several years, those coasts were very lusted after until 1971 by real buildings. Without having the statute of park, the island is nowadays well protected and its infrastructure is very modest. Like in the rest of the archipelago, cars are forbidden and it is thanks to bicycles or on foot that you will reach the most picturesque landscapes.
The main walk allows you to go to the lighthouse (96 m) located on the south headland and permit to cross the island in its length. From the top, you will discover a very lovely panorama of the whole island, the hills of "Langoustier", "Sainte Agathe" fort, the signal-station, the islands and the massif of "Maures" and its ochry cliffs diving in the sea. There is no road, which surround the whole Porquerolles island. Some very lovely paths allow you to walk to wild inlets of the south coast or to the sandy beaches in north and west or to rocky headlands of the caps of "Mèdes, of "Le Grand Langoustier" and of "L’Alicastre". You will need to strain after walking to the belvedere. But your efforts will be rewarded by the view to all coasts or to the inside of Porquerolles which is a quiet place, nearly desert, with a very lovely wood, many vineyards and where cicadas are always singing. You will find orange trees, lemon trees and tangerine-orange trees. The bottoms of the see are very interesting and appreciated by divers too.

le Lavandou

 The beach of Le Lavandou extends to the international port of Le Lavandou. The old little fishing port is nowadays an important international port for sailing boats and fishing-boats. Well-protected, it can welcome till 1.100 boats drawn from 1 to 9 meters of water and till 40 meters long.
Along the quay shops and restaurants guarantee holidaymakers all the comfort of a stray without any worry. In front of the port, you will find the village of Le Lavandou, with its narrow and picturesque alleyways in a fanciful building-line. Next to the town hall, there is a lovely place for french bowls ("pétanque"), under plane trees and facing the sea. Players play memorable games always very animated. The port of Le Lavandou is the busiest quarter of the two towns with a lot of establishments opened till dawn for the pleasure of night-prowlers.
A railway line should soon link the bay of Saint Clair, La Fossette, Aiguebelle, Cavalière and Pramousquier to the village of Le Lavandou, following the railway line of the "Train des Pignes", which was used to go along the sea at the beginning of the century.

Bormes les Mimosas and Le Lavandou are probably the sunniest towns of France with a winter average of 532 shinny hours (only 211 hours in Paris).
Somme days in January, when the sun shines in the sky, the village of Bormes surrounded by gold and silver thanks to mimosas and almond trees, appears like a real place of paradise. The village is located on a height of about 100 m on the South of a massif called "Massif des Maures" and enjoys an exceptional microclimate too.
The saline air comes perfumed and sweetened in the village thanks to heaths, eucalyptus, brooms, oleanders and especially mimosas.
The mildness atmosphere is constant and exceptional in all seasons. Moreover, the large variety and colours of flora are a real delight. But the mediterranean climate, really appreciated by tourists, is very restricting for plants, especially during the warm season of summer when rains are lower than 30 mm. Woods and scrubs are covering a very big part of the territory. In wood, you will discover wonderful pinewoods :
- pine of Alep : whose seeds contain almonds really appreciated by squirrels
- pine-tree : with its rectilinear trunk, its dark bark and its long needles
- pine called "pin pignon" : usually called "pin-parassol" for its characteristic form. You will discover oak-plantations : oak-tree is typical from our region with its thick and cracked bark, white aok-tree which we can see on facing north hillsides and green-oak-tree which could be at the origin of the wood. A few chesnust-grove are located on fresh and humid hillsides. Scrubs are essentially dominated by heaths arbutus (it is one of the rarest plants which have flowers and fruits at the same time and lentos. You can find rosemary, lavender, thyme, asphodels, helianthus, tulips and iris too. Others trees were introduced : the eucalyptus should come from Australia and the mimosas should have been brought from Mexico by the troops of Napoleon III in 1867. Those trees from the race of acacias are famous in Bormes for their many different and perfumed bowls. It grows up in winter, from January to March. It is in 1968 that, by decree, the designation "Bormes les Mimosas" became official

The first time our region was mentioned was in a book called " The itinerary of Roman Empire ". Indeed Alconis (the harbour of Bormes) is one of the three maritime stations mentioned between the harbour of Fréjus and of Pomponiana (the harbour of Giens). It is probably in the bay of Cavalière that Greeks established Alconis station (in the VI century before J.C.). Then Romans privileged this setting for the resort of " Côte d'Azur ".
Historians thought that the foundation of Bormes was done 400 years before J.C.. A tribe from Italy called "Bormany" might have installed itself along the seaside. It is possible that the name of Bormes was taken from this tribe, whose first mention appeared in 1056. But another explanation exists : its comes from the translation of " spurted out water centre ", which refers to the many springs of Bormes and whose translation in celtic is BORMO.
In the XII century, facing increasing Saracen attacks, Bormani tribe, mainly fishers, decided to protect itself in hills, which constitutes a natural defence. It is only in the XII century that the village and the castle were built, but in spite of ramparts, inhabitants suffered a lot of attacks again. Saracens destroyed the village in 730 and 1393 by corsairs.
The Normands invaded the village in 859 and the Spanish in 1362. It was burned down many times by people called " Maures " in 1529, and ten years later by people called " Génois of Andréa Doria " and by the troops of the count of Carcès during religion wars in 1579. Roger de Fos was the first lord of Bormes in 1257 and received the grounds of Charles d'Anjou, count of Provence. The construction of the castle began in his reign and carried on to the XIV century. The lords of House of Grasse, who succeeded the dynasty of the 13 lords of Fos in 1422, let in Bormes arms, which are decorating the town-hall. In 1483, Charles du Maine, last sovereign of Provence, gave his hand to the king of France before dying. That is why Bormes became french. In 1601, the sovereigns of the house of Grasse then succeeded the sovereign of the House of " l'enfant de la platrière ", in 1755 and finally the 27th and last sovereigns of Bormes were those of the house of Albert in 1769. The revolution put an end to the feudal regime in 1789.

la carte de l'Ile du Levant