Add a touch of the exotic and the wild to your camping holiday in the Ardèche with a visit to La Ferme aux Crocodiles (the Crocodile Farm). It’s a wildlife park where reptiles, tortoises and snakes live peacefully in immersive recreations of their natural habitats. Booking a stay at our campsite near the Crocodile Farm means treating yourself to one of the best things to do in the Ardèche with children!
A wildlife park unique in Europe
With its 10,000 m² tropical greenhouse, its 1,000 residents and its 600 varieties of exotic plants, La Ferme aux Crocodiles is no ordinary wildlife park. In fact, it’s the largest reptile reserve in Europe! Given the impressive number of species living there, stepping through its gates is like setting off on a real animal world tour: Nile crocodiles, Mississippi alligators, anacondas… While some species are well known and part of our imagination, others are less so: have you ever heard of the false gharial? Or the gourami? If not, a guided tour of the Crocodile Farm during your holiday in the Ardèche is a must. And if you have, well done!
Crocodiles and other species
Of the 24 existing species of crocodile, no fewer than twelve live at La Ferme aux Crocodiles. In total, more than 350 members of this reptile family are eagerly awaiting your visit. Put like that, it doesn’t sound very reassuring, but don’t worry: they are fed and pampered every day by the farm’s keepers. And anyway, the rules forbid them from snapping at visitors’ legs…
There’s a reason this reserve is one of the most visited attractions in the Ardèche. As well as the crocodiles, you and your children can see plenty of other species: alligator snapping turtles, reticulated pythons, Caribbean iguanas… But there’s more to life than reptiles. Between the exotic fish (clown loaches, tiger perch, guppies…) and the birds (scarlet ibises, rainbow lorikeets, blue-bellied rollers…), a real explosion of colour and biodiversity awaits you at the Crocodile Farm!
Activities at the park
To become a true reptile expert after your camping holiday in the Ardèche, make the most of the many activities and shows on offer at the wildlife park:
- Croc aperitif: with this experience, available by booking once the other visitors have left, you can watch the crocodiles being fed, with commentary from the keepers. Afterwards, share a tropical-flavoured aperitif with the park staff;
- Wake up the reserve: a bit like the opposite of the croc aperitif. Before the visitors have arrived, you watch all these exotic reptiles wake up, then enjoy a breakfast;
- Keeper for a day: one of your children, aged 12 or over, shadows a keeper throughout their day caring for the animals. A real mini work placement among the crocodiles and snakes.
And that’s just a taster: the park offers many other activities and shows for the whole family to enjoy during your camping holiday in the Ardèche. Ideal for raising awareness of wildlife from an early age, while having fun!
