The Vercors has an abundance of exceptionally beautiful and interesting places to visit, such as the “maisons suspendues” at Pont en Royans, the caves of Choranche, the Goulets, Combe Laval, the cliffs of Presles, the Route des Ecouges and the Gorges du Nan.

Presles and the forest of the Coulmes very close to Les Arnaux has a countryside particularly suited to a number of sports: mountain biking, walking, cross-country skiing, caving, rock climbing (sports and multi-pitch) and parapenting.

Mountain Biking (VTT): hundreds of kilometres of tracks around Les Arnaux with magnificent views over the Isère valley, the Vercors the Diois and, in fine weather, to the hills of the Ardèche.

Walking: Many walks can be made from Les Arnaux that give a taste of the peace and richness of a natural landscape.

In this “wild” country it is possible to find remains of human activity such as the ruins of the charcoal makers – the families of the last charcoal makers left in the nineteen sixties. There are a number of memorials recalling that the Coulmes was very active in the Resistance during WWII. The great traverse of the Vercors, the GR9, is one of the big walks possible from Les Arnaux.

Rock Climbing: A major climbing site in France, one of the best in Europe with more than 300 equipped routes, the fabulous cliffs of Presles (up to 280m in height) are very close to Les Arnaux. The routes are from 4a to 8b and such is the reputation of Presles that it is visited regularly by climbers from all over the world. There are four single pitch sports crags in the area.

Presles: situated at an altitude of 860m this little village is one of the gateways to the Coulmes. Around the village with its square and its church, the plateaux, the cliffs and the forest present a beautiful area for climbing, caving and mountain biking and one also finds many marked paths through varied and grandiose country. Linking the plateau of the Coulmes with the valley of the Bourne, the Route des Presles overlooks the plateau of l’Allier and provides a view point to the high plateau of the Vercors.

Choranche: situated in the the heart of the Gorges of the Bourne and at the foot of the majestic cirque of the cliffs of Presles Choranche benefits from a micro-climate with unique southern vegetation. The caves of Choranche (the most visited major tourist site of the Rhone Alps) are one of the great natural wonders of the region. Unique in Europe with their hollow stalactites these caves are open all the year.

Cirque de Bournillon: the great overhang (porch) of the Bournillon, the biggest in Europe and the Moulin Marquis waterfall (visible from the road) are very famous sites. The cave of the Bournillon is the outlet of an immense underground reservoir that drains the waters of the central Vercors from the Col du Rousset. This cave is accessible to cavers.

Cirque de Choranche: overlooking the Gorges of the Bourne this cirque forms an arc of a circle in the cliffs of Presles. At the foot of this limestone wall are seven caves one of which (the Gournier) has an international reputation amongst cavers.

The Gorges of the Bourne: these gorges cut the massif of the Vercors in two by a deep cleft. The road, cut through solid rock, is ranked by the Guide Michelin as the most unmissable in the Vercors.

Canyon des Ecouges: is a narrow and savage passage made by the torrent of the Drevenne where the road is cut in the cliff in a spectacular position overlooking the valley with stunning views over the lowlands of the Isère.

Rencurel: the valley of Rencurel is one of the long north-south grooves that tell the geological history of the massif of theVercors. From the heights of the Col de Romeyère to the banks of the Bourne 400m lower down the commune of Rencurel is dotted with hamlets. A marvellous fishing spot, Rencurel is one of the three gateways to the cross country skiing of the Coulmes.

Saint André en Royans : away from the major highways this feudal village, perched on a little hill at the foot of the Vercors, merits a detour. One can admire its two chateaux and its church.

Pont en Royans: this village is known as one of themost unusual in the Dauphiné, graced by its “maisons suspendues” with coloured facades overlooking the Bourne. Pont en Royans owes its charm to the ingenuity of the men who in the sixteenth constructed the village, well placed to facilitate trade in wood. Today the main place in the canton, it has become the veritable tourist capital of the Royans, with amongst others, its bathing spots and its picturesque alleyways.

Saint Romans: this village situated in the valley of the ’Isère, has kept in its hinterland its role in traditional agriculture (tobacco and walnuts). The footpath “martin pêcheur” has been prepared on the banks of the Isère to observe flora and forna.

Izeron: this village merits a visit to discover its countryside and its spiritual richness; the Buddhist monastery of Montchardon ( well known to the Dalai Lama).

Beauvoir en Royans: the gothic ruins of Beauvoir en Royans barely allow an appreciation of the one-time splendour of the grandiose residence of Humbert II, the last Dauphin, who organised the union of the province with the kingdom of France in 1349. At this period, more than 200 people lived at the Delphinale court. The Delphinale museum and its exhibits are open all the year.