réserve naturelle des sept îles

We were lucky. It was February and we happened to be there during half term which meant there were two sailings that week (they are not very frequent during the winter, but obviously much more so during the season) and we took the trip on a beautiful day. I always love being on boats anyway and on this trip we saw the nesting gannets and five seals sunbathing on a rock. Not bad for the time of year. You also get to see the coast from the sea and Ploumana'ch harbour which is lovely. The boats are nice and the commentary was good. They are obviously passionate about what they do and went to a lot of trouble to get us close to anything they thought might be of interest. You do need to understand french to get the benefit of the commentary though.

Then this trip is for you. There are a few tour boat providers that will take you out to the islands for a reasonable fare. The islands are covered with 27 species of breeding birds (Puffins, Northern Gannets, Shags, Northern Fulmars, Black-backed Gulls etc.) and the boats get you fairly close to the action (binoculars help if you have them). There are also grey seals that are permanent residents of the islands. Tours last a couple of hours and some let you off the boat on certain islands.

Whilst on holiday here we did the walk with our dog. Such beautiful scenery and well worth doing. On the walk, one of the properties was closed off as a film company were filing there. Would love to know what program or film that would end up being! Stopped the other end for a gorgeous meal before our return. I would recommend allowing half a day.

I have been visiting this place each time I go to Brittany since 1991 or even before. The new boats are different from those we used 20 years ago but this is still a lot of fun (especially when the birds are nesting or the chicks are born) but even in September there are still thousands of birds.PLUS you get to see seals, more and more as the years go by which is even better than the birds in my opinion.Taking the Vedettes at Trestaou or the old shrimp boat "San Chireg" are both excellent ideas depending on your budget and allocated time. If you fear you might not do too well on a boat with less amenities, I would recommend the Vedettes more modern (which can also appear "safer" for those afraid of the sea), but the old San Chireg is a great adventure too (and it last all day usually).I just took two visiting friends on the Vedettes a few days ago and they LOVED it too.HAVE FUN

Quite a bit of the 2 hours trip is spent alongside islands whilst a detailed commentary is given in (very fast) French, so unfortunately this was a bit beyond us in parts. Even so one cannot fail to be impressed by the monster colony of gannets crammed across one sland, nor wonder that an entire side of it is painted white with their..shall we say ' by products'. We saw seals, and various other birds, & opted for the ' getting off' version which gave 45 mins to wander round uninhibited ile de moins,look at the little Vauban fort there and being Brits in France marvel at the attached medieval toilets...Fab trip back along the coast, again with commentary, arrived back all windswept and ready for moules/ frites!!

We did the 2.5 hour trip which enabled us to land on Ile des Moines for 45 minutes. Didn't see any seals but saw the enormous gannet colony, mini-penguins, cormorants and even some puffins. Both the guides giving the commentaries were very knowledgeable and informative, though your French needs to be very good to understand them. That said, it would still make a fascinating trip even if you didn't understand. Landing on the island was magical and the colours of the sea just stunning. A definite "must do".

Anyone who has an interest in all things nature should take this trip if in the vicinity. The boats are very well maintained and their crew very knowledgeable. We were fortunate that the day we visited the sea was almost flat calm - but the variety of birds was incredible and we saw baby seals basking on rocks. Landing on the island revealed an almost 'moonscape' environment

The two hour boat trip from Perros-Guirec was a most interesting experience - we soon arrived at the island bird sanctuary populated by thousands of sea birds with a variety of species - one of the crew provided an informative commentary ( note - a knowledge of french is required )- the boat slowed and this gave an excellent opportunity for close up photos - the journey continued to several other islands and we were able to see close up the stunning pink granite formations previouly only seen from the land - stunning!!

Being on the water is always fun, but the whole trip appeared to be about seeing birds. The man who explained what we saw, did so in French, of which we didn't understand much.Also mind that there are no safety measures for children (should they happen to fall in the water). So keep them very close!

This is something you must do. We did it with one 5-year-old boy and one 2-year-old and they loved it. With seen a fou-de-bassan seabirds colony (7 in the world), a porpoise, a seal and we got a sunny weather with calm sea. The guides were really educational and entertaining. Awesome !

If you own a boat and if you are planning to go on a holiday to Brittany, consider visiting the Perros Guirec, Ploumanach, Trégastel area on the Northern Brittany coast.You will be delighted by the beautifull and rough coast lines.One of the attractions to navigate to are the Sept Iles, some miles out of the coast of Ploumanach. I would recommend you to have a good look at the weather before going out there, certainly with a small boat. We did the trip with a vessel of about six metres without any problem. But bear in mind that the sea can get very rough in no time. We encountered unpredictable currents near Ile aux Moines and rocks peeking out of the water everywhere!On the islands you can see several colonies of breeding seabirds (seagulls, puffins, cormorants, ...).If you don't have a suitable boat, or if you do not trust your navitation skills, you can also take a ferry to visit the islands.You can even go there with a Thonnier, an old thunafish boat.I have no info on how to get tickets for the trip, but I am sure you will get this info easily in a tourist office.This trip is certainly a recommendation for bird lovers: try to do it in June (till 14 of July the puffins stay on the islands) but also the stunning scenery is a reason to go out there!

The Sept Iles is well worth the boat trip. There is a huge variety of seabirds to see in their home environment as well as seals. The boat service now offers a couple of trips that include landing on one of the islands where there is an observation point. Be sure to use sunblock and take a hat.

I never really understood my French friends excitement about gannets, as we see them pretty often around the coast where I live. But I'd never seen a breeding colony till I visited the Sept Isles. It really does take your breath away.The cruise also gives you a chance to see Puffins and many other (perhaps less exotic) birds, as well as Grey Seals, but check the dates that they are present - for Puffins May and June is best (maybe till Bastille Day - 14th July), for Gannets July is still good.The cruise departs Perros Gueric at different times depending on the tides - they are huge in this part of Brittany (11metres). For the birds, the morning may be best, if it's not late morning.There are also two options including one where you can disembark on one of the islands and see the ruins of a monastery, a fort and a lighthouse - nice if you like to take in the atmosphere of the isles at a slower pace.By the way, there are 5 islands but many reefs. Sept (7) Isles apparently comes from a mis-translation of the Breton name for the Islands.

de magnifiques images vous attendent !! en respectant les lieux la nature , la faune s'offre à vous un régal de paysages , de lumière pour les artistes et les promeneurs de tout ages !! laissez vous bercer par les flots marins !!

La promenade aux sept iles est vraiment une très belle activitée pour tous ceux qui viennent en Bretagne.L'ile aux mouettes, Tomé à proximité ou encore Rouzic, on en prend plein les yeux!Je viens en Bretagne depuis 15 ans et cette sortie est un vrai plaisir, on y emmène nos invités dès que l'occasion se présente!