Ark of Nature

Ten minutes far from the heart of Le Mans, the Ark of Nature offers visitors a vast natural area. Over the paths, walkers will discover the river, farmland and forest and can go to the Water House, the House of the Forest, and the farm of the Prairie. Altogother, there are 450 hectares of nature free and open permanently to the public.

Forest and natural reserve:
The forest of the Ark of Nature covers nearly 300 ha. It is representative of the forest landscape of our region and is an ideal habitat for many wild animals: deer, boar, pheasant ... You can discover the remarkable trees circuit of 2.5 km, arboretum, footpaths and mountain biking trails, disc golf course and three marked orienteering.

The Forest House:
In an exhibition room of 180 m2, discover the forest by a playful and sensory approach: many wild animals (alive or naturalized), vegetable oils (stabilized topics and resins) as well as the development of the timber industry.

The House of water:
The Water House welcomes three aquariums with fish of our rivers: trout, barbel, bream... The visit of the old water plant allows you to browse the history of water treatment. A showroom addresses water in a more scientific and playfulness way. A Bollee windmill for pumping water was relocated to the site entrance.

The conservatory farm and vegetable garden:
With his stable, his sheep barn, his farmyard, horse stables and meadows, farm Prairie hosts many local breeds of animals, including some unusual (Western White sow the Norman donkey Le Mans chicken or cow Saosnoise). At the heart of the farm, the vegetable garden offers a great diversity of cultures and gardening techniques. The stables of Percheron horses are open to the public.