No matter the destination, it's the journey that counts!
All the experiences, the discoveries and the emotions we harvest along the way. To travel is a learning process which also broadens your mind and teaches you to open to the world and to others, as much as to get to know yourself better. And why not start here in the Drôme, a place we call home, and never stops to amaze us.
The purpose of our association is to delve into our heritage, whether historical, traditional, gastronomical, natural, artistic and even philosophical. The Drôme has much to offer, taking from so many contrasts and influences, in this South-Eastern part of France. By road or on a walking trail, our outings are never shared with strangers, only friends we have yet to meet on the way...
About Andarta...
Andarta was born from a previous association called IGLIS, which brought together passionate guides and lecturers, specialised in the Celtic countries and cultures. In 2011 it came to be based in Saillans, a village in the very heart of the Drôme. And the guides were quickly joined by all kinds of people sharing a common interest for the Drôme region, and its many contrasted areas: from the Vercors to the Baronnies Mountains, and from the Diois enclave to the busy Rhône Valley. A territory which originally was settled by the Voconces people, a mix of Ligurian and Celtic tribes, who built a lasting identity inseparable to the Drôme. Their guardian goddess was Andarta, the legendary bear deity.
Our activities favour the lesser known but authentic
territories, their historical backgrounds, traditions and natural
environment. An exploration which we want to be fun and relaxed, open to
professionals and specialists as much as people driven by a healthy
dose of curiosity. To know more about local crafts, local folklore and
legends, or about the men and women who have shaped our land throughout
history. To do this, no better way than to take to the roads and walking paths. Choosing carpooling for our mode of transport, and share
human adventures where many friendships are forged...
You can read the statutes of our association by clicking here.
Our main activity is our outings...
Fun and relaxed outings are nonetheless well organised and meaningful. Thanks to the help and dedication of our guides and cultural coordinators, among which David is a driving force. "The travelling bard", or David Gourdant, is our activity director, supervising all cultural and artistic events for the association, on a volunteer bases. A storyteller often taking to the stage, or leading the walking outings, he was trained as a professional tour guide and can claim over 30 years experience. Part of this experience was also working as a travel organiser. Thanks to their contributions, our outings are always both relevant and well balanced, rich in knowledge as much as they are exciting!
Carpooling...
The mode of transport is obviously essential in our activities. To reduce pollution and costs at the same time, we encourage carpooling. And to preserve the sites we visit, most of which are away from the beaten tracks, we favour small groups of 8 to 12 people. Small numbers allow for better peace and tranquillity, a fuller immersion in nature and historical sites, better absorb the information given, share and exchange thoughts. For this reason we are fortunate to avail of a privately owned 9 seats minibus for our association. Costs are shared by amongst all the participants of the outing.
Membership and costs...
Membership to join the association if free, as we aim to share our activities with people from all walks of life. Matters of gender, qualifications or income are irrelevant to us. Membership is given the moment you partake in one of our activities, thus becoming a Sympathiser. The membership runs for 12 months. If the association finds itself in financial need, we appeal for donations. Members give what they can afford, and become Benefactors. As we are indeed a non-profit association, administrated and managed on a voluntary basis only.
Membership is open to passing visitors !
If you are staying just a few days in the Drôme, or a newcomer wishing to better understand your surroundings, you are more than welcome to join our outings.
The cost of an outing depends on the amount of paying entrances and the distance involved to get there. Some have free visits and stay very local to the Drôme Valley, others take us further afield and involve two or three paying visits in the day. These costs are to be paid directly on site, or shared among the participants (e.g. fuel, tolls, parking). One of our objectives is to support the local economy, especially the cultural players, reason why most of our outings are lead by a local guide. We have agreed preferential rates with them, and their services are the only ones to be included in the price outing.
Come participate!
The key words for our activities are being open minded, curious, sharing and making new friends. To explore our heritage must remain above all a pleasure, be captivating and exciting, a break from the day-to-day routine. Hopefully a relief from stress, teachings from our past, bringing food for thought, stories of philosophical significance. The opportunity to meet those who bring life to our territories: farmers, herders, wine growers, cheese makers, artisans of all sorts. Against the backdrop of a hilltop village of the Baronnies, a restored castle in Drôme Valley, fascinating mountain views in the Diois, or a deep forest in the Vercors...
Meeting points...
The association's headquarters - more of a letterbox really - are in Saillans, a village located in the very heart of the Drôme, half-way down the river's course, between the small towns of Die and Crest. You are welcome to give us a call and we will gladly meet you at the Tourist Office or the train station. When it comes to the departure and return points of our outings, it depends where that outing is heading. Usually, we meet at a given hour in front of the train stations of Saillans, Die, Crest or Valence. And in summer, when we also welcome passing visitors, we can meet at a campsite, a guest house or a rental.
Andarta is a non-profit association, and not a travel agency!
Therefore, any other
services than the professional guides or tour leaders we like to hire for our outings, have to
be paid directly on site. Expenses for meals, admissions, entrances and activities are mentioned in the descriptions.
However, for private requests, including accommodation, we will be happy to help you build a full package tour, and hand it over to one of our professional partners, holding the appropriate travel licence. They can provide you with an invoice and a one-off payment including all the various services.
Our main partners:
