The Plateau de Valensole is located in Provence, more precisely in the Alpes de Haute Provence (04).
It is perched at an altitude of 600 metres and covers 800 km² between the valleys of the Durance to the west, the Asse to the north Gorges du Verdon and the Lac de Sainte-Croix to the south.
The Plateau de Valensole lives mainly from agriculture, tourism and crafts. It is famous for its Lavandin/Lavender crops. 81,400 ha of the plateau are cultivated. Formerly in the XIXe century, the plateau was cultivated mainly with almond trees and truffle oaks. This economy disappeared and was replaced by the cultivation of Lavender/Lavandin and cereals. The plateau is known as the “granary of the region”.
- We can’t talk about the Plateau de Valensole without mentioning Lavandin, which blooms from June 15 to July 15.
- At this time of year, the plateau dons its purple mantle as far as the eye can see, a feast for the eyes and the nose.
Lavender is the dominant crop on the plateau. Although on the verge of extinction over the past 30 years due to foreign competition, the essential oil that used to be commonly called essence of lavender is used in the manufacture of cosmetics, soaps, detergents, etc., for its perfume and virtues.
It settled here because it’s closest to its original conditions. Lavandin is Lavender grow wild in the garrigues of the plateau.
Lavandin has also made a name for itself here because of the region’s very low annual rainfall and because the Plateau de Valensole is largely unirrigated, making it an ideal crop.
As with the rest of Provence, the sunshine on the Valensole Plateau is conducive to attracting summer tourists, who are more inclined to nature-based activities than tourists from the Mediterranean coast.
You’ll be dazzled by its immense lavender fields, the largest concentration in the world, and by the surrounding mountain ranges.
And let’s not forget the gates to the Gorges du Verdon, Europe’s largest canyon and a must-see once you’re there.
During your stay, feel free to visit us directly in the village of Valensole, where we’ll be happy to welcome you from May to September in our our boutique
or during the lavender flowering season in June/July, directly in our fields at our little hut.
