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The road winds between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, offering spectacular views of rocky cliffs, hidden coves and crystal-clear waters.
Here, the Serra de l'Albera (Albera Massif), the easternmost extension of the Pyrenees, gradually descends towards the Mediterranean. Its rocky slopes do not simply disappear at the shoreline. They continue beneath the waves, creating an extraordinary underwater landscape.
This remarkable meeting between mountains and sea is home to one of the most important protected marine environments in the region: the Cervera-Banyuls Marine Nature Reserve.
More information: Banyuls
Established in 1974, Cervera-Banyuls became first exclusively marine nature reserve in France. Covering approximately 650 hectares and seven kilometres of coastline, the reserve was created to protect the exceptional biodiversity of the Costa Vermella.
Its underwater environment includes rocky reefs, submarine caves, seagrass meadows and coralligenous formations. Together, these habitats support an extraordinary variety of marine organisms.
But protecting a marine reserve means much more than preserving a beautiful landscape. It means safeguarding the complex relationships that make life beneath the surface possible.
Among the reserve's most valuable habitats are the meadows of Posidonia oceanica, a flowering plant found only in the Mediterranean Sea. Often mistaken for seaweed, Posidonia forms extensive underwater meadows that provide food, shelter and breeding grounds for numerous marine species. These underwater forests also help stabilise sediments, protect coastlines and store carbon.
Another remarkable habitat is the coralligenous ecosystem, where calcareous algae create complex structures colonised by colourful sponges, gorgonians, corals and countless invertebrates.
Groupers, octopuses, sea bream and lobsters are among the many animals that find shelter in these Mediterranean environments. Every species plays a role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine life.
For centuries, human communities have depended on the Mediterranean for food, transportation, trade and cultural exchange. However, pollution, excessive fishing pressure, coastal development and climate change have placed increasing pressure on marine ecosystems.
Marine reserves offer an opportunity to reduce some of these pressures. By regulating human activities and establishing areas of stronger protection, they allow vulnerable habitats and marine populations to recover. Protected areas can also contribute to healthier surrounding waters by supporting the reproduction and movement of marine species. Scientific research, environmental education and responsible tourism are essential parts of this conservation effort.
At Cervera-Banyuls, visitors can even discover the underwater environment through an educational snorkelling trail at Perafita, designed to encourage observation and respect for marine life.
The beauty of Cervera-Banyuls cannot be understood without the Albera. These mountains are part of the Pyrenees, a natural system that connects forests, valleys, rivers, rocky shores and marine habitats. Although the landscapes above and below the water are different, they belong to an interconnected environment. What happens on land can eventually affect the sea. Soil erosion, pollution and human activities may influence coastal waters and the organisms that inhabit them.
Protecting the Mediterranean therefore requires looking beyond the shoreline. It means understanding that nature does not recognise the political borders drawn by human beings.
The waters of Cervera-Banyuls belong to the same Mediterranean ecosystem as those of Cap de Creus, just across the border between Catalunya Nord and Catalunya. Protecting one part of this environment contributes to preserving a shared natural heritage.
As Claire and The Grandma contemplate the Mediterranean from the rocky coastline, they reflect on the importance of preserving places whose greatest treasures are often invisible from the surface. A calm blue sea may conceal an extraordinary world of life, colour and movement. But beauty alone cannot guarantee survival. Marine ecosystems need knowledge, protection and responsible human behaviour.
The Cervera-Banyuls Marine Nature Reserve reminds us that conservation is not about separating humanity from nature. It is about learning to coexist with the natural world without destroying the conditions that sustain it.
The sea is not simply a landscape to admire. It is a living world to understand, respect and protect. And as the journey continues south towards Catalunya, the Albera remain on the horizon, reminding The Grandma and Claire that the mountains and the Mediterranean share a history far older than any human frontier.
More information: Reserves Naturelles Catalanes
tota era brill i crit i flor d'escuma,
perquè feia molt sol i el vent corria.
Al lluny se veia un gran mantell de bruma.
Damunt les ones, amb les veles dretes,
les barques hi brincaven com cabretes.
The sea was joyful this midday:
all was sparkle, clamor, and blossoms of foam,
for the sun shone bright and the wind was blowing.
In the distance, a great veil of mist could be seen.
Upon the waves, with their sails held high,
the boats skipped about like little goats.
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