The cabanes tchanquées of the Arcachon basin
What are “cabanes tchanquées”?
At the center of the Arcachon Basin lies Ile aux Oiseaux, a small wilderness area whose size varies according to the tides. It’s around 10 times bigger at low tide than at high! The island is shared between passing birds and a number of oyster farms, resulting in the presence of numerous huts and houses grouped into neighborhoods.
Among them are the famous cabanes tchanquées, 2 superb huts on stilts. Located in the south-east of Ile aux Oiseaux, the cabanes tchanquées stand proudly in the middle of flooded land, like refuges in a desert of water. They alone symbolize the Arcachon basin, a blend of history, tradition and nature. They have been photographed thousands of times, often from the air, and are featured on many postcards of the Arcachon basin.
The strange word “tchanquée” comes from the Gascon chancat or chancada, meaning “stuck on stakes, mounted on stilts”. The word chanca actually refers to a stilt. Today, the 2 cabins are simple refuges where tourist boats flock in season.
History of the cabanes tchanquées on Île aux Oiseaux
The first cabins were built on stilts in the 19th century, so that oyster farmers would not be too dependent on the tides. In 1883, oyster farmer Martin Pibert built the Arcachon Basin’s first stilted hut to watch over his oyster beds. Unfortunately, a storm knocked it down in 1943. Its wooden pilings can still be seen at low tide. A new cabane tchanquée was built 2 years later by an Arcachon carpenter. Brown with red shutters, it was number 51 and served as a small pleasure hut. In 1948, Julien Longau, a contractor and former deputy mayor of La Teste-de-Buch, built a second cabane tchanquée, bearing the number 53, a few dozen meters away.
This cabane n°53, with its white shutters, was so severely damaged by the passage of time that it had to be demolished and rebuilt identically in 2007 by the commune of La Teste-de-Buch.
When and how to visit the cabanes tchanquées in the Arcachon basin?
The cabanes tchanquées are worth seeing at low tide as well as at high tide. During your camping vacation in the Arcachon basin, it’s easy to take a trip to Ile aux Oiseaux and see the two cabanes. Numerous companies organize walks and hikes on Ile aux Oiseaux, departing from most of the basin’s piers. While there are many different types of boat in the Arcachon basin, we can’t recommend a trip by pinasse or barge. The pinasse is a traditional Arcachon basin boat, around 10m long and able to accommodate around ten people. The barge is a long, flat-bottomed wooden boat used in oyster farming. The 2 cabanes tchanquées are not open to visitors, but it is possible to climb the steps. Boats often stop here when possible at high tide.
If you want to spend a memorable moment, choose a high tide ride at sunset. Watching the sun’s glowing reflections glisten on the water around the cabanes tchanquées is magical…
A more adventurous and sporty option is to hire a sea kayak to take you to Ile aux Oiseaux. Sea kayaks are available all around the basin, in Arcachon, Lège-Cap-Ferret and Arès. Adventure guaranteed! While Ile aux Oiseaux is very popular in high season, it’s much less so in spring and autumn, which are the best times to spend your camping vacation in the Bassin d’Arcachon if you’re looking for more peace and quiet.
