An eco-friendly campsite in Dordogne
The Valley of Mankind …. humans have lived here for thousands of years on its fertile lands, in its morning mists drifting up from the river. In this privileged context, the integration of the natural landscape has been essential in the creation of our campsite.
For the past twenty years, Le Paradis campsite has put the preservation of the environment at the heart of its development projects.
The campsite has worked on a bold environmental policy, supported by the personal investment of the Kuster family and their passionate employees.
A healthy place to 100% recharge your batteries
Situated at Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Le Paradis campsite is in the middle of the Vézère Valley, classified a Grand Site de France since 2020. It lies at the foot of the Côte de Jor, certified Natura 2000.
The way in which the campsite is organised is the result of constant interrogation into the way its seasonal activities impact on the environment. The grounds are deliberately heavily planted to hide our buildings so as not to spoil the landscape: eco-designed cottages, wooden cladding, hedges …
The campsite is also home to several small animals and more than 150 plant species (trees, flowers, fruits, herbs, vegetables, etc.)
Walk and harvest with help from our information boards
We encourage you to walk around the campsite and find out about its biodiversity using our information boards. The aromatic garden is enriched with compost from our own green waste (herbicides or pesticides are not used in any part of the campsite), and watered with harvested rain water (also used in part of the sanitary blocks).
And because we like to welcome you and to share, we offer nature activities which are both fun and educational.
Eco-friendly gestures on holiday
Holiday makers are requested to do everything they possibly can to respect nature in the area they stay in. We invite you, with the help of information boards and stickers with discrete but clear pictograms, to recycle your waste and not to waste water, nor electricity.
We are proud to say that the majority of our clients are receptive to, and interested in our actions !
Choose sustainable transport in Dordogne
Le Paradis has lots of ideas on ways to explore the Dordogne “au naturel”
Watch the videoDiscover the authentic Périgord Noir with your hosts
Ellen and Gé have an infectious enthusiasm for outdoor sports in the Dordogne. As soon as the campsite is open, they organise walking and cycle excursions for their guests.
Travelling from the campsite “au naturel”
If you want to walk or cycle on your own, the reception team will be happy to show you circuits from the campsite, ones that cover the Périgord Noir right up to Sarlat.
Renting a canoe at the jetty is another not to be missed activity during your stay. The River Vézère is navigable for most of the season.
Le Périgord Noir by electric car
Charging points are available for exploring the Dordogne in the most sustainable way, by electric car. They are freely accessible at the campsite reception.
You can also book and hire electric cars at the campsite for your holiday. Consult the FAQ for more information, including prices.
Our eco-certificates
We wish to be the advocates of eco-friendly gestures for adults and children during their stays here. Le Paradis campsite is proud to display its European Ecolabel, held since 2012, its Green Key label since 1999, and its Eco-Tourism in Vézère label.
These require strict and restrictive procedures which push us to innovate and question the way we work, every year:
Use of natural resources, choice of eco-friendly cleaning products, buying locally for our shop, renewable energies in our holiday homes, solar panels in the launderette, electric maintenance vehicles, bike hire for clients, etc.
Each decision is thought about carefully, and each purchase is questioned. Respecting nature has become our philosophy, and a policy applied to everyday living shared by all our employees.
Our environmental charter
Dordogne campsite with Green Key label
Le Paradis was awarded “The Green Key” label in 1999. Since then we have been audited every 4 years. Administrative procedures for the dossier are sent in each year.
¨The Green Key”, is the leading sustainable tourism label with criteria adapted to campsites, tourist accommodation and restaurants: an implementation of an environmental policy, socially responsible procedures, intelligent waste management (reduce at source, collection and recycling), managing energy and water consumption, sustainable buying (in particular for food and cleaning), actively informing clients…
Ecolabel
The European Ecolabel is the only official eco-label recognised by all the member states of the European Union. It is optional to join and requires campsites to make a measurable reduction in the environmental impacts of their services and facilities throughout their life cycle, without compromising on quality.
Eco tourism in the Vézère Valley
Le Paradis campsite has been signed up to the new Vallée Vézère écotourism charter since 2020, initiated by the local district council. Under the charter local participants must engage in sustainable management of water, energy and waste. It also encourages buying locally, the protection of the environment and actively informing business partners as well as visitors.
Sustainable purchasing policies
This policy aims at avoiding frozen food, for example, which uses 10x more energy than fresh products. We prefer to buy rechargeable electric appliances rather than electro-thermic appliances, non-toxic approved cleaning products, and buying loose goods with no packaging. We give priority to low-energy recyclable appliances. The campsite maximises on its orders, recycles cardboard boxes and tries to avoid excess packaging, amongst other initiatives.
Finally, the biodiversity of the Vézère provides a fertile zone for agriculture and the local terroir. This means we can buy food from local sustainable or organic farms.
