A Night at the Oasis Bellecombe Eco-Site

Real-world use case

Looking for a disconnection experience out in nature: here's my account of a night spent at the Oasis Bellecombe eco-site, in the Drôme.

A night at the Oasis Bellecombe eco-site

Discovering an eco-site means discovering a geographic area that acts in favor of the environment by incorporating demonstration activities, innovation, and knowledge transfer while respecting sustainable development. Oasis Bellecombe is an eco-site located in the hills above La Motte-Chalancon in France. Coming from Valence, expect 1h30, or 1h50 from Avignon. In August, I tried the experience of a night in a traditional Mongolian yurt for two people.

Setting off from Montélimar

For the trip there, I decided to take the route announced as the fastest by Google Maps (1h30 for 77km). Forests of Aleppo pines and plantations of olive, laurel, and mulberry trees await, the whole thing set to the soundtrack of cicadas. Country roads with a strong tendency toward tight turns and narrow passages.

The blue route is the longest but the one I recommend, since it's the most comfortable, with fewer bends and better road quality. Along the way: Grignan, Valréas, and Nyons are all must-see points of interest.

Arrival at the eco-site

Arriving on site in the late afternoon, a man (wearing a pointed hat strangely reminiscent of an elf's) approached and warmly welcomed me. As a true host, he introduced himself as Michel and showed me around the common area for breakfast, the shower area usable only with organic products, and the outdoor dry toilets. A few questions followed about the booking and my lifestyle. He then gave me a few addresses for meals and finally guided me down the path to the Mongolian yurt in the middle of nature, shown here:

Nomadic dwellings

The Oasis Bellecombe eco-site enjoys scenery that is as beautiful as it is soothing, at an altitude of 700m facing due south, with nature fully visible across 365 degrees and 83 hectares. The place is also home to a mini-yurt, tipis, a covered wagon, a treehouse, as well as a reception area for tents. The excerpt below shows some of these nomadic dwellings as well as Michel and Corinne's eco-site:

A yurt is comfortable

To be honest, the break from my usual comforts made me a little anxious. I didn't know whether I would really enjoy the place, but in the end: the night was comfortable, neither too cold nor too hot, and the space was big enough for two people. Inside the yurt: dry toilet, rainwater reserve, mirrors, rugs, wood heating, and a large cozy bed for two. Interestingly, this is a yurt that Michel shaped in his own image. Indeed, he lived inside it for years: hats off.

To enhance the yurt, there are also light effects with a prism beneath the central skylight that scatters a thousand colors inside for a sparkling wake-up. Books, musical instruments, various objects, as well as a Hi-Fi system holding a record of Mongolian throat-singing music, utterly mesmerizing, carried me into a world I had never known before:

A humanist visit

Once the night was over and breakfast shared: we met our overnight neighbors, with whom we gathered to take the eco-site tour. The tour isn't included in the overnight stay but is organized free of charge by Michel for visitors. Humanist and charismatic, Michel Marchant, aka our elf, showed us the nature of his eco-site: gardens, lake, natural spring, compost, forest. The nomadic dwellings were then presented one by one. For my part, I greatly enjoyed discovering and listening to the stories behind the dwellings and places. During the tour, we spoke openly and asked Michel our questions about his life story as well as the purpose behind a place like this. As the highlight of the tour, we discovered the treehouse that crowns the whole site:

My review after a night and a tour

To sum up: astonishing, harmonious, pleasant, gentle, respectful, and comfortable are the key words for this place. Go meet one of the warmest and most nature-loving "elves" out there. He shares a unique dream within reach of a single night, to discover at: Oasis Bellecombe – website & Cabane de France – booking.