Cascade de la Charabotte, ENS de l’Ain

This magnificent site can be visited either from the bottom of the valley at Chaley, or from the Hauteville plateau.

The reculée ends at the bottom of the valley with the Charabotte waterfall, one of the highest waterfalls in France at over 110 metres high. It marks the beginning of the Albarine gorges, named after the river which feeds it and which has its source in Brénod. The water from the falls then flows through the Hauteville valley to the Golet du Thiou.

This site has been classified since 1909 as a "natural monument of artistic character".

The Charabotte waterfall was labelled a "Sensitive Natural Area" or "ENS" by the Department of the Ain in 2015. True natural and landscape jewels of the Department of Ain, these sites benefiting from the ENS label are on the one hand preserved thanks to local management and on the other hand made accessible to the greatest number of people when the fragility of the site allows it.