Centre Naturiste du Mas de la Balma

The Centre naturiste du Mas de la Balma covers 62 hectares of woodland with oaks, chestnuts, ash, poplars, alders and hazels, in Montbolo (66110), in the Pyrénées-Orientales. The site sits at 350 m altitude at the foot of Mount Canigou, less than an hour’s drive from the Mediterranean and 200 km from Barcelona. Founded in 1976 by Gilles and Monique Borrat, it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026 and remains a family affair: their daughter Rachel and her husband Mark have run it with Monique since 2002, and their son Joan is now fully involved too.

It is a family-run site where naturism is practised amid nature, with no requirement to dress within the grounds. Campers come from across Europe and beyond (France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, England, Italy, but also Canada, Australia or New Zealand), of every generation, from young families to retirees. Beyond the site’s marked walking trails, clothing becomes compulsory again: nudity in the open countryside remains prohibited in France outside naturist sites.

The spacious pitches are spread across the terraces of the site, among the oaks and chestnuts. A single mobile home measuring 3 x 7 m, with a covered terrace, is available to rent for a maximum of two people, non-smokers and without pets; expect to pay between 425 and 570 euros a week depending on the season, with rental running from late May to early September.

The Mas’s village shop stocks the essentials as well as local produce; bread and pastries are freshly prepared each morning on request. The bar, indoors or on the terrace, serves traditional Catalan aperitifs (muscat, Rivesaltes, Catalan beer) and ice creams. Wifi is free across the whole site.

For indoor leisure, the Mas provides table football, a pool table, board games and a games room. Catering includes a shared communal meal twice a week in a friendly atmosphere, topped off with a fresh-dough pizza evening once a week and a daily fast-food offering.

For everyday needs: a laundry with two washing machines, ice blocks to freeze or chilled water for sale, and refills for camping gas bottles. The main sanitary block has three toilets, dishwashing sinks, eight hot showers and a cubicle adapted for reduced mobility; two smaller sanitary blocks, with toilet, washbasin and drinking fountain, are located at the bottom of the site. Running water comes from a chlorine-free spring, treated with ultraviolet light and regularly tested. A shared fridge and microwave, a baby bath, power sockets for small appliances, two guitars and a library round out the facilities.

Swimming takes place in two natural spots. The biological pool, refurbished in 2025, is filtered by plants and bacteria, with no chlorine or other chemicals. The Plan d’eau, at the lowest point of the site, is fed by a 4-metre waterfall that follows the former channel of a ruined Catalan mill-forge; some visitors jump in from the top of the falls. On the other side of the estate, the Saint-Marsal river forms a natural pool nicknamed “the Paradise”, where young and old alike enjoy paddling and building dams.

Five marked naturist walking trails cross the site, ranging from 20 to 70 minutes, following old mule tracks and riverbeds; one of them leads to the village of Taulis. Beyond these trails, clothing becomes compulsory again.

Life on the site is punctuated by Catalan festivals: the Saint-Jean on 23 June, with its traditional bonfires from Mount Canigou, the Cargolade on 14 July and 15 August (a banquet of snails grilled over a wood fire, singing and regional wine), and the Rodella de Montbolo on 30 July, a village procession to which the campsite’s guests are invited. In 2026, the Mas de la Balma is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, over three summer dates: 3 July, 24 July and 21 August. The surrounding area invites mountain hikes, with orchids blooming in June and mushrooms appearing at the end of summer.