Île du Levant: the naturist village of Héliopolis and a military island

Île du Levant is the easternmost of the Hyères islands, opposite Le Lavandou and 1.1 km from Port-Cros. Nearly 95% of the island belongs to the army, which tests missiles there: this area is closed to the public. The civilian part, in the north-west, is the naturist estate of Héliopolis, created in 1931, with its small harbour, footpaths, the Plage des Grottes and the Domaine des Arbousiers nature reserve. You get there by boat from Le Lavandou with Vedettes Îles d'Or, or from Hyères harbour with TLV-TVM (€29 return in 2026).

The island at a glance

Source: Wikipedia.

An island cut in two

The army owns almost the whole island and runs the DGA’s Mediterranean missile test centre there: this area is classified and closed to anyone without clearance. For that reason, Le Levant is not part of the national park core: it lies in the membership area and follows the park charter. Isolation has protected rare wildlife: according to Wikipedia, the island hosts most of France’s Yelkouan shearwaters, about 6,500 pairs.

Héliopolis

The civilian estate, in the north-west, is the naturist estate of Héliopolis, created in 1931. Ledge paths and stairways, including the Chemin de la Perspective, link L’Ayguade harbour to Fort Napoléon. Coastal paths lead to the Plage des Grottes and to rock slabs where people swim. The Domaine des Arbousiers nature reserve, created in 1993, covers 19.28 ha with free access.

Getting there

Le Levant is reached from Le Lavandou with Vedettes Îles d’Or, or from Hyères harbour with TLV-TVM (€29 return per adult, €25 reduced, in 2026). In July and August, the two-island circuit links Port-Cros and Le Levant. See Le Lavandou and getting to Port-Cros.