Hideaway in France - gîtes in the Pyrénées near Carcassonne

Pyrenees White Water Sports and Canoeing

Locations for white water sports in the Pyrenees

Two large rivers run from the Eastern Pyrenees to the sea - The Ariege river runs from Andorra to Toulouse, then joins the Garonne which flows to the Atlantic at Bordeaux. The Aude river starts its journey at the mountain lake of Matemale, and flows past Carcassonne and Narbonne into the Mediterranean.

In total, nearly 400km of these rivers are navigable by canoe in the area shown on the map above, but the five key areas shown are the main ones used by the white water rafting and canoeing watersports clubs.

White Water and Canoeing Locations

Ussat-les-bains (30 mins)

The Ariege evasion team are based in the valley above Tarascon and offer a 'do it yourself' canoeing trip. They provide you with canoes (seating 1,2 or 3 people) at the watersports centre, then you travel down the river for about 90 minutes at your own speed (without need for a guide), and are met at the bottom by a minibus and taken back to the centre. Their website provides more details.

Foix (30 mins)

The departmental canoe school based in Foix offers a range of canoeing and white water descents, all of which are accompanied by a qualified guide. They have the full range of equipment from inflatable rafts (suitable for between 4 and 8 people), smaller individual inflatables and canoes / kayaks for 1,2 or 3 people. Again, see their website for more details.
Also at Foix, and open to everyone, is a 400m canoeing slalom course with 80 'gates'. more details and photos are available by following this link.

Le Vernet (30 mins)

Canoeing at Le Vernet

The Ariege has levelled out by the time it reaches Le Vernet, and becomes a more calm, gentle river. This is more of a flat water experience for all the family to enjoy the fun of rafting and canoeing, but without the risks of the white water higher up.

Quillan (40 mins)

White Water at Quillan

The most popular section of the Aude river is that around Quillan, which provides the excitement of white water, without the danger of the near vertical gorge sections further up. The town of Quillan is built either side of the Aude and in the centre of the town there is a 600m national canoeing slalom course which is set up all year round.

The 'La forge' centre at Quillan offers guided white water rafting trips or canoeing outings lasting from 75 minutes upwards.

There is more information about the watersports on the Quillan town site (in French only).

Alet (40 mins)

Like Le Vernet, Alet is further down the Aude river and provides a gentler canoeing or kayaking experience. Trips of 2-3 hours are available, with or without a guide.

Canyoning

Canyoning is the French name for the sport of swimming, climbing, sliding or walking down steep fast-flowing mountain streams or rivers, armed only with a wet suit! Canyoning typically involves jumping into and swimming across superb mountain rock pools, sliding down waterfalls and getting very very wet! An easy introduction to canyoning is offered by many of the local teams, at about €30 per person. For the more advanced, there are 'sporting canyonning trips' and custom day or even weekend trips.