Canyoning in Béarn

Do you want to go canyoning in Béarn? Before you start, the Guide du Béarn has covered the subject for you and reveals everything you always wanted to know about canyoning. Béarn is the ideal region for this aquatic activity which is practiced in all seasons. In the heart of the Pyrenean mountains of Béarn, the Gaves have shaped beautiful valleys. On the Gaves of Oloron, Aspe or Ossau… we will have fun in the water, fill up on thrills and go into ecstasies in front of these beautiful mountain landscapes.

Opening : © pedrosala / Adobe Stock

Everything you want to know about canyoning

Canyoning , also called "canyoning", is a whitewater sport. The principle is simple. You join a stream in the mountains and descend into the water. I specify in the water because it is often confused with the canoe. To canyoning, you don't need a boat. You follow the current by all kinds of means : on foot in the dry parts, swimming in the basins, sliding on slides, jumping in waterfalls...

It is a very complete sport, which combines different disciplines. Your excursion may consist of hiking or water hikes, abseiling or climbing, via ferrata, or even mountaineering or caving, depending on the difficulty of the passages, the water flow and the specificities of the route.

Canyoning can be adapted to all levels, ages and physical conditions. Some routes are more like water trekking than actually descending rapids. Others are more athletic. The canyoning clubs will be able to advise you according to your aptitudes and your desires. The only essential prerequisite is to know how to swim (there is therefore a minimum age) and not to be afraid of water, of course! In terms of equipment, you usually have nothing to plan, except a swimsuit. The clubs take care of everything and equip you with wetsuits, helmets, harnesses...

This outdoor sport allows you above all to discover another facet of the mountain. It takes you off the beaten track, to places usually inaccessible. You will discover exceptional views, in the heart of a wild and preserved environment. You will pass through gorges and ravines, basins and cliffs...

Canyoning all year round, why not? Ask the service providers!

Our good addresses for canyoning in the Béarn

In Béarn, the Ossau valley is the most famous for canyoning. These mountain torrents, in the Pyrenean chain, offer you crystal clear water, in a canyon of great beauty. There you will find circuits for all levels and many canyoning clubs are there to advise and accompany you. Here is our selection of providers :

• Ossau de l'eau is a professional canyoning structure in the Ossau valley in Béarn in the Pyrenees. Xavier state certified canyoning instructor takes you to discover the most beautiful canyons of the Ossau valley and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Accessible from 9 years old, there is something for all levels. It also organizes weekends and canyoning trips in Sierra de Guara in Spain.
• Canyon Experience introduces you to canyoning, from Laruns, over a ½ day or a day, offers weekends in the valleys of Ossau, Aspe, Gavarnie and in the Sierra de Guara. It is also a training center which provides internships for groups.

At Experience Canyon, you can go for half a day and also several days, for courses in immersion... total aquatic! Photos @ Canyon Experience

Winter canyoning

In the beautiful valley of Ossau and near the ski resorts of Gourette and Artouste, canyoning allows you to experience an activity that will make your winter stay in Béarn unforgettable. Rappelling along an ice cascade, admiring a natural organ in the heart of the canyon, confronting the harshness of winter, ice and snow... winter canyoning is an experience out of the ordinary.

It is a sport very close to caving and totally different from summer canyoning. It requires a good physical condition, to practice the abseiling, basic knowledge in speleology, in particular for the aspects of safety in mountain, a specific waterproof and insulating material. It is really essential to go to professionals.

This is a great opportunity to discover the Pyrenean canyons in a new light and to introduce you to an unusual activity, while playing sports.

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