Descent from Vogüe to Sauze, 3 days

Three days of kayaking 

Practical information

Distance: 60 km

Time to paddle: about 17h.

Departure time: everyday from 9 am to 10 am, but you must arrive on the eve of a first day.

Difficulty : there are about 40 rapids and few kayak slides.

Start: Saint Maurice d'Ardèche (depends on a water level).

Finish: Sauze

Points of interest

This descent lets you to discover all the divercity of the Ardeche river: countryside, Cirque de Gens, Ruoms defile, Pont d'Arc and Ardeche Canyon.

 The regulatory imperatives

Each participant must know how to swim; each participant must wear a lifejackets at all times.

Children ( under 18 y.o.) can not participate alone, they must be accompanied by an responsible adult. 

Prohibition of rental with childen under 7 y.o.

Alcool is prohibbiten in the Natural Reserve.

You must book your place in the campsite (bivouac) in advance by SGGA (see below).

Warning : Canoe Kayak rent is prohibited if the water level is too high.

In case of prohibition of rent due to a water lever too iportant, you will be (accroding to your choice) either refunded or postponed to a date that suits you..

Our opinion

This is a nice descent for everybody. It lets to combine kayking, picnic on a riverside, walking in the medieval streets etc.  

Don't forget

Take shoes that are good for you feet and protect them, such as sneakers or water shoes (no flip-flops).

Wear an adequate and adapted to the weather clothers: cap, windbreaker, T-short, long shorts that effectiverly protects the thighs from sunburn. Take some warm clothers for the evening in a campsite and don't forget a sleeping bag.  

Provide sufficient quantity of drinking water and food, excpecially for second and third days (there is no shop in the natural reserve and there is drinking water in campsites only).

Informations about bivouacs

You must stay for a night at one of two campsites (bivoaucs): Gaud ou Gournier.

You must to book it in advance. The booking number must be stated in your rental contract before you start a descent.

Information et reservation :

Internet www.gorgesdelardeche.fr

Phone : 04 75 88 00 41

E-mail : reservation@gorgesdelardeche.fr

Price is between 5€ and 12€ if you have your own tent or if you don't need one. If you book a place in a common tent (up to 20 persons), it will costs you between 10€ and 14€. It depends on the age and the dates. 

There are showers, trash cans, the common barbeque in each campsite. 

There is no shop and you must bring with you some food for two days.   

Discription

Come on the eve of your descent. It lets you to prepare everything and to set up.

1st day. You are going to get to Saint Maurice d'Ardeche by our bus. This is a start point. There are 18 km between this point and your first campsite (a pitch is free for you for this night). This day you are going to pass near Balazuc, a nice medieval village, than by Cirque de Gens and Ruoms defile.

2nd day is a most long and difficult one. There are 25 km between Ruoms and the campsite Gaud (we advise you to book this one to equalise two journeys) or 30 km between Ruoms and the campsite Gournier. You are going to overcome some dams by kayak slides, to pass through the Pont d'Arc and to enjoy landscapes of Ardeche Canyon.

3rd day. There are 16 km between the campsite Gaud and Sauze. It lets you to pass all the day in the Ardeche Canyon and enjoy the nature of this exceptional site. In the afternoon our bus will pick you up at Sauze and will bring you back to Ruoms.