March 28-30, 2022

The Gorges du Verdon is a gorgeous river canyon in southeastern France, well known for it’s turquoise blue waters and steep limestone cliffs.

I am sure the area becomes very crowded during the summer months but during March it is quite, cool, and virtually empty.

Kayaking

We met up with our friends, Katie and Paul for some kayaking through the gorge and it was simply incredible. The limestone cliffs have caverns and indentations in their walls and waterfalls that sprinkle like showers from the sky. The water is turquoise, clean, transparent, and cool. It was so inviting that Sydney leaped out of the kayak into the water! She swam quite well for her first time but we quickly scooped her back into the boat since the water was only about 10 degrees centigrade.

And here is a 20 second video below which captures the sprinkling waterfalls muuch better than a static picture.

Rock Climbing

The limestone walls of the Gorge are fantastic for rock climbing and the area is known for multi-pitch routes on the big walls. Our climbing guide named Phillipe was patient, methodical, and very experienced having climbed all over the world. We did some rappelling and sport lead climbing and had a wonderful time.

Hiking

Paul and Katia took us hiking one day on a trail called the Sentier Blanc-Martel which runs along the Verdon river and through old tunnels carved into the rocky cliffs. The hike was fun and the views spectacular.