Kayaking the lower Les Gorges du Verdon in Southern France

The stone bridge over the Verdon as you enter Lac de Quinson.

Introduction to Les Gorges Du Verdon

The Verdon river in southern France has carved France’s deepest gorge into the surrounding limestone, creating a striking landscape characterized by the contrast between the turquoise green waters of the river and the sheer white limestone cliffs.  The water gets its green color from the limestone “rock flour” which is due to glacial erosion at the source of the river in the French alps.  This rock flour reflects only the green-blue part of the visible light spectrum, resulting in a real treat for your eyes. There are many different ways to see and explore this striking gorge, from scenic drives, to hiking, to rafting/kayaking the river.  Since we had been walking around 5 miles a day for the last 60 days, I decided to switch it up and see this river by boat rather than by walking. 

Wilson and Gus setting off down the Verdon.

The river itself is 166 km long but the steepest and most impressive part of the gorge du Verdon is about 25 km in length.  From what I can tell, looking at several different companies that offer guided trips, there are numerous sections of raftable river throughout the gorge.  The upper part of the gorge is more narrow with steep drops and more intense rapids, but the lower portion of the gorge is very gentle (almost completely still water) and can be easily explored on your own with kids.  Many companies offer guided rafting of the upper gorge if you are looking for more adventure.  If you are looking for a relaxing day on the water, however, head to the lower gorge.  We kayaked the section of the river between Lac de Quinson and Lac d’Esparron.  This made for a very lovely day on this beautiful river.

Logistics

Where to rent your boat:

The Location Nautic, which rents paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, and electric motor boats.

Location Nautic, Montmeyan Plage Bord du lac de Quinson.  

This company rents single, double, and triple kayaks, paddle boats, stand up paddle boards, and electric boats.  The prices are very reasonable and the staff is friendly.  A single kayak or paddleboard is 18-23 Euro half day, or 25-30 Euro full day. We wanted to be able to explore the shore, get in and out easily, and allow our kids the freedom to move at their own pace, so we rented 5 single kayaks.  There were several people driving the electric boats, which is a good option if you have limited mobility but it looked a little boring to us.  

Wendi and Gus heading down the Verdon.

Distance:

4.5 hours round trip to lac d’Esparron.  We took our time and never made it to the lake.  Instead, I set a timer on my phone to alert me when we needed to turn around, half way through our allotted time slot.

Difficulty:

Easy.  The water is almost completely still on this section and the current is negligible.

Hours:

Location Nautic is open from 9:30 to 6:30.  They asked us to have our boats back by 6:00 PM, but I think we could have technically pushed it to 6:30 if we wanted.

Payout:

10/10.  The river is gorgeous.  The water is clean and the surrounding cliffs make for a stunning contrast.

9 Tips for Kayaking Les Gorges Du Verdon:

1. If you plan to visit during peak season (June-August) make sure you reserve your boats in advance.  We did not need to reserve in advance in late April and it was nice to be there without any crowds but I can imagine this place getting really crowded during peak season.

2. Be aware that, due to the steep surrounding walls of the gorge, there will only be direct sunlight on the water for a few hours in the middle of the day.  We were there on a perfect 72 degree day but it started to get chilly around 4:30 when the sun sank behind the cliffs.  

3. If you want to kayak the whole length of the river from Lac de Quinson and Lac d’Esparron consider putting your kids in a double kayak with you.  Since there is no current, there is a lot of paddling involved on this section.  Alternatively, you can do what we did and just kayak as far as you can with no set destination.

4. Have everyone use the bathroom before you get to Lac de Quinson.  The public toilet there was one of the most disgusting public facilities I have seen and completely unusable.

5. Pack a picnic lunch to have along the shore.

Wilson and Gus assessing a potential cliff jumping spot from above.

6. If you want to stop for a break on shore, start looking for a good spot far in advance.  There are very few flat spots on the shore and most of the river is lined by cliffs.  We settled for a fun rock shelf for our picnic, but that wouldn’t have worked with little kids.

We had a wonderful picnic in this cliffside nook. And after lunch we all jumped.

7. If you have adventurous kids, there are some good spots for cliff jumping along this river.  Due to the steep edges, the water is generally pretty deep around the edges, just check carefully for any rocks/stumps below before jumping.  

Bailey taking the plunge from our picnic cliff into the turquoise waters.

8. Since the river is fed by glacial runoff, the water is very chilly.  This would be perfect for summer but was a bit cold in April.  We didn’t let this stop us but were all shivering within seconds of jumping in.

9. Consider pairing this adventure with a drive through the surrounding lavender fields just to the northeast on the way to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie if you are visiting in the summer.  We didn’t do the full drive, but drove to Ponte-de Sainte-Croix for a view of the impressive Lac de Sainte-Croix.

Final thoughts:

The Gorges du Verdon is a beautiful, clean, and heavenly spot to visit. It is absolutely worth adding this to your Southern France itinerary.  Share your experiences on the river in the comments below!