Canyoning and climbing around Castellane and the Verdon gorges

Canyoning and climbing around Castellane and the Verdon gorges - 0
Canyoning and climbing around Castellane and the Verdon gorges - 1
Canyoning and climbing around Castellane and the Verdon gorges - 2

You want to escape and to have fun in unusual places?

La Maison du canyoning  takes you along in canyon, climbing or via ferrata  to discover amazing landscape!!

In family, with some friends, thrill seekers, sporting or beginner, each one stands to gain!

Specialist in  canyoning , climbing and  via ferrata, we will be pleased to accompany you during these ludic and convivial outdoor activities.

Based in Castellane, we covers  the region to make you share our passion in  many natural sites of exception: Verdon Gorges and various valleys of  Nice countryside.

Our team of experienced monitors  has a very good knowledge of the canyons. We guarantee  you security and quality in all our services.

You come from Marseille, Toulon, Grasse, Nice, Castellane or somewhere else? According to your age, your level and your search of  feeling, we will find together the canyons which correspond to your desire.

To take part in the activities,  contact us to have information (places and hours of appointment, equipment to be taken, information on the weather, water level…) then  you  could book.

See you soon for beautiful adventures !

Canyoning trip

Canyoning - Canyon du Haut Jabron
45€/pers

Canyon du Haut Jabron

Beautiful small canyon of initiation close to Castellane. Here slides, jumps and abseil are with the program ! All the obstacles being opt ...

Canyoning - Canyon of Gours du Ray
50€/pers

Canyon of Gours du Ray

Beautiful canyon in a forest near the village of Gréolières. Located at 1 hour  from Grasse and 50 minutes from Castellane in the Loup val ...

Canyoning - Canyon de Saint Auban
55€/pers

Canyon de Saint Auban

Half day canyon with intermediate  level, this ludic descent,  very  aquatic and sporty will charm you! The canyon is situated between two ...

Canyoning - Canyon du Riolan
75€/pers

Canyon du Riolan

One of the most beautiful canyons of France! A marvellous canyon, the Riolan is a full day sporty trip. Very aquatic, you will find there ...

Canyoning - Canyon d'Aiglun
75€/pers

Canyon d'Aiglun

Very beautiful course, the  Aiglun’s canyon is  one of the most watery canyons of this area. Practicable only during summer, this canyon h ...

Canyoning - Canyon de la Bollène
75€/pers

Canyon de la Bollène

Feelings guaranteed in an exotic setting  where  you will find unforgettable jumps and slides! Regarded as the most ludic canyon of the Vé ...

Canyoning - Canyon de la Lance
90€/pers

Canyon de la Lance

Come to make the most sporting canyon of the High Verdon! Jumps and abseils of great height  in an alpine landscape will make you shive ! ...

Canyoning - Canyon du Riou
65€/pers

Canyon du Riou

This  very vertical canyon  is one of the jewels of the Alpes de Haute Provence but it is only possible in spring because it become dry in su ...

Canyoning - Canyon Val d'Angouire
75€/pers

Canyon Val d'Angouire

Explore and discover this beautiful canyon with an exotic landscape ! It's one of the most beautiful sporty canyon of the area of Alpes d ...

Canyoning - Canyon de l'Imberguet
65€/pers

Canyon de l'Imberguet

Nestled at the bottom of a valley flowing into the valley of Vesubie, the canyon of Imberguet is one of the most aesthetic courses of this va ...

Rock climbing initiation

Escalade - Initiation and advanced course of rock climbing
45€/pers

Initiation and advanced course of rock climbing

Come  to discover  the vertical world! Our department of the Alps of Haute Provence abounds in cliffs equipped with climbing route. Thus w ...

Multi-pitch climbing routes

Grande voie d'escalade - L'arête de la patte de chèvre
150€/pers

L'arête de la patte de chèvre

It is the  most accessible  multi pitch route  of the Verdon with unobstructed view on the lake of  Sainte Croix! Beautiful  for this leve ...

Grande voie d'escalade - L'arête du belvédère
150€/pers

L'arête du belvédère

In the middle of the grand canyon of the Verdon, this great classic route is  a superb initiation with a beautiful environment! The climbi ...

Grande voie d'escalade - Adieu Zidane
165€/pers

Adieu Zidane

Escalade aérienne avec vue imprenable sur la sortie des gorges du Verdon!  Rappels gazeux, marche d'approche minimaliste, relais confortab ...

Grande voie d'escalade - Laispité positive
170€/pers

Laispité positive

In the level  5c / 6a this affordable attractive multi pitch route  with a nice view, will fill pleasantly half a good day. This route mos ...

Grande voie d'escalade - Afin que nul ne meure
170€/pers

Afin que nul ne meure

Beautiful air route on the mythical cliff of l'Escalés! No experience in multi pitch route is required, however it is necessary  to  climb ...

Grande voie d'escalade - Pour une poignée de gros lards
178€/pers

Pour une poignée de gros lards

Beautiful  route in a deep magnificent sector of the Verdon Gorges! No experience in multi pitch route is required, however it is necessar ...

Via ferrata

Some informations about the gorges du Verdon

Village de Castellane, dans les Alpes de haute Provence

The Gorges du Verdon are a top tourist attraction in Provence and one of the most beautiful river valleys in Europe. 

The gorges date back to the Triassic Period (250-200 million years ago), when this part of France was under water, causing limestone and coral deposits to form, traces of which can still be seen today.

As the waters subsided over the millennia, the deposits fractured, resulting in distinctive, striated rock formations. A major glacial period remodelled the landscape, opening up deep gorges.

The river Verdon - which, as the name hints, is a surprisingly verdant bright green - runs between the two départements of the Var and the Alpes de Haute Provence, mingling their Mediterranean and Alpine ecosystems.

The most stunning part is the canyon between Castellane and Moustiers Sainte Marie, where the valley can plunge 700 metres / 2,300 feet deep, offering dizzying views downwards and breathtaking vistas across the valley.

The pleasant small town of Castellane is dominated by a 184 metre / 603 feet high rock on which a chapel, Notre Dame du Roc, perches. Castellane was once located up there before it moved down to its current, more accessible position. But you can still walk up to the chapel if you have the time and inclination.

There's a small old town and, on the main square, place Marcel Sauvaire, an information centre, the Maison Nature Patrimoines, with displays about the gorges and information as well as temporary exhibitions. Castellane itself also has a Tourist Office on the rue Nationale.

Other than a good farmers' market with high-quality Italian and mountain produce on Wednesday mornings (look for honey, saucisson, nougat and cheeses) and a general market on Saturday mornings, there is not much more here to detain the visitor.

Castellane is very quiet outside the main tourist season and only a handful of its many restaurants remain open in winter. The best destination for gastronomic dining is the Auberge du Teillon in the neighbouring village of La Garde, five km / three miles away, though this too closes for four months in winter.

SPORTING ACTIVITIES IN THE GORGES DU VERDON

For centuries this brooding, extremely mountainous terrain seemed forbidding and inaccessible. Hiking paths were explored for the first time in 1905 by Edouard-Alfred Martel, a pioneer surveyor and speleologist (cave explorer), and Isidore Blanc, a school-teacher in the village of Rougon.

Together they mapped out a 15 km / 9.3 mile trail later known as the Sentier Blanc-Martel, which runs, partly through tunnels, between Rougon and the Chalet de la Maline. A memorial to Blanc at Point Sublime, near the village where he taught, marks his achievement.

A selection of fiches randonnées, cards outlining other short day hikes is on sale at a small charge at the Moustiers and Castellane tourist offices.

Les Gorges du Verdon

Flore des gorges du Verdon

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