Canoeing in the Gorges du Tarn with your dog

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Canoeing down the Gorges du Tarn is a vacation must. The Les Vignes – Le Rozier route is the liveliest and most varied: wild and enchanting landscapes, rapids of varying speeds, beaches, rocks to jump on, crystal-clear water, astonishing wildlife, nature in its purest state. A total change of scenery! A true favorite in a little corner of paradise!

A canoe slide

Launching takes place at Les Vignes. The stretch of water gives us a chance to practice handling the canoe and paddles. Everyone finds their place in the canoe: me at the controls, Tsingy at the lookout.

The water is very clear, almost emerald. It’s easy to spot trout, barbel and other river fish. There are also castors and otters but we only saw their tracks on the banks!

Time to practice and hop! first sensation with the passage of a slide. An invigorating and refreshing way to get started!

Puppy can easily get around the reservoir if the slide scares him.

What a palette of natural colors! Emerald water, lush green vegetation, deep blue skies, orange-grey limestone cliffs, exceptional luminosity day and night. Autumn is joined by an array of warm colors.

Spring, cave and canoe in the Gorges du Tarn

Let’s go for 11km of quiet canoeing… After 3km, a short break on the left bank of the Tarn near a small spring or resurgence – it’s hard to tell the 2 apart! After a bit of climbing on foot and on legs, well hidden under the leafy trees opens the vast grotte de l’Hironcelle (or Ironcel). The coolness under the rocky vault is as pleasant as that of the river!

Nature is well preserved and breathtakingly splendid, ideal for recharging your batteries in the middle of nature.

Focus on… the underground world

The Grands Causses is a caving paradise with hundreds of chasms, avens, caves, abysses… Some caves are reserved for cavers, others are open to visitors. Many smaller caves border the hiking trails. Plenty to explore!

Swimming, jumping and picnics

At the water’s edge this time, I rediscover the viewpoints I’d contemplated on foot a little higher up.

The canoes follow one another but don’t look alike as they say! Different colors, transparent ones, inflatables… we double up, smile at each other, find each other in the rapids. We’re all kind of in the same boat, hehe!

Swimming breaks are plentiful, as kayaking gives me access to beaches inaccessible on foot. Dive into these crystal-clear waters, watch the river fish or just let yourself go with the current… A pure moment of relaxation in a preserved environment that I respect…the grains of sand and pebbles will stay in their place, I promise!”

The Sablière rapids and perched hamlets

Look up and you’ll see the hameau de La Sablière (left bank), at one with a small limestone cliff on which it sits. Only one access: a path or via the river.

Don’t let the wild beauty of the surroundings distract you… a friendly rapid gets the adrenaline pumping (nicely)! Sensations and emotions guaranteed!

Several small rapids follow one another to play with the river, maneuvering your canoe to catch the ripples and avoid the rocks.
Tsingy preferred to swim past the first rapid; the others in the canoe trying to catch the splashes!

Lift your head again and further up (right bank): Saint-Marcelin and Eglazines, 2 troglodytic hamlets now abandoned, clinging to the high sunlit cliffs of the Gorges du Tarn.

Coup de coeur

The Capluc rock appears in the distance. It’s the peak of the Causse Méjean, at the crossroads of the Gorges du Tarn and the Gorges de la Jonte. A sublime panorama accessible from the village of Le Rozier. Some people like to “bruncher” up there!

The signpost that announces the arrival of the route is the broken bridge in the commune of Le Rozier. Impossible to miss! Historically, this bridge was swept away by a flood on the Tarn during a “Cevenol” episode. Nature knows how to make herself heard sometimes…

A hike follows the ancient path to the troglodytic hamlets of Eglazines and Saint-Marcelin. One of the must-do hikes in the Gorges du Tarn.

Under the volcano, the beach

La Plage des Basaltes, here’s an unusual swimming spot… and a beautiful one! There used to be a volcano here in south Aveyron?! It’s hard to imagine that it was spewing its lava into the Gorges du Tarn, even if the remnants of the black flows are still visible on this real spot for aquatic activities.

A very playful rapid in the middle of an ancient lava flow, small black rocks and on either side of the Tarn, micro coves and beaches of fine white sand.

First descent by canoe, climb back up on foot and on foot over the rocks, swim down in the eddies (Tsingy with his stick in his mouth please), dip in the white sand…

The Tarn is pure joy to canoe down with the whole family!”

Expert advice:

As with all rivers in France, hydrocution and cyanobacteria represent a risk for our 4-legged companions. Download our Canine Memo for more info and advice.

Who broke the Broken Bridge?!

Back to calmer waters. The lighthouse at the confluence of the Gorges du Tarn et de la Jonte, the Rocher de Capluc, is in sight. Last rapid (Roc Blanc) and the Pont Cassé faces us.

We often see in the media the damage caused by “Cevennes episodes”… the Pont Cassé at Le Rozier is witness to this, the victim of a terrible flood. Just below the surface of the emerald water of the Tarn, you can still make out a huge piece of a bridge pier lying flat: enough to walk on!”

Today, if you want to cross this bridge, you’ll have to do so on a slackline.
Le Rozier: terminus of the Tarn canoe trip.

Info for slackline enthusiasts

Many slackline, highline, waterline… events take the high cliffs of the Gorges du Tarn, de la Jonte or de la Dourbie as their playground: Natural Games, Camp 4 Jonte, Troglodyte Highline Tour… It’s not uncommon to see lines stretched here and there all year round.

Practical info

The canoe trip includes canoe rental + paddles + lifejacket + helmet (depending on route).
Don’t hesitate to buy a small canine lifejacket (good addresses) for your pooch.
A watertight canister is also available to keep picnics, identity papers, telephone… dry.
Depending on the route you choose in the Gorges du Tarn or Dourbie, shuttles will (r)bring you.
It is compulsory to know how to swim to make a canoe descent of the Gorges du Tarn. Make sure your dog is comfortable in the water during training at the start of the trip.