Canoeing the Dordogne River

A day in a canoe drifting down the Dordogne River is one of our favourite pastimes.

You glide gently passed Beynac, La Roque-Gageac and other small villages along the Dordogne, and you see beautiful sections of the river that are not visible from elsewhere. Canoeing along the Dordogne is safe for children (lifejackets are provided) although maybe a bit difficult with small infants and babies.

The hire of the canoe and equipment only costs a few euros, so it is very good value as well.

There are plenty of places along the route where you can pull your canoe over to the river bank for a picnic, a paddle and a sunbathe.

A large 'screw top' plastic tub is usually provided to help stop your picnic and camera getting splashed by over-enthusiastic children. At the start, the canoe hire company will usually drive you upstream in a minibus  - you can then canoe back downstream with the flow of the river. Alternatively you start your canoeing from the hire centre and finish at a pre-marked location downstream, where a minibus will arrive every hour or so to collect people and canoes and take them back to their cars.

The important thing to note is that you are always canoeing with the flow of the river, not against it. Most canoe hire companies also offer a choice of distance, so that you can canoe for just half a day if a whole day sounds too much or too hot (a half day is typically 14km, a full day 28km).

It is also possible to get taken much further upstream and to spend several days moving down the river, usually camping en-route.

Several canoe hire companies operate along the Dordogne River - your local tourist office will be able to help you find one that is suitable for you - several of the large ones are listed below.

Unmissable!

 

Canoe Hire Companies operating on the Dordogne and other rivers

Canoe Dordogne

Based in La Roque Gageac

Canoes Roquegeoffre

Port d'Enveaux, 3km from Beynac and 6km from St Cyprien on the D703.

CanoeEric

Le Bugue (follow signs for the aquarium, then another 150m). With this company you can choose whether to canoe on the Dordogne, or its offshoot the Vézère.

 

Canoeing on the River Dronne is also possible, usually starting from Brantome.