White Water Taster Holiday

A week of white water fun and thrills - raft, canoe and hydrospeed alpine river rapids.

Explore the alpine rivers and valleys of the Southern French Alps and test out the rapids on a variety of different crafts.

Bounce down the rapids of the Severaisse river in a raft, go it alone down the Drac in an inflatable canoe and surf down the Bonne gorge on a hydrospeed. A week of white water fun amongst the magnificent mountain scenery of the Southern French Alps in almost guaranteed sunshine!

Suitable for beginners through to more seasoned adventurers looking for a week of white water fun.

Choose from a variety of accommodation and transport options with this holiday to suit your needs, wishes and budget. Or contact us to tailor make your holiday.

We use a variety of different rivers, from gentle flowing rivers to those with big white water rapids and drops. The guides will judge which river to use on a daily basis according to the water levels and ability of the group.

Each day you will be offered a choice of different crafts to negotiate the rapids with. Generally the bigger the craft the more stable you are and the smaller the craft the more you feel the rapids! The guides will help you choose to progress at your level throughout the week.

And, as we are privileged to have Europe's biggest high ropes adventure course on our doorstep, we have included a taster afternoon here as well! It will give your feet a chance to dry out!

Children must be aged 12 or over for hydrospeed and 8 or over for all other white water activities. All participants must be able to swim.

0845 009 8501

Itinerary / Highlights

This just an example itinerary - we can chop it and change it around to suit you!

It is designed to be progressive so that by the end of the week you are hopefully more in control of the river than it is of you!!

The instructors will also adapt it as the week goes on to take into account your abilities and desires and the river levels. The same river can seem like two very different animals with different amounts of water flowing down them!!


Day 1
Arrive and settle into accommodation.

We'll come and meet you (if we haven't already seen you on the transfer) to go through the week, have a little welcome drink, and answer any questions you have.

Day 2
Rafting
Have a lie in and a leisurely breakfast or get up early and go for a walk to explore the local area - the choice is yours!

We'll meet you in the afternoon for your first taste of white water. You will be given wetsuits, helmets and life jackets and a thorough safety briefing before you get on the water.

And then the raft is in your hands to navigate down the rapids. The instructor will be giving you tips and instruction and telling you where to avoid and where to go!

This is when all your team working skills go out of the window - or not as the case may be!!

"What's a stopper?" you yell, just as the instructor shouts, "river right to avoid that stopper!"

The idea of this session is to learn a little bit how to read a river!

After the rafting and maybe a bit of swimming - who knows, you will get a lift back up to your cars or the minibus .


Day 3
Canoe trip accross the Lac du Sautet

After your baptism by fire yesterday on the raging rapids of the Drac or the Severaisse, today is a beautiful contrast of beauty and calm.

With two to a canoe, you will take a trip across one of the most spectacular (and virtually unknown) lakes in the Alps. The trip goes through a gorge and under cliffs with interesting rock formations and plenty of wildlife and birds.

It is all flat water and will be a good opportunity for you to learn some basic steering and control skills for the white water.

There are also some great rocks to jump off if you feel brave enough!


Day 4
Inflatable Canoe

After your white water initiation and your new found steering skills, you should be ready to get closer to the rapids!

The inflatable two man canoes are great for bouncing down the rapids and are surprisingly easy to control. There will be at least two instructors with you on the river so you won't be able to float off into the unknown - sorry!

You will either go on the same river you rafted on, but it will feel a lot bigger - be warned! Or to a new river for a change of scenery.


Day 5
Adventure Ropes Course and hair pin!

With your feet well and truly waterlogged, a bit of adventure of a different sort may be on the cards.

Europe's biggest high ropes adventure course is here in the Champsaur Valley and it would be a shame not to try it! There are a range of different courses you can do from a 'discovery' to an 'extreme' and there are also courses for children. Have a look at our high ropes adventure page for more information.

Hurtle down the zip wires, climb over the spider nets and negotiate the wobbly bridges high up in the trees!

After a good lunch to refuel your batteries, we'll meet you for your next white water experience. This time you'll be on your own, in either a hairpin which is like an inflatable tube or a single canoe.

Now it really will be all up to you to decide if you want to go in that stopper or not!!

Day 6
Hydrospeed

This is absolutely superb fun! You wear flippers and a wet suit and have a special surf board adapted for white water.

Jump into the river and away you go. You use your flippers to steer and hope for the best as you plunge into the rapids!

Hydrospeeding is usually done in the gorge on the Bonne river but again it is dependant on river levels!

Of all the white water sports, this is the most physical and demanding but by now you will have a good idea of your own ability and so will the instructors! So if you decide you would prefer to keep your bottom in a boat, you can paddle alongside the other hydrospeeders!

Day 7
Choice day

This is your last day so you decide what you would like a second go at!

Have a big team raft, or a mini race down the river in inflatable canoes. Or if you want to really feel those rapids around your body then have another go at hydrospeeding! The choice is yours!

Day 8
Say Goodbye

This is the sad good bye day, but to be honest you will probably be ready for a rest back at your desk!

Other Details

Accommodation Details

We have a range of accommodation to choose from with this holiday including converted farm houses, bed and breakfasts (most offer evening meal as well), family run hotels (we don't use any big chain hotels), camping or self catering apartments. All our accommodation is vetted by us and chosen for its warmth and friendliness, quality of accommodation, value for money and location.