The region around Bordeaux in France offers some great areas for river kayaking and canoeing. There’s several different rivers to choose form and several schools and equipment hire shops, making this a great place to get out your paddles and take to the water. Bordeaux Kayaking is the perfect way to explore the wider Aquitaine region of France where many rivers flow from the Pyrenees to the Bay of Biscay.
The La Leyre river near Salles is around a 40 minute drive from the centre of Bordeaux and offers some great kayaking opportunities. If you’re planning a family canoeing trip this is a great place to teach the little ones how to handle the boat as the schools here offer professional instruction as well as equipment hire.
Marmande, up stream from Bordeaux on the Garonne river, is another popular kayaking destination within easy reach of Bordeaux. Here you’ll find kayaking equipment hire that will allow you to kayak the approximately 90km journey to Bordeaux making it a great place to start a multi-day kayaking holiday.
For those who prefer lengthy kayaking trips it’s possible to kayak across France from Sete on the Mediterranean coast to Bordeaux. The trip takes about a fortnight and isn’t for beginners, although is one of the most rewarding kayaking trips that can be undertaken in France.
Those seeking white water Kayaking should head South towards the headwaters of the rivers in the Pyrenees. There’s white water suitable to all levels of experience here and many kayaking schools.
Those looking for coastal kayaking and canoeing should consider the Bay of Arcachon which is peaceful and the closest bit of the Atlantic to Bordeaux a little under an hours drive away. Here you can rent single and two seater kayaks to discover the bay or go upstream on the Leyre which enters the sea here.
