The Pyrenees are a brilliant place to discover the challenging sport of canyoning. Canyoning is generally only available in the mountains, where steep valleys and rushing mountain streams lead to the formation of canyons. The idea of canyoning is to follow the river downstream in any way possible - sliding, swimming, jumping, climbing and abseiling.
You can try canyoning as a half day activity as part of our multi-activity holidays, as a long-weekend's introduction to canyoning or as a full week of canyoning working up towards the descent of technically challenging, vertical canyons at the end of the week.
We currently have the following canyoning holidays available but we can arrange bespoke trips for groups of 4 or more, at any time during June to October, so please enquire if you have specific dates or locations in mind.
Sierra de Guara canyoning © Jerome Laborde
Sierra de Guara canyoning © Jerome Laborde
Who are these holidays for?
If you enjoy being active, have a good head for heights and enjoy having fun in water, then canyoning is for you!
Canyoning in the Pyrenees
Canyoning in the Pyrenees
What level of fitness do I need?
To get the most out of your canyoning holiday you should be reasonably fit and active. You should not need any specific training but you will enjoy canyoning more if you take some regular exercise before your trip. Some of the canyons require a reasonably long walk-in with some uphill climbing, and you may like to offer to share carrying the ropes and equipment with your guide. No previous experience of canyoning or abseiling is necessary, but you should have a good head for heights and be able to swim confidently.
Who leads these trips?
You will have two guides for these trips. First, you will have a qualified, local canyoning guide, with a lifetime of experience working in and exploring the area. They will make sure you know how to use the equipment, chose the routes for the group, and ensure everyone has a safe and fun time. You will also have a member of the MountainBug team with you. Their role is to get you to the canyons, ensure everything goes smoothly with the trip from a logistics point of view and enjoy canyoning with you. Hey – every job has some perks!
Canyoning in the Pyrenees
Canyoning in the Pyrenees
When is the best time of year to go canyoning in the Pyrenees?
The most exciting time of year for canyoning is in late Spring/early Summer, when the snow melt from the high mountains makes the rivers roar. This does mean that the water is cold though, so Autumn is also a very popular time of year, when the mountain streams are at their warmest.
In early spring (please note spring out in the Pyrenees is late May to June), we prefer to canyon in Spain where the rivers are running, whereas in France it’s still snowy on the peaks, with low river levels.
The rushing waters and lush vegetation of the French side of the border give our local canyons a humid, "rainforest" atmosphere. There are water chutes and pools to jump in, and you will get very wet abseiling down waterfalls.
The sunny canyons of the Spanish Pyrenees are often drier and scattered with warm blue pools. There is less water but the abseils are generally longer and more challenging. The rock formations are rounded and smooth - almost like caving above ground. We like to mix the different characters of the canyons of France and Spain with a two-centre break during a full week of canyoning.
There aren’t any dates that suit me / I want to do something a bit different to what you suggest...
Then contact us! For groups of 4 or more we can be flexible with dates and itineraries and are happy to build a bespoke itinerary for you and your group.
We currently have the following specific canyoning holidays available:
Now choose your canyoning holiday, then contact us to book.