Frequently asked questions

Find the answer to all your questions on this page

The descents

Being at least 7 years old and knowing how to swim at least 25 meters and not being afraid of being under water.

You want to see the canoe slides ? Choose the 5 km, 12 km or 36 km in 2 days
You want to see the Pont d’Arc ? Choose the 7 km, 12 km or 31 km
You want to see the nature reserve ? Choose the 24 km or 31 km
You want to see it all ? Choose the 36 km in 2 days

More information about the highlights below :

  • L’Estivale : 5 km – 1/2 day (slides)
  • Mini Descent : 7 km – 1/2 day (rapid of Le Charlemagne, Pont d’Arc)
  • Maxi des Minis : 12 km – 1/2 day / 1 day (slides, rapid of LeCharlemagne, Pont d’Arc)
  • Gorges de l’Ardèche 1 : 24 km – 1 day(nature reserve of the Gorges de l’Ardèche)
  • Gorges de l’Ardèche 2 : 31 km – 1 day (rapid of Le Charlemagne, Pont d’Arc, nature reserve of the Gorges de l’Ardèche)
  • Descent in 2 days : 31 km – 2 days with bivouac (rapid of Le Charlemagne, Pont d’Arc, nature reserve of the Gorges de l’Ardèche)
  • L’Aventure in 2 days : 36 km – 2 with bivouac (slides, rapid of Le Charlemagne, Pont d’Arc, nature reserve of the Gorges de l’Ardèche)
  • Pack Eau Vive 1 : 7 + 24 km – 2 days without bivouac (rapid of Le Charlemagne, Pont d’Arc, nature reserve of the Gorges de l’Ardèche)
  • Pack Eau Vive 2 : 12 + 24 km – 2 days without bivouac (slides, rapid of Le Charlemagne, Pont d’Arc, nature reserve of the Gorges de l’Ardèche

Book your descent

It is preferable to book in advance, especially during busy periods (Ascension, Pentecost and in July/August).
And if you book in advance on our website, you benefit from our special rates and you save time before departure on the day of your descent (no need to fill out the rental contract).
It is also possible to come on site without reservation, the “Counter” rate will be applied and during busy days you risk being refused a departure.

We advise you to book online to benefit from our special rates.
You can also contact us by phone on 0033 4 75 37 17 79 or by email contact@canoe-ardeche.com or come directly to one of our starting points.
At our 2 starting points, we accept the following payment methods :

  • Chèque (FR)
  • Chèque Vacances ANCV (FR)
  • Credit Card
  • Cash

For online bookings, we only accept payments by card. If you wish to pay cash on site, please sent us your booking by email contact@canoe-ardeche.com or by phone 0033 4 75 37 17 79.

To book with a gift box, we ask you to send us your booking by email : contact@canoe-ardeche.com. In the mail, please note the date you want to book and a photo or scan of the barcode on the voucher of your gift box. After receiving your email, we will validate your voucher and we will confirm your booking in reply.
To book with a gift card, please contact us by phone 0033 4 75 37 17 79 or by email contact@canoe-ardeche.com

We apply group rates for groups more than 10 people. The discount will be automatically calculated when you book online.
You can find our group rates on the page Rates. For a personalized offer, please contact us by phone or email.

A descent on a free course with a child under 7 years old is prohibited, these are strict regulations.
If you want to do a descent with a child under 7 years old, we can offer you a descent with a certified guide. For more information, please contact us by phone 0033 4 75 37 17 79, on WhatsApp at 0033 7 82 72 72 03 or by email contact@canoe-ardeche.com or check this page.

Cancel a booking

To cancel your booking, we ask you to contact us 48 hours before departure by phone or by email contact@canoe-ardeche.com. A full refund will be made in the following cases :

  • Force majeure : death, hospitalisation, illness… (upon presentation of proof)
  • Prohibition to navigate on the Ardèche because of unfavorable weather: orange or red weather forecast or a too high water level on the Ardèche
  • Government decisions due to a pandemic
  • If the decision to cancel the descent comes from us

For any cancellation without proof/valid reason, the sum of € 5.00 cancellation fee will be deducted from the amount of your refund.
Refunds will be made by bank transfer within 15 days.
If the weather forecast is unfavorable but not dangerous (storms, orange or red vigilance …), the descents are maintained.
If you still want to cancel your descent, you have 2 possibilities:

  • We can make you a credit, valid for 2 years
  • We can postpone the date of your descent

Practical information

To know the starting point of your descent, please check the page of the respective descent. Be careful, the starting point may be different depending on the season.
We have 2 different starting points. You can find an access map for each starting point on our Access page.

Starting point N° 1 : Start of the 7 km, 24 km and 31 km (in 1 or 2 days)
Starting point N° 2 (open from 07/05/24 to 14/09/24) : Start of the descent of 5 km, 12 km and 36 km in 2 days

When the starting point N° 2 is closed, the start of the descents of the 5 km, 12 km and 36 km in 2 days are done from our starting point N° 1. A bus will take you to the starting point. More details on our Access page.

The descent of the Ardèche is an activity accessible to all (children from 7 years old). An explanation of the descent and direction of the canoe will be given before departure. The Ardèche is a river without too many difficulties, the more technical passages will also be explained to you before departure. You have to know how to swim at least 25 meters and not be afraid to be under water. The minimum age to make a descent is 7 years. For a descent with children under 7 years old please check this page.

  • Shoes attached to the feet (water shoes, sandals, sport shoes…)
  • Something to eat and enough to drink
  • Sun cream (organic), cap or hat, t-shirt…
  • A plastic bag to put in your phone, camera, papers…
  • String to attach your (sun) glasses
  • Dry clothing for after the descent
  • Towels…
  • Paddles and a sit-on-top canoe / kayak
  • Life jacket, mandatory during the entire descent
  • Barrel to put in your belongings (we do not guarantee the watertightness of our barrels, it depends on how it is closed by the user).
Helmets are not mandatory on the Ardèche river. But we can give you a helmet if you wish.
Before your departure, we will give you an explanation of the descent you are going to do and its technical passages. We will also show you the arrival point and we will explain to you the return by bus. If you have any questions after this explanation, or is anything is unclear, please let us know.

For the descents in 2 days with bivouac, you will have to book your places on the bivouac, please check the page of your descent or this page to book your places.

Tents do not fit in our barrels. We advise you to put your tent in a large garbage bag and tie it to the canoe (take some rope).
For the descents in 2 days we lend you a barrel of 55 liters per person. Attention, if you book a canoe with a child in third place, you can only attach one barrel on your canoe.
On the bivouac, you will find toilets and (cold) showers, first aid post and barbecues with charcoal. For more details, please check this page.
Yes it is possible to take your dog on a descent.
The dog must know how to swim, not be afraid of water and we advise you to not tie the dog to the canoe and remove leash or harness. During your stops, the dog has to be on leash.

After your descent, a bus will bring you back to the starting point.
For the 1/2 day descents, there are several return times; You choose your return time (before departure, subject to availability).
For the 1 day or 2 days descents, arrival is between 3.30pm and 5pm in Sauze, depending on the season. Our busses leave when they are full or when everybody has arrived. We give you more details on site before your departure on the arrivals of the 1 or 2 day descents.

Return times are indicative and depend on the arrival of our customers, traffic on the road and any unforeseen situations. On busy days, extra waiting time should be expected.

Do you still have questions ?
Please contact us by phone 0033 4 75 37 17 79, by email contact@canoe-ardeche.com or by WhatsApp (messages only) on 0033 7 82 72 72 03.