Rafting on the Dordogne River ©Yuriy Buriak
We will describe our trip, on the example of the company Explorando Canoë Dordogne
https://canoedordogne.com/en/tarifs-descentes-libres-canoe-dordogne/.
The plan is the following: you arrive at the start point N 44 49.400 E 1 16.954, leave the car at the free parking, take a canoe (kayak) and go along the river to the finish. There you return the boat and go to your car by minibus.
Opening times depend on the distance:
9:30 - 16:00 - 9 km (15-18 euros, 1.5 hours)
9:30 - 14:00 - 17 km (20-23 euros, 3 hours)
9:30 - 13:00 - 22 km (25-28 euros, 4 hours)
The next map shows the starting point and three finish locations.
Rafting on the Dordogne River ©canoedordogne.com
We took the boat for 22 kilometers. All personal items (phones, money, camera, etc.) were put in a waterproof bag. If you do not have it, then on the spot you will be given either a bag or a waterproof plastic barrel. Do not forget the sunblock cream, you will need it.
Rafting on the Dordogne River ©Yuriy Buriak
Boat control is not difficult, but you have to get used a little. The flow of the river will help you. In some places there are rapids where the boat is accelerating significantly. Be careful in these places as you can roll over.
Rafting on the Dordogne River ©Yuriy Buriak
It will be possible to moor to the shore, relax and swim. In the town of La Roque-Gageac you can also have a lunch. Here is one of the many castles that you will pass through.
Rafting on the Dordogne River ©Yuriy Buriak
Other castles are Castelnaud Castle, Beynac Castle and Montfort Castle (in the next photo).
Rafting on the Dordogne River ©Yuriy Buriak
Be sure to learn infirmation about finish point, since you can not miss it. You will need some kind of paper or electronic map (for example maps.me). In our case, the finish was on the beach behind the bridge Pont de Fayrac. Here is the bridge
Rafting on the Dordogne River ©Yuriy Buriak
Many companies offer canoes and kayaks for rent, the routes are slightly differ. We give coordinates of the main offices, but the starting points may be different, depending on the length of the route, so check everything on the websites. The easiest way is to open google.maps and type "canoe", there will be all the locations.
Canoe Without Borders (N 44 49.541 E 1 17.259)
http://www.location-canoe-kayak-24.fr/tarifs.htm
https://www.canoe-kayak-dordogne.fr/tarifs/
Périgord Adventure (N 44 49.483 E 1 13.289)
Canoes Loisirs (N 44 49.573 E 1 13.498)
http://www.perigordaventureloisirs.com/tarifs
https://destination-perigord-loisirs.com/en/carte-des-descentes/#parcours-16-km
https://destination-perigord-loisirs.com/en/
Canoe Randonnee Dordogne (N 44 48.273 E 1 12.465)
http://www.canoerandodordogne.com/index.php/parcours
Canoe Raid Cenac (N 44 48.289 E 1 12.301)
http://www.canoecenac-perigord-dordogne.com/2-heures-a-1-journee/?lang=en
Unfortunately, if you do not have a car, we don't know what you can do. Actually, we did not find any information about public transport in this area.
