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WATER SPORTS

These are only available for June, July, August and part of September.

The river Aude has two spectacular gorges, the Defile de Pierre-Lys and the Gorge St George both of which are excellent for White Water Rafting, Canyoning, Hydrospeed and 'Cano-Raft'. A short distance away is the Gorge Galamus which is excellent for the more adventurous Canyoning and Hydrospeed specialists.

A little lower down the river there is some excellent canoeing and kayaking waters ending with a slalom course at Quillan.

Being in an area that specialises in water sports we work with several companies all of which give tuition in English, have properly registered and insured instructors and can cater for beginners as well as the more experienced.

Very serious rafters should note that the best 'white water' months are from April till end of May and sometimes a bit of June depending on how late the high mountain snow melts. We require advanced notice we can organise trips during these months.

Rafting on the River Aude

RAFTING

There are two courses, discovery and sportive. The discovery course is about 6km in length and is ideal for beginners. The water is not so fierce and there are only a few obstacles to get over. We have had (fit) 70 year olds on this course and they have really enjoyed the experience.

The sportive course is excellent for the more experienced with more obstacles and a lot more white water.

Each raft has a professionally qualified Raft Captain for the duration of the trip.

Hydrospeed on the River Aude

HYDROSPEED

Hydrospeed enables the swimmer to swim down a river using and playing with the current and counter currents.

Equipped with a wet-suit, flippers and a floating board (often called “Hydrospeed board”), the swimmer follows the course of the river as indicated by the guide.

Perfect way to understand the river and its currents, Hydrospeed allows you to feel the water movement. The opportunity to play in the waves and to surf in the waves is great fun and is a great way for beginners to experience White Water Rivers. You will be using your legs quite a bit so the ability to swim “crawl style” is very important.

Canyoning in the Aude

CANYONING

Not for the weak hearted this one. Basically you slip and slid down the course of the river in a wet suite and protective clothing again accompanied by an instructor.

Typically this is carried out in the spectacular Gorge Galamus with it's pools, waterfalls and rapids. The scenery, if you have the time to look, is truly beautiful with rock walls to either side. After there is the opportunity to visit the magnificent Hermitage and church built in to the cliffs overlooking the river.

CANO-RAFT on the River Aude

CANO-RAFT

A cano-raft is a two-man inflatable craft which the paddlers autonomously manoeuvre using a double-blade paddle. Thanks to its inflated self-bailing structure making it a very stable boat, beginners can paddle in white water without having had any previous experience of white water activities.

A cano-raft trip brings the same sensations as a white water canoe trip and offers a possibility of having fun and playing with the water, without experiencing the drawbacks of flipping over with a rigid canoe. With a cano-raft, in case the paddlers do flip over, all they have to do is to jump back on the boat and off they go again!

The guides accompany them in their own boats and indicate the way while giving the tips on how to ride the water.

ADDRESS
Cathar Tours
9 Quartier de la Condamine
11500 Belvianes et Cavirac
FRANC

CONTACTS
Email: enquiry@cathar-tours.com
Phone: 0033 468 208279