The full-day ‘SAMSON/TRESCAIRE’ AQUA-TREKKING trip
Enjoy the fun and beauty of a full day trip.
Aqua-trekking is the activity you would not have necessarily thought about doing, but is definitely the one that is sure to impress. So it may come as no surprise to hear that more and more of you would like to go on the full-day trip… but, if you suffer from vertigo a bit, then the Imbut trip is out of the question.
We are now offering a brand new day trip that has a much easier access and exit than the Imbut. Suffering from vertigo is no longer an issue!
The SAMSON/ TRESCAIRE aqua-trek is made up of two magnificent routes at the entrance of the Grand Canyon. Enjoy adventuring for a whole day whilst having time to take in the beauty of your surroundings.
This trip is open when the EDF dams are closed: from April 15th to June 30th, and then from September owards.
Description Randonnée aquatique : Aqua trekking - Samson Trescaire
AQUA-TREKKING DESCRIPTION: AQUA-TREKKING - SAMSON/ TRESCAIRE
The full-day ‘SAMSON / TRESCAIRE’ AQUA-TREKKING trip
The meeting point and equipment pick-up is at our basecamp in Castellane. We also provide you with a kit-bag (including watertight containers and canyon bags for picnic and drinks).
Once everyone is ready, it’s time to jump in the minibus and head to the ‘Point Sublime’. Already this journey in itself to the canyon is well worth the detour, and you’ll be pretty pleased that it’s not you behind the wheel!
The minibus drops you off on a small road that goes down to the ‘Couloir Samson’ viewpoint, close to the ‘Terrain de l'Amitié’, from which our day-trip adventure begins...
A twenty-minute descent by foot then brings you to the riverbed, which is when it’s time to get wet - next to the stunning Tusset Bridge. You’ll check the watertight containers are doing their job before throwing yourselves into the water!
To begin with you’ll enjoy 1 hour of swimming, of drifting down the river and jumping, alternating between small rapids and other surprises until arriving at ‘La Salpetrière’. This is a lovely little beach perfect for the picnic and an early-afternoon break before 2 hours of exhilarating and aquatic fun.
The adventure continues in a completely different décor. The rapids build up and become stronger as you enter the ‘Couloir Samson’, after the Solitaire Rapids. With the ‘Point Sublime’ overhead, a long ‘couloir’ surrounded by majestic cliffs awaits just in front - Welcome to the Verdon Grand Canyon!
On your left, you’ll see one of the most famous climbing sites in the Verdon: ‘Le Grand Duc’ (300m of vertical cliff). The scenery will blow you away!
At the entrance of the ‘Couloir Samson’, the water is calm - perfect for getting into the floating position, and for trying out a jump (optional).
Then, after around 20 minutes, you’ll approach the most impressive open cave in the whole of the Verdon: the ‘Baume aux Pigeons’, here the current starts to build up again.
Time for the first labyrinth; the currents are a bit stronger, so you need to slalom between the rocks and use the counter-currents to stop yourself.
The instructor is there to tell you where to go and to show you impressive things such as siphons and giant plunge pools.
The trip ends just before the ‘Tours de Trescaire’ where the canyon widens. Here you can spot Griffon vultures flying over the Rancoumas viewpoints on the left bank, or surfing the sheer red cliffs just below the ‘Route des Crêtes’. You might even see two other types of biped – some climbers or base jumpers.
You’ll then walk along the Martel Trail to finish off the activity (20 minutes); this time, you’ll go through two long tunnels built into the rocks at the beginning of the 20th century (for a hydroelectric project).
Your guide will, of course, be equipped with a torch so that you don’t need to walk the 800m in the pitch black.