Recreational
Tour
Hamburg * Berlin * Hannover * Bremen * Dresden * München
Recreational
TourItinerary: Trip by bus from Berlin and Hamburg via Dortmund,
Germany, Cologne, Paris, Bordeaux, Beynac to Argentat.
Suggested canoeing route: Argentat - Vaurette - Beaulieu - Yayrac -
St. Sosy - Pinsac - Souillac - Carlux - St. Julien - Grolejac - Vitrac
- Vezac - Beynac. Trip by bus to Moliets Plage. Possible excursions by
bus to St. Jean de Lux, Biarritz and Pyrenees etc. Depending on travel
date, the tour will beginn with Moliets Plage and canoeing in the second
week.
Back by bus via Paris, Aachen, Germany, Cologne to Hamburg and Berlin.
Accommodations: Depending on where you join the tour one night on bus with reclining seats; nine nights at selected camping sites along the Dordogne; three nights at camping site in Moliets Plage. One night on bus.
Meals:
For your meals you should expect to spend $ 20 per day
At Your Disposal: Kayaks, maps, camping equipment of foldaway tables and benches, double-burner gas stoves including bottled gas, large cooking pots, etc.
Tour Escort: Tour coordinator
Extra: Entrance fees, food, drinks, additional excursion by motor bike, horse etc.
Climate: Spring and fall: day 60-70 degrees, night 62 degrees, water 62 degrees Fahrenheit Summer: day 70-90 degrees, 68-76 degrees, water 72 degrees Fahrenheit
Currency: 1 USD = 1,109 Euro; 1 Euro = 0,901 USD
Visa: A tourist visa will be required
Canoeing
on the Dordogne and Lounging on the Atlantic
How about combining a canoe trip on the Dordogne river with a beach vacation on the Atlantic coast? You'll get to know the rich landscape of France in the most peaceful and personal way possible. The entire trip will be a wonderful blend of exercise, sight-seeing and beach pleasures.
Our bus will take us from northern Germany, through Cologne and Paris until we reach Bordeaux, a scenic, wine-producing area of France. Here, we will change transportation slightly. From Bordeaux, we'll travel in a specially outfitted yellow school bus that was delivered to us right from the United States! It's equipped to carry all the canoeing equipment that we will be bringing along. The striking color and appearance of the bus never fails to turn heads here in Europe. Along the way to the starting point for our canoe trip, Argenat, we'll make a special stop in Vezac. In this small town in the Massive Centrale of France, professional teachers will give us an introduction to the basics of canoeing. We'll learn how to maneuver a canoe, the do's and don'ts, all the fundamentals that we'll need. We'll also pick out the type of canoe that we use on the trip. For the more experienced among us, there will be one and two-person kayaks. For the less experienced, we would recommend a traditional two-person canoe. If possible, we'd prefer that you give us your level of experience at the time of registration. This will help us in ordering the right kind of equipment.
In
the afternoon, our school bus will take us and our equipment to Argenat
where, the next morning, we'll start our canoe trip. We are going to divide
the journey into 6 to 7 day-long increments, each of about 9 to 17 miles.
Along the part of the Dordogne that we will be traveling, the river will not present any real problems to our group. Only in a few places does the river start to speed up slightly and get a bit choppy. This is just perfect for us, as it allows even beginners to come along with absolutely no danger. In fact, during most of the trip, the gentle current of the Dordogne will slowly push us along, allowing us to concentrate more on the thrilling scenery around our boats than on the actual canoeing. All along the way, our bus will meet us at pre-arranged intervals, to deliver coffee and food. During the entire journey, the river is a complete pleasure, as it meanders through the hilly countryside, lacking any irritating man-made structures.
At the beginning, the narrow valley cuts through meadows and forests decked with lush green vegetation. At times, there are sheer rock walls jutting out from the river. Further down the stream, the valley widens, giving us impressive views of the rolling hills and medieval castles lining the river. If we have the want, we can take a break from canoeing, head toward the shore, and inspect these beautiful castles closely. As usual, the bus will be at our disposal to take us further into the countryside. We would recommend doing this in several places.
Take
for example, the charming medieval town of Sarlat, with its beautifully
kept-up old section. Perhaps you would be in the mood to go sight-seeing
through the breathtaking medieval village of Rocamadour which is located
right on the edge of a rocky cliff. Not far from the river, we'll find
several prehistoric caves covered with ancient paintings and reliefs..
We'll be spending the nights in tents on campgrounds right on the shore of the Dordogne. Instead of staying in deluxe hotels, we've opted for more traditional "accommodations". We think that you'll agree with this idea. What's more, our bus will be carrying all of our supplies, that is: tents, tables, benches, cooking equipment and groceries...everything we need to make our evenings as pleasurable as possible!!
After a highly varied and exciting week of canoeing, sight-seeing and
fun, we'll continue on by bus to the Atlantic coast
of France, where beautiful beaches await us.