Canoeing on the Vézère with CanoËric

The Vézère is a navigable river, which flows peacefully in the Dordogne, more precisely in the Périgord Noir. A wonderful way to enjoy the natural beauties on your journey through the valley of the Vézère, is to cross it by canoe or kayak, during a few hours, a day or even several days of navigation. Follow us to Le Bugue, for a canoe trip with CanoËric!

The Vézère Valley and its thousand wonders

It is in Corrèze at an altitude of 887m that the Vézère, this river of just over 200km, arises from the accumulation of thousands of small torrents and runoffs. Its history with our department begins in Terrasson, where it already has a very respectable width, allowing it to accommodate barges and a substantial nautical stopover! It then winds from towns to magnificent villages (such as Montignac, Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Le Bugue), choosing in an almost deliberate way to familiarize itself on its winding passage, the thousand-year-old cliffs of Roque-Saint-Christophe, La Madeleine, Les Eyzies… She sometimes hides between the trees, on the shore where poplars, willows, alders, charms filter the sun's rays… She walks and carries her waters to Limeuil, where the confluence with the Dordogne.

The Vézère which winds through Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

Navigate the Vézère by Canoe, kayak or stand up paddle

The Vézère is navigable, only for boats without engines! From the spring, if the water level allows it and the conditions are stable and safe, you can go for a canoe, kayak or even stand up paddle. Many canoe bases are available, in Terrasson, Montignac, Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Les Eyzies, Le Bugue and Limeuil. Today, we are going to Bugue, at CanoËric, located in the car park upstream of the bridge, not far from the Périgord Noir Aquarium (fr) and the Le Bournat Park. The canoe bases on the Vézère (and on the Dordogne, the organization is similar), offer you different routes. There are two solutions:

Either you go by mini-bus and you return quietly to the base, at your own pace
Either you get off directly by boat and you reach the meeting point on time to get on a mini-bus that takes you back to the base.

Today, we have chosen a short course, because Hugo, 6 years old, is accompanying me. Small courses of maximum 2 hours are recommended for children: they don't have time to get tired or get bored. If I was a little frustrated to arrive, Hugo was happy content and was wriggling in the boat after an hour! You can sail from 5 years old, accompanied by a parent and well equipped with a life jacket.

A shallow river

Choose a course adapted to your little acolytes

We equip ourselves and take the mini-bus to go to Campagne, next to the pretty Château de Campagne. We put our superb two-seater kayak with backrests (it's so much more comfortable!) In the water and we set off on a beautiful sunny day for a 1.5 hour river trip.

At CanoËric, you can rent canoes, kayaks or stand-up-paddle boards.

The difference between a canoe and a kayak? This is the position! In a kayak, you are deeper in the boat, you are seated and your legs are extended. In a canoe, you are closer to a kneeling position, with your legs behind or on your side, but you are also higher because the bench is above the water, so you can paddle more easily. The paddle is also different, a simple paddle for the canoe, we alternate from side to side. A double paddle for kayaking that is straight or turned with a wrist motion. You can decide with the base team, what suits you best according to your needs and your desire for a sports ride or a discovery walk!

Gear up, get on the mini-bus

Launching the kayak

Let's go for a 1h30 walk

The routes offered vary and you will be advised on the maximum duration and difficulty of the route. Obviously, we always descend along the current (we are still there to appreciate the landscape). You can leave for a few hours, for a half day, a whole day or even several days! CanoËric offers hikes, you are on the water, without a car, without traffic jams and with the possibility of stopping on the beaches of the Vézère to visit, eat or relax. To spend the night, you can bivouac (with respect for the environment!) Or organize a night in a campsite (good addresses are available). CanoËric also offers courses and hikes on the Dordogne river.

Small beaches on the Vézère, to play Robinson Crusoe

Canoeing on the Vézère

It's easy! The Vézère is a safe river, it is not very wide, made up of banks and beaches, shallow. In summer, there is little bottom and sometimes, towards the end of the season, you have to push your boat if the path taken is not well planned… It's fun the water is never very cold! It is a clean river, you will see fishermen teasing fish such as carp, perch or roach (also catfish…), it is a second category river.

The Vézère is a calm and easy to navigate river

On both sides, the banks are welcoming

Sometimes you have to push!

The water is clean and clear

The landscape is diverse

The pretty houses by the water, near Le Bugue

I advise you to take a picnic to enjoy the magnificent cliffs, the small beaches. On the course we have taken, we pass through two points, a long straight line with a beautiful perspective and the navigation route is dotted with high cliffs. It's pretty! If you continue instead of returning to the base as we did, you can go to Sors, then you cross Le Bugue, then you arrive at the confluence with the Dordogne at Limeuil and you end up on a beautiful pleasant beach. You can continue to Trémolat and go through the cingle on the Dordogne. On the contrary, you can also ask to be taken up by mini-bus further upstream from Bugue. For example from Le Moustier, just in front of La Roque Saint-Christophe and have a very nice day of 6 hours of navigation (for sportsmen, the course is 26km, you have to start at 9 am) and enjoy going through Tursac, Les Eyzies...

The confluence of the Vézère on the left with the Dordogne on the right, in Limeuil

Canoeing in Périgord is a must, there are more than 150km of waterways! It is one of the first departments, acclaimed for this sporting and tourist practice in France. If summer is the most obvious season to practice, during the holidays, know that in September and October the lights are the prettiest and the orange landscapes of nature, breathtaking!