Multisport in the Ubaye Gorges

Meet at 10am at the Roche Haut climbing site car park.

Climb in the morning and cool off with a packraft in the afternoon!

We'll be taking advantage of the morning shade to go climbing in the cool of a pretty cliff on the shores of Lac de Serre-Ponçon. Perfect for climbing in a natural environment, whatever your initial level. It offers a multitude of routes of all levels of difficulty, so you can enjoy an airy morning in contact with the rock.

When the weather or the group decides, the ropes are put away for a picnic by the lake. Swimming is possible and recommended, while the guide collects the picnics from Le Lauzet.

After a nice break on the beach, it's time to pump up the packrafts and dip our paddles in the blue waters of Serre-Ponçon. In this breathtakingly vast setting, we learn how to manage our boat in calm water, in preparation for day 3.

In the evening, we return to our gîte in Méolans, where we enjoy a good meal and spend the evening together.

A day's aquarando takes the temperature of the Ubaye in the upper valley.

From the car park at the former Four à Chaux lime kiln, it's off for a day on the Ubaye river in its torrential section, where only a few daring fishermen paddle!

On the first section, we'll learn the basic skills (jumping, swimming, floating) needed to move safely in this environment. We'll take the time to observe the water to get to know it and become aware of our potential impact.

Whatever the route, the local picnic offered by the guides is enjoyed beside a natural pool.

Once you've eaten, the second half of the route is all about having fun with what the gorges of Saint Antoine and Pont du Châtelet have to offer: memories in an unrivalled atmosphere, and from a unique angle!

To finish the loop, there's no need for a motorised shuttle - we'll be using our feet to get back up. A stroll in the descending sunshine will take us back to the vehicles at the end of P2 or from the charming little village of Serenne.

We'll then head back to our gîte to enjoy a good meal.

A day's packraft on the Ubaye.

Leave from the Maison du Bois car park at La Fresquière, packraft rolled up in your rucksack, and head up the left bank of the Ubaye to the Gimette leisure area. Along this shady forest track, you can admire the rich natural heritage of the valley floor.

Before lunch, we put on our equipment and inflate our packrafts to apply what we learnt on day 1 to discover basic whitewater manoeuvres at the end of the Thuiles rapid, which is perfectly suited to this exercise.

After a picnic by the water, we set off down the Ubaye through some pretty gravel pits, winding through a fairly wide, open riverbed. It's an easy section all the way to the Rioclar rapids, where you'll have to master the water's movements.

The descent continues through some congested areas where you have to read the river to find your way between the obstacles and the counter-currents they create, before arriving at the Fresquière landing.

We'll enjoy our last night at the gîte with a convivial meal.

The trip ends with a day's packraft descent, followed by a sunset climb.

Depending on the conditions, the guide's advice, your level and your desires.

As we quickly become addicted to packraft, we head off for a day on "Martinet-Lauzet", THE legendary descent of the Ubaye. A step up from what we did the day before, we're entering the realm of the 'sport river' or 'haute-rivière'.

So we'll take the time to spot the marked rapids, all of which can be carried (passage by the bank), to decide on the line to follow, then try to paddle it. Nadège will be waiting for us ¾ of the way down to treat us to lunch, before we head into the gorges of Le Lauzet to finish the trip as far as La Source.

To finish the day, we return to the Roche Haut sector to admire the sunset over Lake Serre-Ponçon. It was a good opportunity to get some revenge and/or discover some new routes in the area, before sharing a friendly drink to round off the trip.