how to spend a day in the gorges du verdon

I love spending time in nature and always feel like a trip isn't complete without at least a small hike or some paddle boarding. While our trip to France included a lot of sight seeing and some swimming in the Mediterranean, it was important to me to incorporate some nature in our itinerary. The South of France obviously isn't lacking in opportunities for outdoorsy activities, and the Gorges du Verdon is just one of the possibilities we encountered, but what a possibility! The reasons we opted for this destination, other than its beauty of course, was the variety of activities on offer in just one place and the closeness to where we were staying in Valensole. Needless to say, I got what I was looking for and so much more!

start the day early with a hike in Basses gorges

We headed to Basses Gorges (low gorge) early in the morning and arrived at about 9 AM, which was a blessing as it wasn't too hot yet for a hike, we were practically alone when we started and there were a lot more people on our way back to the car, and it allowed us to pack more stops into our day. Plus, like everywhere else in Provence, finding a parking spot in Basses Gorges wouldn't have been easy if we had arrived later.

The hike starts just after the village of Quinson from Valensole. You can park before the bridge, by the road if you are lucky to find a spot or there is more parking space by the lake, if you turn left just after the bridge. The beginning of the hike is well indicated on Google maps, on the right after the bridge, there are some steps to climb, but then you follow along the river. If you want, you can do a loop and climb to the top of the mountain and come back around that way, but from what I was told, there aren't many view points at the top and, in this heat, we decided to just walk along the river to the end of the trail and back. It's about a 5 km hike and there are multiple staircases, narrow pathways and inclines, but the trail is well maintained, well indicated, and definitely not hard if you are a good walker.

We spent the whole time in awe of the color of the river, the canyon walls and the general beauty of the landscape. We climbed back in the car after this hike, it wasn't even noon, and I was already satisfied with my day. We could have stopped there and it would have been enough for me.

drive to pont du galetas and stop at the Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon viewpoint on the way

The most popular spot in the Gorges du Verdon is, whithout any doubt, the Pont du Galetas or Galetas bridge. It marks the entrance to Hautes Gorges (high gorge) and one of the best viewpoints on the canyon and the myriad of boats, kayaks and paddle boats floating on the river. On the way there, we were treated to some of the best lavender and sunflower fields in the region before driving by the viewpoint seen in the picture below, in the village of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon. I definitely recommend stopping at this viewpoint to admire the view and take some picture as it is such a beautiful landscape and one of the rare places you can actually stop on the side of the road. The road after this point is very narrow and composed of many, many switchbacks up and down mountains.

rent a kayak or paddleboat to explore hautes gorges

Although it was very crowded and, therefore, a challenge to navigate our kayak through the narrow gorge without bumping into other boats, I'm still glad we rented the kayak. Hautes Gorges is a beautiful area, with high canyon walls, gorgeous waters and plenty of caves or rocks where you could stop for a short exploration break. The amount of people cliff jumping made me a little uncomfortable as it narrowed even more our path with the kayak, but I enjoyed the view and the time on the water immensely. 

relax and go for a swim at plage du galetas or plage de chabassole

There isn't a lot of place to lie down in the sun, but there are some beach areas where you can relax, places where you can walk in and out of the lake, and even places to sit in the shade. After our hike and kayaking, we were ready for some R&R! 

other activities you could try

There are so many activities on offer in the Gorges du Verdon. We saw many people paragliding, you could explore Moustier-Sainte-Marie, which is the closest village to Hautes-Gorges and perched high in the mountains, you can go horseback ridding, it's possible to go rafting or rent an electrical boat and so much more. It really is a diverse area where everyone will find something they love.

One day was just enough time to make me fall in love with the Gorges du Verdon. I have a feeling I will see more of this destination in future trips, and I would jump at the chance to stay there for a longer amount of time. Are the Gorges du Verdon on your South of France itinerary yet?

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