Verdon Gorge Kayak Season — Provence

Each April through October, the turquoise waters of the Verdon river carve their way through Europe's largest canyon in Provence, creating a 700-metre-deep gorge of sheer white limestone whose colour and scale rival the American Southwest and whose kayak and canoe route through the Canyon du Verdon is one of the most spectacular freshwater wilderness journeys available anywhere in Europe. The river's extraordinary turquoise-green colour — caused by glacier meltwater's fine limestone suspension catching the light — changes in intensity through the day from jade green in shadow to vivid electric turquoise in direct sun, and the canyon walls rising vertically from the water create an enclosed world of complete geological drama accessible only by water or by the rim trails far above. The two-day kayak descent from Rougon to the Lac de Sainte-Croix passes through cathedral-like chambers, narrow slot passages, and beaches of white gravel where the only sounds are water and griffon vultures calling from the cliff tops 700 metres above. The cliff faces harbour the densest griffon vulture nesting colony in France, and the birds are constantly visible on thermals above the gorge, their enormous wingspan silhouetted against the narrow strip of blue sky overhead. The surrounding Verdon limestone plateau of wild lavender and thyme garrigue adds botanical richness to the approach drives.