{"id":13671,"date":"2017-08-24T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/?p=13671"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:18:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:18:24","slug":"family-vacation-in-france-gorges-de-l-ardeche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/family-vacation-in-france-gorges-de-l-ardeche\/","title":{"rendered":"Family vacation in France – Gorges de l’Ardeche"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Gorges de l’Ard\u00e8che is the perfect place for an active family vacation in France<\/strong>. Our Swiss contributor Michi B\u00f6siger presents his highlights of the region in the south of France.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayaking, camping, cave magic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

32 kilometers of gorges: The Ard\u00e8che is a wonder bag for the whole family. The starting point for the kayak tours is the natural stone bridge PONT D`ARC, a landmark of southern France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provisions are packed in waterproof barrels. Also bath towels, sun cream and cameras. The Tatonka pack sacks prove to be very practical here. And as footwear and protection the sandals from Teva. We have flip flops in our luggage for after paddling – a blessing! After slipping into the life jackets and grabbing the paddles, it’s time to go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Family
The great wild water safari begins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whether young or old, beginner or experienced, the nature reserve Gorges de l’Ard\u00e8che between Vallon-Pont-dArc and Saint Martin-d<\/code>Ard\u00e8che is an adventurous swimming paradise. From the eight-kilometer mini-parcours to the three-day trip, everything is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading tip: <\/strong>Camping \u2013 Your guide for relaxed camping vacations<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayak Tour on the Ard\u00e8che River<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We decide to take the 24-kilometer kayak tour, for which we plan about seven hours. On the beautiful beaches, which can only be reached by boat, fire is strictly prohibited. But a picnic “\u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise”, with crusty baguette, delicious soft cheese and sweet fruits as refreshment in between, is pure pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capsize in one of the 25 rapids? That’s part of it, but it doesn’t have to be if you “read” the river correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\"Travel\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\tThe right bag for your canoe trip<\/span>\n\t\t

The Barrel from Tatonka is absolutely easy to clean and water resistant thanks to its material.<\/p>

With stowable backpack straps and rubberized handles on both sides.<\/p>\n\t\t

Go to product<\/a><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

“Cathedral”, “Balcony of the Knights Templar”, or “Circus of the Madeleine”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

are the names of the rock formations, up to 300 meters high, which you can see if you look up from time to time. But the underworld is also spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Caves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In more than 100 million years the river created bizarre canyons. In the process, labyrinths were created that are worth visiting. The Chauvet Cave, with its 400 drawings and paintings, is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Since this cave is not open to the public, a detailed copy of the grotto was made. Unique in Europe: the illuminated water cascades made of calcite in the Cave de St. Marcel. They are reminiscent of a magical fairy tale world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gorges
Unique in Europe: the illuminated calcite water cascades in the Cave de St. Marcel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also interesting: <\/strong>Canoeing on the River Lahn<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pont d’Arc<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Pont d’Arc, a natural stone bridge is the most photographed landmark in the Ard\u00e8che. In June, top American climber Chris Sharma rocked the rock arch with the first Deep Water Soloing. At 30 meters, the climbing pioneer gave up and jumped into the floods of the Ard\u00e8che. His route is not for imitators. Adrenaline junkies better watch the scene on the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Die Pont d\u2019Arc, eine nat\u00fcrliche Steinbr\u00fccke ist das meistfotografierte Wahrzeichen der Ard\u00e8che<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Information:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Camping<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Nothing is more relaxing and free than to enjoy your vacation in your own tent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the feudal “Glamping<\/a>” (Glamour&Camping) to the cozy and family camping, for example directly at the Pont d’Arc<\/a>, everything can be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Michi
Nothing is more relaxing and free than to enjoy your vacation in your own tent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kayak<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous rental stations around the town of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, it is best to inquire directly at the campsite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General info:<\/strong> www.gorges-ardeche.net<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text (German):<\/em> Michi B\u00f6siger<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos:<\/em> Caroline Micaela Hauger www.peakart.ch<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Gorges de l’Ard\u00e8che is the perfect place for an active family vacation. Our Swiss contributor Michi B\u00f6siger presents his highlights of the region in the south of Franc<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":5762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,57],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-traveling","8":"category-water-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tatonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}