Summer afternoons lazing on the beach are deeply satisfying for a short period of time. But there comes a time in every Barcelona resident’s life when the call for something more invigorating takes hold and just won’t let go. After all, life in Catalunya has far more to offer than just the sand, sea and sky. So this summer, consider going to the Pyrenees for a new, and quite possibly unique, experience. Climb into a wetsuit and put your best foot forward, or rather, downward. Welcome to canyoning.
Not for the faint-hearted, canyoning involves climbing, swimming, crawling, rappelling, scrambling and even jumping down narrow gorges formed in the rock face, riddled with numerous drops and waterfalls. Spectacular rock walls form the backdrop to this adrenaline-fueled sport, called baranquisme in Catalan (barranquismo in Spanish).
Although this sport is practiced worldwide wherever rock faces and water are to be found, the Catalan Pyrenees are an ideal location, due to the temperate Mediterranean climate and accessible gorges. There are numerous centers in Catalunya that offer canyoning excursions, ranging from half-day trips for beginners without experience to"‘perfection" courses for seasoned canyoners.
Canyoning near Rupit. photo by David Domingo (CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0).
A Sport for All Ages
Mac Dulcet is an instructor at Rafting Sort Rubber River in the region of the Pallars Subirà comarca in the Lleida Pyrenees. The center was set up 1986, and is the oldest of its kind in Catalunya. Its employees guide groups down the Congost Collgat, a canyon with varying levels of difficulty. “Canyoning has become the center’s second most popular activity, after rafting,” commented Dulcet. “It became hugely popular in 1988.”
The initiation routes for first-timers feature jumps down waterfalls that measure between eight and 10 meters. The perfection routes for more hardened canyoners have jumps of up to 25 meters. “Many people try canyoning, although people who do the sport are generally between 25 and 30 years old,” Dulcet said.
However, thanks to the different types of excursions, the age range of people wanting to try the sport is not limited to only young adults. “Children and adults over 50 are quite capable of doing the initiation route. It’s a sport that anyone can have a go at, provided they have a basic level of fitness, can swim and don’t suffer from vertigo.”
Vertigo is, in fact, one of the biggest problems when tackling a downward journey through the canyon. “We’re trained to help people that get blocked. If they freeze up on the rock face, we start by talking to them. If that doesn’t work then we move them into another position in which they feel safer.”
The sport does, however, involve a degree of risk and it is essential to go on part of an organized excursion with trained professionals. Although no serious accidents have happened during commercial excursions to date in Catalunya, fatal accidents have occurred in other parts of the world. In Switzerland a group of tourists drowned in 1999 while on a canyoning adventure trip as a result of flash flooding (instantaneous floods as a result of heavy rain or thunderstorms). More recently, in August of 2020, four Spanish tourists canyoning on their own were swept away in a storm in St. Gallen, Switzerland. However, hazards like this, although real, do not pose a huge threat as long as the activity is carried out with professionals. “Eighty percent of all accidents associated with canyoning take place when people go by themselves, unaccompanied by experts or professionals,” warned Dulcet.
Always Go With a Guide
Esteban Verges is the manager and canyoning instructor at Cercle Aventura, a company specializing in adventure sports with over 17 years of experience, situated in the Cerdanyà region of the Pyrenees. Verges has been involved in canyoning for 25 years and also stressed the importance of going with trained experts. “Accidents have happened in Catalunya when people have gone canyoning without proper guides.”
The legal training required to be a canyoning instructor involves obtaining a specific license. Experience, however, is equally important. “Trainers should have several years of experience behind them,” stressed Verges. “This is just as essential as having the correct license.”
The origin of canyoning is, like many other sports, based on a real-life skill that was once essential for survival, according to Darren Jeffrey and Travis McDaniel in A Brief ATS History of Canyoneering. Native American Indians camped at the bottom of southern Californian desert canyons during the winter, making use of the shelter and food. In the summer months, they hiked to the top of the canyons along narrow gorges where the climate was cooler. Following the European invasion of America, Native Americans used these established canyon routes to flee and hide from these interlopers. Gradually, the invaders came to understand that specialized equipment was needed to climb and descend the hundreds of canyons that formed the local landscape.
Documented accounts of canyoning expeditions as a technical sport in the US exist from the Sixties, with the advent of rock climbing and mountaineering. In Europe, canyoning began in the Eighties and Nineties, and is currently one of the most popular adventure sports.
Photo by DRD (CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0).
Canyoning: When & Where
The canyoning season is from the end of March to the beginning of October, although the best time to go is during the hot summer months.
Equipment: climbing gear, static ropes, wet suit, waterproof top, helmet, buoyancy aid and first-aid kit. Hiking shoes or trainers that can get wet are also a must. The company organizing the excursions will provide most of this equipment, but it is best to ask beforehand exactly what is provided and what must be taken along.
Cost: an excursion typically costs anywhere from €30 to €100 depending upon the level of difficulty and time involved. Initiation canyoning excursions generally last half a day, while routes of greater difficulty can last up to an entire day. People wanting to try the sport can book individually or with a group, with the former being incorporated into part of a larger group.
Below are a just few of the many trails and guides leading canyoning excursions that can be found throughout Catalunyua.
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Gorgues de Nuria photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
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Gorgues de Nuria photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
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Gorgues de Nuria photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
In Ripollès, Girona Province
There are numerous canyoning trails in Ripollès to choose from for all skill levels. For families with children, the Salt del Grill ravine is an excellent initiation into the world of canyoning. This short, uneven canyon has small jumps, slides and rappels ending in the Freser ravine. The best time of year for this trail is in the spring.
Popular for beginners is the Lower Núria trail (barranc inferior) near Ribes de Freser. Carved in granite, this trail offers huge pools that absorb jumps, perfectly molded water slides and several rappels. The walk to the beginning the trail is about one hour, with two to three hours of descent and then the return to the starting point is a 20 minute walk.
For experienced canyoners, the Barranco Gorgues del Núria Integral (which begins upstream from the Lower Núria trail and includes much more difficult passes) is an excellent canyoning trail to put your skills to the test. Forged in granite, the integral route begins with jumps and slides of up to 12 meters and continues with shuttles, rappels, waterfalls and jumps of up to 11 meters.
Barrancos Pirenaicos, barrancospirenaicos.es
Bavaresa Canyoning, barranquismecerdanya.com
Descens Barrancs Catalunya, descensbarrancscatalunya.com
Guías de Montaña y Barrancos Ama Dablam, guiesamadablam.com
Vertientes Aventura, vertientesaventura.com
Torrent de Gravet, photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
In Osona, Girona Province
Located in Rupit, the Torrent de Gravet ravine is the best-kept secret of the region. Many visit the historic medieval village without ever knowing that this wonderful ravine exists.
The Barranc del Gravet trail offers a great opportunity to practice your rappelling skills. The descent follows the Gravet mountain stream with five rappels, one of which is over 30 meters high! There are many options available making it easy to accommodate a wide range of participants, from those with no experience to experts looking to challenge themselves.
After the descent, a 20 minute hike will bring you to the foot of Catalunya's highest waterfall, the impressive Salt de Salent where the waters from the Rupit River cascade down over 100 meters from the Cingles de Pujolràs i Casadavall to the valley below.
ActivaT Ocio, activatocio.com
Aventura Girona, aventuragirona.com
Guies Arania, guiesarania.com
Guías de Montaña y Barrancos Ama Dablam, guiesamadablam.com
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Riu Glorieta, photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
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Riu Glorieta, photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
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Riu Glorieta, photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
In Alt Camp, Tarragona Province
If you're a beginner, one of the best places for canyoning in Catalunya is the Barranc Gorges del Riu Glorieta. Suitable for the whole family, this magnificent ravine is surrounded by the varied and wide natural beauty of the Prades Mountains in Tarragona. It is accessed from the town of Mont-ral and the simple descent usually takes a couple of hours.
The waters of the Glorieta River flow through a forests of holm oaks, pines and oaks, and it's very cold all year round, so it is advisable to wear neoprene, even in the summer.
You can enjoy more than a dozen rappels in this ravine—the highest being about 20 meters—and there are several simple jumps of up to seven meters. In addition, if someone in the group does't feel up to the activity, they can stay in one of the pools frequented by bathers or go hiking and enjoy a magnificent day in nature.
Catalonia Adventures, cataloniaadventures.com
Guía y Deportes de Aventura, guiaydeportesdeaventura.com
Pics d'Europa picsdeuropa.com
Barranc del Infern, photo by David Domingo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
In Pallars Sobirà, Lleida Province
The Barranc de l'Infern is Catalunya's most popular place for canyoning. Formed over centuries of erosive wear by the rough waters of the iconic Noguera Pallaresa River, this canyoning trail is located in the Congost de Collegats, a gorge of about five kilometers near Pobla de Segur, Lleida. Here you will find a wide variety of agencies specialized in adventure sports tourism that offer routes for all levels—from novice to expert.
The first thing you will want to do before jumping in the Barranc de l'Infern is to check that your wetsuit is well adjusted, because the adventure begins with a seven or eight meter jump into the river. After swimming across to the other shore, you'll face a very steep ascent in search of the head of the ravine.
There your two to three hour adventure begins; you'll enjoy spectacular scenery, breathtaking jumps into the river, swimming, several rappels of between three and 11 meters of—and one of 18 meters right next to a beautiful waterfall—fun slides carved by the water in the calcareous rock and explore the famous “Great Cave” where silence and darkness will engulf you.
Aiguadicció, reservesaiguadicciorialp.com
Alta Ruta Aventura, altaruta.com
Barrankisme, barrankisme.com
La Rafting Co, laraftingcompany.com
Rafting Catalunya, raftingcatalunya.es
Rafting Sort Rubber River, rubber-river.com
Originally published August 2008, updated July 25, 2021.