Get Your Adrenaline Fix: Adventure Sports in Catalunya
"Canoping" at Activ Natura Adventure Park
Canoping is essentially an obstacle course, except this one takes place a thrilling 10 feet up, in the canopy of the forest. After a quick safety demonstration, you are fitted with a harness that you are responsible for hooking up to the zip-wires running above the course as you make your way from one platform to another. You traverse the course from tree to tree in sections varying in height and difficulty. A circuit around the zip-wire course costs from €18 to €30 per person.
Activ Natura Adventure Park also has a wide range of other activities that you might want to try out. Quad racing, mountain biking, guided horseback trails, paintball and laser combat are all part of the Adventure Park experience. activnatura.com
Getting There
Activ Natura is located near the town of Santa Susanna, still within Barcelona province, nestled between the sea and the mountains 60 kilometers up the coast from the city. The center can be reached by car in about an hour. If driving isn't an option, you can get to Santa Susanna on the R1 train from Plaça de Catalunya. Tickets are €5.50 each way with services leaving every half an hour and the journey takes an hour and 15 minutes.
Where to Stay
By far the most convenient place to stay is nearby masía Can Rosich, a family-run farmhouse that offers both great service and character. It is charming, friendly and tranquil, as well as offering beautiful gardens and stunning rural surroundings, perfect for a lunchtime picnic or an evening stroll. Prices start at about €75 per night. canrosich.com
Ballooning with Voltor
Ever imagined yourself hundreds of meters in the air, floating above the breathtaking landscape this region boasts? Globus Voltor organizes a series of long-distance flights, some across the Pyrenees and others in Morocco and France, as well as many shorter flights over areas such as La Cerdanya, Baix Empordà, Alt Urgell, Lleida and Cardedeu. Travel old-school over rivers, mountains and sea to experience flight not as a means to start an adventure but as an adventure all in itself. Balloon journeys are scheduled for early in the morning and last around an hour and a quarter. Once the balloon is grounded and properly stowed away, passengers are handed a Flight Certificate, a CD montage of the photographs taken during their journey and a glass of bubbly. Prices for adults start at €160 and €110 for children. Voltor also offers private two-person flights, for those wishing to turn this trip into a romantic escape; prices start at €550. globusvoltor.com
Getting There
Although Voltor is based in Matadepera, getting to the point of take-off is up to you as it will vary depending on your choice of balloon trip. The flight over La Cerdanya in the Pyrenees, for example, begins at the Aeròdrom de La Cerdanya in the town of Alp, a short drive south of Puigcerdà. The drive from Barcelona to Alp via the Túnel del Cadí (with tolls) is 150 kilometers and takes around two hours. Alternatively, the R3 Cercanías train service from Plaça de Catalunya to Puigcerdà will take you there in around three hours. Tickets are €12 each way and trains run seven times a day on weekdays and six times daily on weekends.
Where to Stay
If you’re truly looking for an escape, look no further than Mas Meya. This large farmhouse is located in the valleys of Ventajola, two kilometers from Puigcerdà, and boasts some of La Cerdanya’s most breathtaking views. The apartment-style accommodation is divided into four separate lodgings, each housing four people on two floors and with everything you need to live independently during your stay. For those who don’t enjoy complete isolation, WiFi is available. mas.meya.cat
Kayaks on the Ebro with Rogles Aventura
Meander down one of Spain’s most important rivers on a single or double kayak, paddling and drifting past some of Catalunya’s beautiful natural landscapes with Rogles. If you’re not already familiar with this popular watersport, they’ll give you an introduction to kayaking. This means you don’t have to be an expert to take part in the two-hour downstream trail from Garcia to Benissanet in Tarragona, just one of the many river trails Rogles Aventura offers. Equipment is provided (and included in the price) and transport to the point of departure and back from your final destination is all taken care of by the company. Prices vary depending on the trail and the size of the group. rogles.org
Getting There
Rogles Aventura’s headquarters are in Flix, in Tarragona Province, 160 kilometers to the west of Barcelona. A regional express train from Barcelona Sants will take you to Flix in just under three hours. Tickets are €13.50 each way with five trains a day, though the two-hour drive from Barcelona may be more convenient.
Where to Stay
Full of character, Vilar Riu de Baix is a four-star rural hotel near Flix and offers value for money and proximity. For guests without access to a car, the hotel can pick you up and drop you off at any point within Flix. Prices for a double room start from around €75. They also have hostel-style accommodation in their "Albergue Rural" and rent out rural houses for groups. vilarriudebaix.com