None of our trips take place in Menton itself: allow about 1 h 15 by road on the A8 to reach us, most often in the Gorges du Loup, and keep the whole day for the valley. A state-qualified instructor leads you: half day at €55 from age 8, full day at €80 from age 16, equipment included. +1291 reviews 5/5.
Gorges du Loup
Staying in Menton, the last town before Italy, or in Monaco? Our canyoning trips take place in the hinterland, and the most common meeting place is in the Gorges du Loup, about 1 h 15 by road.
That is quite a drive, so our clients come for the day and enjoy the valley around the canyon. In the water, you get natural slides, jumps that are always optional and turquoise pools, from the Gours du Ray, which we recommend to start with, to the big sporty descents.
You go down with a state-qualified guide from Ailéments, a family business since 2013: 8 people at most per instructor, no experience needed, provided you can swim and are willing to put your head under water.
The price covers everything: 5 mm wetsuit, helmet, harness, supervision and insurance. Half day at €55 (from age 8), full day at €80 (from age 16).
In the hinterland of the French Riviera, most often in the Gorges du Loup, about 1 h 15 by road. We offer eight canyons, all presented on our canyoning in the Alpes-Maritimes page: three as a half day, open from age 8, and five as a full day, from age 16.
| Canyon | Access from Menton | For whom | Age | On site | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorges du Loup | About 1 h 15, meeting point in the gorge | Families, beginners | From age 8 | 2 h 30 | €55 |
| Gours du Ray | After the village of Gréolières | Families, beginners | From age 8 | 2 h 30 | €55 |
| Cramassouri | Tinée valley | Family introduction | From age 8 | 2 h 30 | €55 |
| Cascades de Courmes | Loup valley, facing Gourdon | Sporty | From age 16 | 4 hours | €80 |
| Riolan | Estéron valley | Sporty | From age 16 | 4 hours | €80 |
| Clue d'Aiglun | Estéron valley | Sporty | From age 16 | 4 hours | €80 |
| Saint-Auban | Estéron valley | Sporty | From age 16 | 4 hours | €80 |
| Imberguet | Vésubie valley, in spring | Sporty | From age 16 | 4 hours | €80 |
We do not guide in the Roya valley: all our trips take place in the Loup, Estéron, Tinée and Vésubie valleys.
The canyon is set when you book, according to the option chosen and the weather forecast. Most often it is the one in the Gorges du Loup, near Gourdon, with abseils of 6 m at most that you can avoid. For a first canyon, we recommend the Gours du Ray, where every jump is optional and the 4 m abseil can be avoided too. Cramassouri, in the Tinée, ends with a 10 m abseil.
From age 16, the full day opens up bigger descents: the Cascades de Courmes and their 60 m abseil, the Riolan and its two cirques, the Clue d'Aiglun, the Saint-Auban canyon or the Imberguet, in spring only.
The day before, we check the water flow and the sky, then a text message confirms the trip and gives the GPS point for the meeting place. If a storm swells the water flow, we postpone, at no cost to you.
We go down from 1 April to 31 October; June to September is the most pleasant time, with water at 19 °C in summer.
The route takes the A8: allow about 1 h 15 from Menton to the Gorges du Loup, and the same from Monaco. You pass Nice, where people also set off for these gorges.
For the Loup canyon, the meeting point is in the gorge, on the D6, once through the tunnel. For the Gours du Ray, it is after the village of Gréolières, on the road to Andon; Gréolières is about 1 h 15 from Menton. The exact GPS point reaches you by text message the day before.
Including the drive, a half day in the gorge comes to about 5 hours: 1 h 15 there, 2 h 30 on site, 1 h 15 back. You may as well keep the whole day for the valley. For the full-day option, allow 4 hours on site and bring your picnic; the drive then depends on the canyon.
Without a car, you will need a ride-hailing service: we do not run a shuttle from the coast.
With 1 h 15 on the road, the canyon is only part of the day: the rest happens on the spot, between villages, restaurants and swimming.
Before or after the descent, stay for a swim in the Gorges du Loup, then go up to see Gourdon, Bar-sur-Loup or Tourrettes-sur-Loup. Walkers have the Cheiron and the Monts d'Azur reserve.
For a meal, ask us on the day of the trip: we will point you to a table in Gréolières or Coursegoules.
The road takes you back to the coast at the end of the day: you still have the old town with its ochre façades and the citrus gardens of the last town before Italy.
On the A8, the way back also takes about 1 h 15.
Before you set off, watch this short film: slides, jumps into the pools and abseils under the waterfalls, each at your own pace.
The video of your own trip is an option at €30, transferred to your phone: you can show it when you get back to Menton.
One road, three options: discovery with the family, the big sporty day, or the flight and the descent on the same day. Equipment, the state-qualified guide and insurance are included in the price.
The half day costs €55 per person, or €50 from 5 people: 2 h 30 on site, from age 8, on playful routes that suit families. The full day, at €80, brings 16 to 70-year-olds together for a big descent, abseils and technical passages included. To keep the canyon to your group alone, a private trip costs €400 for a half day or €640 for a full day. Everything is detailed on our canyoning prices page.
Since you are making the drive, why not fly too? The paragliding + canyoning combo, at €190 per person, brings together a morning flight at Gréolières, about 1 h 15 from Menton, and an afternoon descent. It can be booked even for two: for the canyon, you join a group already under way, as our trips open from 5 people. Minimum age is 8 for canyoning and 5 for paragliding. The flight alone is presented on our paragliding near Menton page.
You pay on site, after the descent, with nothing to pay in advance; if conditions are not right, postponing is free.
From age 8, a child who can swim and feels at ease in the water can go down on a half day. They choose their jumps, and the instructor sets the pace for the youngest.
Our family canyoning page answers parents' questions; for a very first trip, also read beginner canyoning.
From 5 people, we open a trip on the date you choose; from 15 July to 31 August, 4 are enough, provided a 5th person signs up. If there are two or three of you, you join a trip that is already organised. One instructor leads 8 people at most.
For a hen or stag party, the trip can be made private: see our hen and stag parties page.
Four stages, with your state-qualified guide from start to finish.
You arrive at the point sent by text message the day before, and your instructor equips you: 5 mm wetsuit, helmet, harness.
Jump position, descender, signals to know in the canyon: the instructor explains the essentials, without jargon.
It serves as a warm-up on the way to the start, with the Préalpes d'Azur to admire along the way.
Slides, optional jumps and abseils at the group's pace, then back to the car park and a chat with the instructor.
Nobody forces you to jump: the instructor goes first at each obstacle, and you decide. At the Gours du Ray and in the Gorges du Loup, you can avoid the abseils too; on the other canyons, this is not always possible.
Your swimsuit goes under the wetsuit; bring old closed trainers, a towel and a change of clothes for the drive back. If you have no suitable shoes, we can lend you some free of charge. The full list is on our what to wear for canyoning page. Nervous about the water, or a health concern? Tell us before the trip.
Ailéments is a family business that has been going down the canyons of the Préalpes d'Azur since 2013: state-qualified guides, a personal welcome and time to talk on every trip.
Canyon equipment checked and renewed each season (wetsuits, harnesses, helmets, ropes, all up to standard). +1291 reviews 5/5. Another date free of charge if the weather is not right, payment on site after the activity, nothing to pay in advance.
Do you have a question? Contact us or call us.
Book my descent
There is no canyoning gift voucher: the trip is booked directly. To give an adventure, think of a tandem paragliding flight: our gift vouchers (Child, Ascending or Prestige flight) are valid for 1 year, with no extension, can be personalised and are sent by email, for a birthday, a celebration or a hen or stag party.
Do you have a question? Contact us.
Give a paragliding flight
Canyons, drive, meeting point, prices, age, swimming, safety, equipment, season, duration, combo.
Most often in the Gorges du Loup, about 1 h 15 by road on the A8. Of our eight canyons, the Gours du Ray and the Cascades de Courmes are in the same valley, the others in the Estéron (Riolan, Clue d'Aiglun, Saint-Auban), the Tinée (Cramassouri) and the Vésubie (Imberguet).
No. None of our trips take place in Menton: the most common one is in the Gorges du Loup, about 1 h 15 by road. Plan on spending the day.
No. We do not guide in the Roya valley: all our trips take place in the Loup, Estéron, Tinée and Vésubie valleys.
About 1 h 15 on the A8 to the Gorges du Loup, from Menton as from Monaco. The Gours du Ray is after the village of Gréolières, itself about 1 h 15 from Menton.
For the Loup canyon, in the gorge, after the D6 tunnel; for the Gours du Ray, after the village of Gréolières, on the road to Andon. You receive the exact GPS point the day before by text message.
Plan on a ride-hailing service: the meeting point is on site, and we have no shuttle from Menton or Monaco.
The discovery half day comes to €55 per person (2 h 30, equipment included), from age 8, or €50 from 5 people. The sporty full day is €80 (from age 16), a private trip €400 or €640, the optional video €30 and the paragliding + canyoning combo €190. You pay on site, after the activity.
From age 8 on a half day, if the child feels at ease in the water. Full-day routes are for ages 16 to 70.
Yes, with no certificate to show: you must be able to swim and be willing to put your head under water, as several pools are crossed by swimming. If water makes you uneasy, it is better to choose another activity.
It is an outdoor sport with real risks. A state-qualified guide limits them without removing them: the guide checks the weather and water flow before each trip, and inspects the anchors and the equipment. The details are on our canyoning safety page.
Only a swimsuit, old closed trainers, a towel and dry clothes. We provide the rest: 5 mm neoprene wetsuit, helmet, harness, lanyard, descender and canyon bag.
Closed trainers that you do not mind getting wet and damaged, never sandals or flip-flops, as the rock is sometimes slippery. If you have none, we can lend you some free of charge.
We go down from 1 April to 31 October. From June to September the water is at its most pleasant, at 19 °C in summer; the rest of the season, the neoprene wetsuit makes up for the cool water.
The half day takes 2 h 30 on site, including equipment, approach walk and return. The full day takes 4 hours, with a picnic to bring. The drive from Menton comes on top of these times.
Yes. The paragliding + canyoning combo (€190) brings together the flight and the descent on the same day, even for two. And you have Gourdon and the villages of the valley to visit.
4 key points for your descent.
The canyon we go to most often, about 1 h 15 by road: keep the day for the valley. For a first try, the Gours du Ray, from age 8.
Half day at €55 from age 8 (€50 from 5 people), full day at €80 from age 16, combo at €190 per person, equipment included.
Weather and water flow checked by your state-qualified guide; the day before, a text message confirms the trip. Free postponement, payment on site.
State-qualified guides, +1291 reviews 5/5. Want to fly too? See our paragliding near Menton page.
1,291+ 5-star reviews
