Canyoning (or: canyoneering) is about going in a bottom of a canyon, which is either dry or full of water.

Understand

Canyoning combines elements from swimming, climbing and jumping--but requires relatively little training or physical shape to get started (compared to rock climbing, scuba diving or alpine skiing, for example).

See also: Rock climbing.

Techniques

There are several kind of techniques in a canyon, which are also features of a specific canyon:

• sifons (dive-under)
• vertical rappeling (or abseiling)
• horizontal abseiling: moving over a rope above a river from one side of canyon to another
• jumps
• slides (toboggan in Spanish)

Plus trivial techniques which are used in virtually every canyon with water: walking, swimming, climbing to large stones.

Other characteristics of a canyon are length, duration, altitude difference; time to get in to a canyon start and to get out from its finish.

Destinations

Asia

Canyoning in Gitgit, Bali, Indonesia

Indonesia

• Bali

Vietnam

• Dalat

Australia and New Zealand

Australia

• Blue Mountains (available from Wentworth Falls)

New Zealand

• Queenstown

Europe

Austria

• near Salzburg
• near Salzkammergut

Bosnia =

• near Banja Luka

Croatia

• near Omiš

France

• Alpes Maritimes
• Pyrenees, though shorter than in Spain
• Vercors

• Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
  • Hautes-Alpes
    • around St-Clément-sur-Durance

Germany

• Bad Reichenhall
• Kempten (Allgäu) in Bavaria

Greece

• Acheron (available from Paramythia)
• Enippeas in Larissa Prefecture, Thessaly

Slovenia

• near Bled
• Bovec (Sušec stream, other canyons)

Spain

• Alava

• Andalucía:
  • Sierra Nevada
  • Serrania de Ronda
• Aragon:
  • Sierra de Guara (available from Alquezar)
  • Pyrenees (available from Alquezar)
• Asturias
• Burgos
• Cantabria
• Extremadura:
  • Sierra de Gredos
  • Valle del Tietar
• Galicia
• Guipúzcoa
• León
• Mallorca
• Navarra
• Vizcaya

Switzerland

• Interlaken

Turkey

• near Kaş
• Yazili in Isparta Province

United Kingdom

Wales:

• Brecon Beacons

North America

United States

California:

• Los Angeles

South America

Brazil

• Cassorova Valley in Bahia (from Brotas)
• São Paulo:
  • Fortaleza Mountain (available from Caconde)

• Chapada dos Veadeiros

Ecuador

• near Baños

International operators

Below is the list of operators which organize canyoning in other countries than the clients they serve:

Austria

• Abenteuer Schule. 

Netherlands

• Team Fokiwa. Based in Netherlands, organize tours to France and Italy. 

Spain

• Vertientes Aventura. Based in Spain, organize tours to France and Slovenia.