Canoe Trip down the Dordogne River

My kayak trip down the river

For my final day in Sarlat, I decided to do the canoe/kayak trip down the Dordogne River. I contacted Canoe Copeyre in advance to pick me up just behind my hotel. They picked me up at 9:30 am. There were two other Australian girls in the van, too.

NOTE: All these photos were taken with a disposable camera. I was too afraid to take my good digital camera for fear I would tip over!

	We arrived at Vitrac Port. I had been quoted 13 euros ($18) for the trip, including the Rick Steves discout, but because they picked me up and took me back to Sarlat for free, I didn't quibble over being charged 15 euros ($21). I got a sit-upon kayak, paddle, and life vest.
I set out at about 10 am. The bus was going to pick me up in Beynac at 3 pm, so I had 5 hours. Within a minute or two, I was worried. I was sitting in water already! Was I going to sink? I paddled over to the side and got out. That's when I found out my kayak was self-bailing, so it had holes in it, and I sat in water the entire time. Good thing I had on my bathing suit and dirty clothes!
	Mostly, the trip reminded me of canoeing on the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan (or maybe all flatwater canoeing is the same?). Here I have just gone under my first bridge!
Just a nice scenery shot of me in my kayak.
	I was beginning to fear that I was going the wrong way when I finally saw the white cliffs mentioned in the Rick Steves guide. I never did see Domme.
I arrived at La Roque-Gageac sometime between 11:15 am and 11:45 am. It was so cool! I recognized it from Rick and Steve paddling up on the TV show! I pulled my kayak up and went into town use the bathroom and get something to eat. I ended up getting a panini.
	Here I am leaving La Roque-Gageac. If you look, you can see the Australian girls' kayaks still pulled up on the rocks. I got to La Roque-Gageac a few minutes before they did and left a little earlier, too.
I tried to stop so I could go up and see Castelnaud, but I got on the wrong side of the river, and I couldn't go across the current, so I ended up just taking a picture near the rocky sandbar in the middle of the river and going on. (It ended up working out--I got to spend more time in Beynac, which was wonderful.)
	One more look looking back at Castelnaud and its bridge.
I'm headed towards Beynac, which you can just see a tiny bit of in this photo in the distance.
	. . . getting closer to Beynac . . .
. . . almost there . . .
	Here I am, still in my kayak, with the awesome view of Beynac in the background. What a view! It was magical.
Here I am, pulling my kayak up on the ramp in Beynac. I arrived before 2 pm, so I had time to climb up to the castle for beautiful views. NOTE: If you do this marvelous trip, pull your kayak all the way up to the flat part above the ramp. I made the mistake of leaving mine on the ramp, and it slid down and started to float away!!!
	Here's a gorgeous view from the top of Beynac that shows the Dordogne River (where I kayaked).
I walked all the way to the nice viewpoint above the river, so I could see the river AND the castle (there in the background).
	From the top of Beynac, I could see a long way.
One last picture of Beynac and the river before I walked to the bus to be picked up and taken back to Sarlat. What an amazing trip! I would do it again in a heartbeat!

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