A family adventure in the Cevennes
Easy 6-day guided hike and donkey escort
- A family holiday with swims
- Accommodation with full board in bivouacs, yurts and stopover gîtes
- Exciting outdoor activities such as GPS rallies and riverside tours
- Suited for all family members
- Licensed local tour guide
In the company of a donkey, an amazing trip leads you through the regional park of the Grands Causses (Cevennes) with daily outdoor activities such as GPS-Rally, swimming in rivers or canyoning. For families with children.
Spend a family holiday in the heart of the Grands Causses Regional Park: cross and explore the Cevennes between the departments of Lozère and Aveyron in the company of donkeys.This trip combines donkey walks with exciting outdoor activities such as geocaching, river walks, cave tours and nature exploration in general. Take the unique opportunity to discover a region wild region where untamed vultures circle through the air and deer roam the land.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Aiguebonne
Participants meet directly in front of the holiday farmhouse in Aiguebonne at noon to kick-off the tour. The group will enjoy a walk along the river and its flora and fauna.
Duration: 3-4hrs – Ascent: +/- 100m
Day 2: A walk through the Arboretum of Foux
After a short introduction on handling donkeys, participants head to the Arboretum de la Foux past the ghost town of Saint Sauveur des Pourcils. They will have a chance to bathe on the way back to Aiguebonne.
Duration: 5h – Difference in elevation: 200m
Day 3: Caves of cheese and a mime
That's right, Kaki the Pantomime will team up with the donkeys on today's hike to a cave filled with cheese. There will be some surprises and magic tricks that we do not want to give away.
Duration: 4.5 hrs – Difference in elevation: 300m
Day 4: Treasure hunt with a GPS
It is time for some fun and games today. Participants will embark on a morning hike through the Trévezel gorges before some geocaching in the afternoon.
Duration: 5h
Day 5: Moving to Dourbies
Guests leave the farmhouse in Aiguebonne and hike up to the hamlet of Comeira and a pretty beech forest. Once up on the ridge of Le Suquet, guests can admire the valley of Dourbies below. Overnight stay in the village of Dourbies.
Duration: 5hrs – Ascent: 500m – Descent: 300m
Day 6: Splashing around the gorges and goodbyes
Guests receive a short introduction to some light canyoning before going down to the gorge for some sliding, splashing and paddling. The week's programme ends at 4pm.
Duration: 1-3hrs spent canyoning
For more information you can request our detailed information sheet via email. Please indicate which tour you are interested in.
Travel dates
Indicated pricing for children up 12 years old
Price for adult: €755
Our hike begins at Aiguebonne and ends at Dourbies (connection via Nîmes or Montpellier).
Please feel free to arrange your trip by the means of transportation of your choice and extend your trip according to your preferences.
For parties of 6 or more, we're happy to arrange for additional travel dates and/or guided tours in English.
Please fill out our enquiry form indicating the number of your party and your preferred travel dates.
Services
Price includes:
Lodgings for the 5 nights, full board, donkey rental and its feed for 3 days (days 2 through 4), luggage transfer (by bus and donkey), mentioned outdoor activities such as geocaching and canyoning, the activities: playful twilight exploration, the rally and loan of GPS and maps, entertainment by Kaki the Pantomime on the day, and his show storyteller/mimeur/magician, French licensed local tour guide.
Price excludes:
Train or airfares to/from destination, drinks, travel cancellation expenses insurance.
Number of participants
Can be booked by individual travellers!
Suitable for children ages 7 and up provided that the child enjoys walking.
Guaranteed departure: 7 persons (max. 14 persons)
Not suitable for persons with restricted mobility.
Last possibility of cancellation with the tour operator: 21 days before the beginning of the trip.
Accommodations
4 nights in a farmhouse in Aiguebonne and additional night in a family-run inn in Dourbies.
Dinners in the accommodations, home-style cooking, regional products and prepared picnics.
Level: Easy hiking adapted to children
It is an easy hike, even if some parts are irregular and rocky. Few abrupt stages and a lot of shadowy ways.
Suitable for children from 7 provided that the child enjoys walking.
Average duration of the hike: 3 to 5 hours a day. Piano pace, frequent stops, occasional swimming possibility.
Word on the guide: Your guide is a local licensed guide. The tour is in French.
Luggage: Eco-friendly transport of your baggage on the back of the donkey for 3 days. Participants are requested to only bring along light luggage (max. 15kg) and backpacks (no suitcases) so as not to overstrain the donkey.
Remarks and recommendations
The causse noir or causse nègre is the smallest of this big limestone plateau. It takes its name from the dark colour of the forest that used to cover it. The causse noir stretches over three departements: Aveyron, Gard and Lozère.
The term causse comes from the dialect of the region, Languedoc, and has an agricultural and scenic meaning. It defines a strongly water-eroded karst land, a characteristic form of sedimentary rock in the south and west of the central massif: This is why the inhabitants there are called „caussenards“!
How to get there?
We recommend an eco-friendly journey with the train to Nîmes or Montpellier. There you can take the bus to Le Vigan or directly to your first accommodation in Aiguebonne.
You can find more information on our detailed info sheet, that we send you gladly on enquiry!