Daluis Gorges

Date of your route : May 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike with superb views.

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Date of your route : Aug 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

To make a circular:
Park at "A" at Pont de Berthéon (D2202, at the bottom of the gorges, where there are a few parking spaces). About 50 metres further down, on the right, take the "discovery trail" for about 2.5 km, which is magnificent, until you reach the D88 "which goes up to Villeplane". On the way, you can make a round trip to the "point sublime" on the right.
Take the D88 to the car park given as the starting point ("D, 300 m before the road that goes up to Villeplane").
We were unable to cut across the hairpin bends of the D88 that descend to the D2202, as it is too steep. However, it is not very busy.
An indication of the "feasibility" of the gorges depending on the water level: the most difficult crossing (storm the day before) was the first one, just opposite the steep descent "1". It seems that if you can get through there, in the rapids, you can get through anywhere.
You leave the river at the suspension bridge (it's quite a climb). 500 m of the D2202, on the right, takes you back to the car. The GPS indicated 12 km and 300 m of elevation gain, but in the gorges this is approximate. To be seen.

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Date of your route : Aug 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for the hike I had already done in the past with my three children aged 8, 10 and 12.

Here are a few comments that I hope will be helpful:

A footbridge was built last year over the Var river a few metres before the exit of the canyon. The path back up is now very easy to find.

The path arrives between the Berthéou bridge car park (located upstream of the river in the direction of Guillaume) and the Roua car park (located downstream of the river in the direction of Daluis). The Roua car park is shaded, has picnic tables and is closer. I therefore recommend this car park for your arrival. It makes it more pleasant to wait for those who are going back to fetch the car and means you don't have to walk as far along the road.

For those who are apprehensive about the descent to the river, which is very steep and slippery, when there is little water (which was the case for us in mid-August 2023 but also in August 2021), it is possible to do a round trip hike starting from the Roua area, taking the path in good condition, going up the gorges to the waterfall or beyond, then coming back down and taking the same path back up. This also makes it easier to find your car, but it is only possible if the water level is low!

For us, with two adults in good shape and a third who had difficulty walking and whom we had to help, the path down to the river was arduous for the person with walking difficulties, but not nightmarish.

Once you've descended to the waterfall, I recommend walking back and forth through the gorges to the Mariée bridge, as this part of the gorges is also very beautiful.

We had taken a bicycle that we left at the Berthéou bridge. The bike ride back to the car only took me 10-15 minutes, and two-thirds of the way was downhill. Remember to bring lights because there are tunnels. No cars passed me during my trip, so hitchhiking would have taken longer...

And finally, some safety recommendations. Check the weather forecast for the day before and the day itself in Entraunes (upstream on the Var) and Guillaumes. If it rained heavily the day before in Entraunes, do not go there. If thunderstorms are forecast for the day itself in Entraunes or Guillaumes, do not go there.
If there is more water, do not take children. I know people who have been swept away by the river and still bear the scars.
Useful website with all the recommendations and authorised periods: https://randoxygene.departement06.fr/var...

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Date of your route : Aug 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this trip thanks to Visorando. We had been warned, but the descent was trecce pericolose, if you know what I mean.The magnificent Amen waterfall was enhanced by canyoneers abseiling down it, followed by a peaceful descent into the bed of the Var, at its lowest point during the dry season, back to the suspension bridge, up to the road where I was given a lift back. Good people still exist.
there were four of us: a 70-year-old man, a 50-year-old woman, a 12-year-old teenager and a Border Collie who had a blast

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Date of your route : Aug 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We did this hike yesterday: four adults in their forties, one 15-year-old teenager, three girls (aged 10, 7 and 4.5).
Departure: 10:30 a.m.
Arrival, exit from the gorges: 2:45 p.m.

First of all, it must be said that the descent is hell! It's all on your bum! The wooden logs that were probably intended to help by creating steps are now more of an obstacle! It's very slippery! With my bad knee, I really struggled! About 30-40 minutes of stress, with the mums on the verge of a nervous breakdown...
Once we reached the Var riverbed, we had to convince everyone to cross the Var (less than 50 cm deep) and hike over the pebbles... And that's when I thought I was in "deliverance" mode...

But once we got down there, it was splendid! Magnificent!
The play of light and colour... it really deserves its nickname, the Colorado of Nice!
Despite the heat, it was pleasant because we crossed the Var river many times... The water was very nice!
Be sure to bring equipment to protect your phones, keys, etc. from the water. It's easy to slip! But there's no risk to your health.
My 4.5-year-old daughter did this hike without much difficulty... (except for the descent, I must say! But we all struggled!)
The children had a blast, especially the teenager! But the younger ones enjoyed getting muddy and then "washing" themselves by crossing the river...
The water was often knee-deep for an adult, and waist-deep for my youngest!

As for the walk itself, the terrain is full of pebbles, which makes it very difficult! Be careful not to sprain your ankle or hurt your knees...
There is a difficult section (red rocks) where we preferred to climb (but barely! with children!) rather than take the rapids...

The exit trail, a source of stress for mums, is well marked by a sign. In any case, the landscape really changes as you leave the gorges! The climb back up is steep but it's fine, it's a hike! 15 to 30 minutes of climbing.

In conclusion, a very difficult descent! But very difficult, I insist!
A very nice route! Magical setting! Not many people...
Don't hesitate to bring your swimsuits!
Keep your valuables dry!
The estimated time is a bit optimistic though: even without children, I'd say 2½ to 3 hours... or you'll have to run! Or be very athletic...
We had two cars, so parking wasn't a problem... otherwise it would have been a long walk, I imagine...
And I think the second time will be less stressful because we know what to expect!
We'll do it again!

And BEWARE of the weather: a storm broke out when we got to the road!

Enjoy your hike!

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Not suitable for children. Magnificent hikes. However, when arriving at the road to return to the starting point, be very careful, as you have to walk on the mountain road and go through tunnels where cars are driving.

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Date of your route : Sep 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A quick note for @isa1967: to get back to the car, my husband hitchhiked along the road, then came back to pick us up at the car park at the viewpoint, where we waited for him for no more than fifteen minutes.

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really enjoyable hike with magnificent scenery, ideal for families or groups of friends (you need to be reasonably fit for the steep descent and ascent).

In the morning, we hiked to the sublime viewpoint of the Daluis Gorges (the view of the gorges from above is also magnificent), then continued on to the Villeplane road and the recommended car park for descending into the gorges.

We had a picnic at the Amen waterfall in the gorges (a pool where we went swimming) and then hiked through the gorges in the afternoon, crossing the Var river several times. In August, there wasn't much water, but there was still a current in some places (one section had water almost up to our hips, so we had to hold on to each other to cross).
We were worried about the exit from the gorges, but it was well marked (you just have to be careful).

A refreshing hike in summer and great fun for children/teenagers. My 13- and 17-year-old boys loved it!

Walking shoes recommended.
Check the weather forecast.

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Date of your route : Aug 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike on 3 August 2020 with a 7-year-old girl. There are several important points to note:
- The blue sign marking the start of the hike is quite faded and not large or visible enough. It took us a while to find it, as did other hikers
- The path down to the gorges is quite steep, and at times you have to hold on to tree branches
- This walk is not easy but moderately difficult. There is a lot of water in some places, up to hip level (I am 1.70 m tall) with a strong current, and some sections have to be crossed on high, large rocks along the gorge
- The sign for the exit from the gorges is not clearly visible from inside the gorges. We walked 6 km and asked other hikers who had mobile phone reception for help in finding the exit on a map. We followed them to get back up to the road
- The return journey along the road is very long, difficult to walk on the tarmac in the heat and dangerous due to passing cars.
Despite this, it is a magnificent and superb walk...

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb aquatic hike with your feet in the water. I would add two small caveats: the descent to reach the riverbank is really steep and difficult (at least for me): this is important information to bear in mind, which would make me rate the difficulty as medium rather than easy.
And there's a difficult section in the water, a bit like rapids with a strong current, which was a little scary – we decided to go around it by climbing over some large rocks, and others did the same.

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There were six of us, so we had two cars, and I must admit that we were glad to find one waiting for us when we arrived.

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Date of your route : Aug 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We really enjoyed this hike. Our 7-year-old daughter was able to keep up without any problems and our two teenagers were delighted. Great for families. It's worth noting that the descent was difficult for a child. Highly recommended.

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Hello, I am planning to do this "aquatic" hike in the Daluis Gorges. However, I am wondering if you walked back to the starting point along the road and, if so, how long it took you. Thank you in advance

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Date of your route : Aug 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very easy to find the starting and finishing points. A lovely little walk with your feet in the water, starting at a little corner of paradise beneath the waterfall.

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Date of your route : Jul 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent walk, varied and enjoyable. Definitely worth repeating! Avoid going there with young children.

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