Canyoning in Pays-d'Enhaut

Canyoning in Pays-d'Enhaut: the magic of the Tine canyon

Today, we're taking you to the heart of a magnificent canyon, crossed by the emerald waters of the Sarine, for a canyoning outing with colleagues. Dressed in our best neoprene wetsuits, we tried out zip-lines, jumps and natural slides in this descent of a river almost 900 meters long. Back in the dry, we tell you all about this activity, which requires (a little) courage and offers total immersion in nature, in complete safety.

Departure for Château-d'Œx

Leaving Aigle by car, we reach the activity provider's base at Château-d'Œx via the Col des Mosses. It's an extremely hot summer's day, and we can't wait to plunge into the cool waters of the river. But we're a little apprehensive: will we be able to do the jumps? Will we dare to take the plunge into the rapids we'll have to cross?

Equipment for a safe canyoning trip

Once we're there, there's no time to procrastinate! We meet our guide for the trip, Greg, who equips us with full neoprene wetsuits, helmets and a lifejacket. He reassures us and explains that there are always ways of getting round obstacles if we don't dare take the plunge. After a briefing on the safety rules to be observed during the descent of the canyon, we board the Rivières & Aventures mini-bus to reach the Tine canyon.

Diving into the Sarine via the zip line

A short approach walk takes us down to the river Sarine. At 35 degrees and snug in our wetsuits, we're only too eager to immerse ourselves in the waters of the river, which has a temperature of 14 degrees that day (which is hot, Greg tells us!).

Our guide leads us to a rocky outcrop overlooking the Sarine, from where we hang on to the zip line and jump straight into the water. We were a little apprehensive, but it was time to go for it. We take turns grabbing the little handle on the zip line, and off we go for the big jump!

Descent of the canyon: the play of light on the rock

Invigorated by this first successful challenge and by the coolness of the water (the wetsuits will keep us warm throughout the activity), we now let ourselves be guided by the river's current, floating on our backs and taking in the beauty of the unspoilt nature that surrounds us. The sunlight shines through the narrow gorges we descend, making the water and rocks around us sparkle.

Jumps and natural slides

The rest of our canyoning adventure continues, with descents down small natural slides and, of course, jumps. For the first, you have to hang on a bit, as the eddies below don't reassure you... However, with our guide's reassuring explanations, we put our brains on standby and jump into the water. And it's easy, after all!

So, for the next few jumps, we didn't hesitate so much as go for it, especially as the finish was in fairly large, calm natural pools. By the end of the descent, we were so sure we could have stayed for hours. But every great adventure has an end, and this one joins the list of our magnificent memories of the Alpes Vaudoises.