Canyoning at Castiglione Gorge in Pollino National Park

Rappel into the unknown on this canyoning adventure at Castiglione Gorge in Pollino National Park.

Cut into dramatic karst formations and whittled through the bedrock of the Pollino Mountains, Italy's largest national park is a playground for the curious at heart and courageous of spirit. Explore its depths on this canyoning excursion at Castiglione Gorge - an adventure packed with knee-trembling highs and white knuckle lows!

Location
This activity is run & operated from Papasidero and travels to Castiglione Gorge (1500m) on the River Lao. Situated in southern Italy between Basilicata and Calabria, it is Italy's largest protected park.

Activity
Meet your guide at the activity base in Papasidero for this canyoning excursion at Castiglione Gorge. Not your average nature trail, this unique descent is renowned for its adventurous rappels and challenging terrain - perfect for testing your footwork and your rope technique, too! Like all great adventures, it starts with a short safety briefing and kit breakdown, learning the commands and rope skills you'll be using during the day. Starting at 325m, you'll spend the next 4 hours scrambling, climbing, swimming and abseiling along the gorge - working as a team to reach lower and lower into the canyon. You'll also get a chance to perfect your water entries and work on some jumps and tricks along the way. The highlight? A 30m solo abseil down Castiglione waterfall - an achievement that will leave you weak in the knees and deserving of a few high fives at the bottom!

Conditions
This activity operates from April - October and is suitable for adventurous beginners from 16 y/o. The gorges that you cross are deeply carved into the rock and are often characterized by a steep slope. The obstacles consist of waterfalls, rock jumps and water slides.
Jumps: 8m
Slides: 5m
Rappel: 12 -30m
Swim: 200m