Nice is the administrative capital of the Alps – Maritime department, the second largest city on the Mediterranean coast after Marseille and the fifth most populous city in France right after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse. It is situated on the southeast coast of France by the Mediterranean Sea. The Nice urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits. The mild Mediterranean climate and the natural beauty of Nice along with the big sporting activity came to attention of various types of athletes.
The Alps – Maritime department is known for its magnificent green scenery. The nature overwhelms you and the feeling for performing something adventurous is unique in an extraordinary setting. The perfect opportunity to take advantage of these feeling is to explore the surrounding site by canyoning in a glorious gorge.
Bendola gorge is an interminable descent that is held on two days with a midterm bivouac. The distance that is covered is 15 km /9.5 mi long with a vertical raise of 1400 m /4593 ft long, something that certainly ranks the gorge among the longest canyons in Europe. Bendola in its entirety is the wildest of the Alps – Maritime canyon and its course combines difficulty and distance with commitment.
This means that the canyon is intended for knowledgeable and experienced canyonists. The full descent of the clue of Bendola is strongly discouraged until mid-July at least, due to the many bridges spanning the river, residual snow and the risk of collapse at any time. The route that you will follow, if you decide to pass this difficult level canyon is amazing.
You will first start at the valley which is dry and follow the path to the first obstacle at 1800 m / 5905 ft. The descent of the canyon will take about 2 days. First is the valley often dry in its upstream part, a dozen reminders between walking areas until a sunken area where water appears.
Then some projections lead to the first major waterfall, consisting of an inclined plane of 20 m /65.7 ft, overlooking a sheer drop of 45 m /148 ft. It is highly recommended that you will make careful maneuvers because of the narrowness of the relay at the top of the waterfall.
Other waterfalls then follow uninterruptedly to bivouac, in total 30 reminders that will perform stunts in less than 25 m/82 ft with the exception of a beautiful 40 m /131 ft long vertical falling in a basin which is surely the most beautiful passage of the descent.
You should be extra careful because major floods can catch trunks and branches of trees at the start of the waterfalls. The increase is thus impaired and sealed pin becomes unusable. Moreover, avalanches can clog up the valley at the beginning of the season and make progress difficult, even dangerous.
Then is time to walk back for about an hour to the parking lot. And there your incredible experience comes to an end, until next time you want to repeat this amazing venture. If you are a canyoning enthusiast or an athletic type, don’t miss the opportunity to subdue the Bendola canyon.
