Your day on the Vézère doesn’t end with disembarking. The region is full of experiences to enjoy, from prehistoric cliffs to nature parks and outdoor adventures.
Our favorites
The Aventure Plein Air team recommends these activities around Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère for their originality and their connection to the local area:
Rock Climbing and Caving
Vézac
In the land of Man, the cliffs and caves of the Dordogne Valley transform into a vertical playground. Ideal for thrill-seekers and those who love exploring the Périgord underground.
Troglodyte village
La Madeleine
Come and discover this exceptional troglodytic site, inhabited from prehistory to the end of the 19th century, as well as its peasant farm, thanks to passionate guides or more freely with an audio guide.
Horse and pony ride
Sergeac
Five minutes from Saint-Léon, the Cavaliers de la Vézère offer year-round horse or pony rides along the paths bordering the river and prehistoric sites, from one-hour rides for beginners to full-day treks for experienced riders.
Survival Course
Mérignac (33)
Unleash your inner trapper! Become, for a few days, the Davy Crockett of modern times! The Tribaudeau estate offers immersive survival courses that can be combined with a canoe trip down the Vézère river.
Heritage & sightseeing: the must-sees of the Vézère Valley
Good to know
Our rental base is ideally located to reach all these sites in less than 30 minutes.
What is there to do in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère directly on foot from the base?
A lot! This ancient medieval town, listed among the most beautiful villages in France, Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, nestled in a bend of the Vézère River, deserves an hour’s stroll: the 12th-century Romanesque church, the Manoir de la Salle, the banks of the Vézère, and the medieval alleyways are all accessible on foot from our base.
In St-Léon itself, also just a few minutes’ walk away, the dwellings carved into the cliff of the Conquil troglodyte village bear witness to human presence from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. The site also offers a dinosaur park and a treetop adventure park with views of the Vézère River, ideal for combining culture and thrills.
In Sergeac, a 30-minute walk (or 10-minute drive), the Castelmerle rock shelters have yielded thousands of Paleolithic artifacts and remain one of the most secluded and authentic sites in the valley.
Prehistory within paddling distance
About ten minutes by car, La Roque Saint-Christophe in Peyzac-le-Moustier is a troglodytic city carved into a limestone cliff 80 meters high and nearly a kilometer long: a breathtaking sight.
Just a little further on, the village of La Madeleine with its peasant farm is an exceptional troglodytic site, inhabited from prehistory to the end of the 19th century.
Head to Montignac for the Lascaux Cave, whose 17,000-year-old cave paintings are considered among the most beautiful in the world.
Just a stone’s throw from Lascaux, still in Montignac, the Régourdou site is a listed historical monument where a 70,000-year-old Neanderthal burial site was discovered in 1957; today, the site also houses a park inhabited by brown bears, making the visit accessible and captivating for the whole family.
Further south, the Rouffignac Cave, nicknamed the Cave of a Hundred Mammoths, can be visited by a small electric train through its deep galleries – a unique, gentle experience accessible to all ages.
In Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, about fifteen minutes away, the National Museum of Prehistory houses one of the most important Paleolithic collections in France.
What should you do if it rains in the region?
The Dordogne is ideal in bad weather: most of its major sites can be visited under cover and are perfectly suited to rainy days.
- The Rouffignac Cave (accessible by electric train through the galleries),
- The Lascaux Cave in Montignac,
- The National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies,
- Troglodyte sites such as La Roque Saint-Christophe or Le Conquil
- Au Fil du Temps‘ cultural activities also take place in all weather conditions.
Are these activities suitable for children?
Yes, the region is very family-friendly. Le Conquil, with its dinosaurs and treetop adventure course, and Régourdou with its bears, are real favorites with children.
The Rouffignac Cave, visited by train, delights the little ones.
The Museum of Prehistory offers a fun space dedicated to 3-12 year olds.
And of course, the pony rides and the canoe trips down the Vézère are accessible to the whole family, even the youngest children.
Is it possible to combine a canoe trip and a cultural visit in the same day?
Absolutely. Our shortest trips last around 2 hours, which leaves plenty of time to visit a site in the afternoon.
Many of our clients combine a morning on the Vézère with an afternoon visit to Lascaux (15 minutes away), La Roque Saint-Christophe (7 minutes away), or the Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies. Set off early in the morning to make the most of both!
Are there any activities for nature and hiking enthusiasts?
Several! If your stay isn’t limited to the river, the region offers excellent options for getting off the beaten track.
Hiking enthusiasts will find several marked trails around the village, including the GR 36 long-distance footpath, which crosses the commune of St-Léon-sur-Vézère. Guided nature outings (orchids, butterflies, birds) are offered by the association Nature en Périgord, departing from the village. And for the more athletic, the Rando Silex, a long-distance mountain biking and hiking event, takes place every year in late September/early October.
The Côte de Jor, a wooded hill overlooking Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, is accessible on foot from Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère. It offers an exceptional panoramic view of the Vézère River’s meander. For those who want to go even higher, a tandem paragliding flight over the Côte de Jor allows you to contemplate the valley and its meanders from the sky – a radically different perspective from that of canoeing or kayaking.
What if you unleashed your inner trapper? The Tribaudeau estate offers immersive survival courses that can be combined with a canoe trip down the Vézère River.
Distances from our base
Le Conquil: on foot
Abris de Castelmerle (Sergeac): 10 min en voiture
La Roque Saint-Christophe: 7 min
Lascaux (Montignac): 15 min
Museum of Prehistory (Les Eyzies): 19 min
Rouffignac cave: 24 min