Rosa takes you on a 7-day private cruise to see the countryside of Southern France where you can discover the beauty of Gascony. This stretch of Canal Garonne is quieter and less well known than the Canal du Midi further east but has more of a feeling of the real France, off the tourist track. Take some time to stroll the historic old town of Montauban on your first day of the tour. Pass through the marvelous water bridge of Pont Canal du Cacor and be fascinated with its structure. Visit the century village of Goudourville that houses the beautiful castles that are built to perfection. Experience their esteemed Armagnac and Floc du Gascogne wines at Domaine de Lapeyrade for a guided tour and private tasting.
Highlights
Tour the medieval town and castle of Nérac with your private group of up to 8 guests
Enjoy a private wine tasting at Domaine de Lapeyrade
Visit the remarkable Château de Goudourville
Cruise across the 1,000 foot long Pont Canal du Cacor
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Guests are met in Toulouse and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Rosa. Following a champagne welcome, there is time for a tour of the beautiful old town of Montauban, set on the River Tarn, before returning for your first dinner on board.
This morning Rosa meanders up the flight of nine locks on the beautiful, recently restored branch canal skirting the Forest of Agre and moors in the heart of the little town of Montech. In the afternoon, head into the Côtes du Frontonnais wine region in the minibus for a wine tasting at the renowned Château Bellevue la Fôret. Your introduction to the outstanding cuvée ‘Optimum’ is in the skilled hands of Diane Germain, the Boston-educated daughter of the house. Dinner on board.
After breakfast, there is a guided tour of the remarkable inclined Water Plane, an impressive feat of engineering that by-passes five locks and, when back in service in the near future, lowers vessels 43 feet all in one go. Then, following a relaxing morning cruise to Castelsarrasin, take a short drive to the Abbaye de Belleperche to see the fascinating “Les Arts de la Table” exhibition spanning from the Middle Ages right through to the 20th century Art Nouveau period. Dinner on board.
This morning, cross the River Tarn via the 1,000-foot long aqueduct, the Pont Canal du Cacor, then descend towards Moissac through a staircase of lovely locks and moor for lunch on the River Tarn below the old watermill. Then cruise downstream to St. Livrade for an optional afternoon’s swimming or canoeing and visit the UNESCO-classified 7th century Abbaye St-Pierre de Moissac with its wonderfully preserved cloisters and chapel. This evening, perhaps after a game of boules, you can stroll ashore to savor regional specialties at the excellent restaurant ‘Le Florentin’, in front of the spectacular entrance portal of the abbey.
Visit Castelsarrasin’s morning market this morning before starting your cruise when Rosa rises from the Tarn and turns west on the brick-lined canal through Moissac. After navigating the swing bridge, cruise between the placidly-flowing waters of Garonne and the foothills of the Quercy massif before mooring at Pommevic. After lunch, tour the 11th-century Château de Goudourville before driving to Auvillar, a 15th-century village perched high on the side of a gorge above the River Garonne. Before returning to Rosa, explore Valence d’Agen and enjoy a tour of this old “Bastide” town with its Palladian canalside public wash-house and arcaded marketplace. Dinner on board.
A leisurely morning cruise through the rural countryside to our final mooring at Boé. After lunch, visit Domaine de Lapeyrade for a guided tour and private tastings of their esteemed Armagnac and Floc du Gascogne wines in delightful surroundings before visiting the medieval town of Nérac and its castle, once home to Henry IV of France. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 7: Boé | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to their choice of location in Toulouse.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
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Stateroom
Two double staterooms and two twin staterooms that feature individually controlled air-conditioning and heating as well as full en-suite facilities.
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
The trip was terrific with great planning on your part. Most of the adventures were not mainstream and somewhat off the beaten path which made it especially enjoyable!! We felt taken care of and you all were readily available to respond to questions and issues. I would highly recommend your company and friends have already expressed interest based on our pictures and excitement.
Gale Cantor
TrustScore 4.8 | 175 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 175 reviews on
7 hours ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
