Kayaking is one of the great ways to enjoy the water in summer. To sail the waters of a lake, a pond or the sea and feel how one glides over it with the grace of a swan (or a duck, depending on who), is one of the pleasurable sensations of the heat, and a pleasant way to discover new coasts.
In Catalonia, a country of mountains, sea and adventure, there are a handful of places to practice this sport, with options of all kinds, depending on how adventurous you feel that day. To make it easy, we leave you with five of the best places to kayak this summer, so you can decide whether you prefer rivers, seas or lakes to paddle to in search of new horizons.
Montrebei, kayaking in a water gorge
The Mont Rebei congost is, within the nature tourism, one of the most touristic places in Catalonia. It is enough to see some pictures to understand it. Its lake of turquoise water enters the gorge, narrowing, while we see how walls of more than 500 meters high loom above us.
Apart from kayaking, a route literally carved into the rock runs along the side walls of the gorge to walk into its maw. If we want to escape from the tourist “overcrowding” of the Congost we can go to Finestres, known as the Chinese Wall, which is already part of Aragon. There are several companies in the Zone that offer kayak rental services.
Costa Brava – Cala Montjoi, a quiet walk along the Costa Brava
It’s no secret, and yet the road there cannot disappoint. That the Costa Brava is one of the treasures of Catalonia is a truism. Everyone has their favorite cove, or their irrevelable secret spot. One of ours is the road that connects Roses to Cala Montjoi, at the beginning of the natural park of Cap de Creus. It can be done on foot or by car, and in both cases it is impressive.
The flowering meadows of the car section and the steep cliffs of the Camí de Ronda walking route are worth the trip in themselves. Arriving at Cala Montjoi, a curious (and sixties-era) vacation city s rents kayaks that allow to cross by sea the way between this cove and the previous one, Cala Murtra, that we will have seen if we came on foot.
Another option is to keep going in search of the Calitjàs or Pelosa coves, and follow the coast to the cap of Norfeu, whose summit dominates much of this first section of the natural park.
Delta de l’Ebre, paddling among rice fields
The Delta is still Catalonia’s hidden paradise. Unlike the Costa Brava, overexploited and the usual destination of Barcelona’s summer exodus, the Delta, more remote and rugged, remains an unexplored Natural Park. Obviously, in a delta, water is the protagonist, so kayaking is an unbeatable option to discover the Zone.
An alternative is to navigate the Ebro River, one of the most important rivers in the country, as it passes through the rice fields it irrigates on its way to its mouth in the Mediterráneo.
Another option is to discover the mussel farms, the oyster and mussel cultivation facilities that produce some of the area’s most prized products. If you opt for this option, you can paddle up to the Musclarium a restaurant installed on a mussel farm where the product could not be fresher, from the water where it is cultivated, in minutes, to the plate where it is eaten. After lunch, kayak back to the coast enjoying the Reflection of the sun on the calm sea that protects the Trabucador beach.
Sort, river of the Noguera Pallaresa, a brave river for brave paddlers
Whitewater kayaking is the daring version of this sport. Here, more than anywhere else, rowing is a struggle between the water and the rower. Here, the main features are the gushes, torrents, rocks and waterfalls, and the objective of the course is to paddle through them and avoid them while maintaining a steady stroke.
In the Noguera Pallaresa river, near Sort, the waters are choppy, and it is the ideal place to practice this type of kayaking. Finding a company that will rent you a boat, paddle and, importantly, a helmet, is as easy as doing a search and starting to plan the wildest getaway on this list.
These are the best kayaking spots (at least for us) in Catalonia, the best places to paddle in the middle of nature and get out of the Barcelona heat.