A via ferrata (from the Italian "railroad") is a route built into a rock face, equipped with specific metal elements (cables, ladders, ramps, etc.) designed to facilitate progress. Safety is optimized by the use of a lifeline, enabling climbers to belay themselves.
In Marqueyssac, you'll climb along the cliffs overlooking the Dordogne, a hundred meters below. The course is entirely safe, thanks to a continuous lifeline - a device to which you will be attached without being able to detach yourself from it, thus preventing any mishandling.
After a few hesitant steps at first, you'll quickly gain confidence and appreciate the panoramic views. The via Ferrata at Marqueyssac is both a fun and sporting activity, halfway between climbing and hiking.
The course is almost 200m long, and includes rungs, pallets and beams fixed to the cliff, as well as more aerial sections corbelled onto wooden planks, and even a monkey bridge. Our experienced instructors are on hand to set up and check equipment such as harnesses, and to teach you basic safety rules. You can complete the course on your own or be accompanied.
The activity is open to all, whether or not you're an athlete, from the age of 8 and over 1.30 m. The route is horizontal, so no particular physical or technical skills are required. It is, however, a fairly impressive course that requires you to overcome your fear of heights. Indeed, even if the average height of the course is around fifteen meters, the sensation of height is heightened by the cliff's dominant position over the Dordogne valley.
Don't worry, before you enter the Via ferrata de Marqueyssac, you'll complete a test course representative of the conditions on the entire route. If you pass this test, you'll be able to continue along the cliff face independently for around 30 minutes. If, on the other hand, conditions are not right for you to continue, an escape route allows you to end the activity immediately and return to the starting point.
It will take about 45 minutes to complete the activity, from equipment and advice to arrival.
The installations comply with European standards and are checked daily. Two annual inspections are carried out by an accredited inspection body.
Marqueyssac Via Ferrata was last modified: November 27th, 2023 by marqueyssac
The activity is offered at no extra cost to the garden entrance fee: Individual rates :
Adults: €11.90
Children (aged 10-17): €6
Free for children under 10. Group rates (minimum 20 participants) :
The activity is also offered at no extra cost to garden visitors on the usual opening days. Under these conditions, groups do not have priority over individuals.
Adults: €7.50 (1 accompanying adult free for every 20 adults)
Schoolchildren: 1 accompanying adult free for every 10 children
Secondary: €3.60
Primary: €3.20
Groups may book outside normal opening hours: €180 charge in addition to admission (max. 48 people).
