Packrafting exploring Elsa

Exploring the Elsa river by Packrafting

River: Elsa
Where: Colle di Val d’Elsa
Itinerary: packrafting on the Elsa river
Best period: from May to September
Length: 1.9 Km (about 2 hours)
Cost: 2 persons = 65 €/person; more than 3 persons = 45 €/person. Only for kids over 12 years old.
Route: this is our new explorative-naturalistic descent by packrafting! We decided to integrate our “classic” descent by Packraft extending (almost the double) the entire stretch: the exploration begins by the bridge of Onci, in the stream formed by the crystal clear water of the wells of Le Vene. We will start immediately with some small rapids e then we will continue  to navigate on the blue water of the Elsa. You will have the senastion of being in the Amazonian jungle but, you have to trust us, this is Tuscany ;-))
Highlights: the crystal clear water of Le Vene; the Diborrato waterfall, where it is narrated that a German tank has fallen in its water during WW II; the thick vegetation and the distinctive calcareous concretions, typical of this stretch of the Elsa river with it’s blue water.
Motto: a microadventure a day keeps the doctor away!

A descent for discovering the Riverine Nature Park of the Elsa river in Colle di Val d’Elsa. The Elsa river has its sources on the Montagnola Senese but the real “secret” is the  contribution of the crystal clear water of the Le Vene wells and of the thermal wells of Le Caldane.  The descent begins by the bridge of Onci along the stream that arises from the wells of le Vene, we will alternate small (but easy) rapids with more quiet stretches  to reach the Diborrato waterfalls, navigating along the Sentierelsa footpath, just a few meters from it but completely immersed into another dimension: a river corridor rich in vegatation, that resembles much more to a Amazoinan forest than to an European river. The packraft (a single place raft) is the perfect mean to discover a river or a stream from the inside. The partecipants will move like a small group of explorers, ready to go over obstacles (the vegetation and the calcareous pools of the Elsa river), following the instrucions of the “expedition chief”, immersed in an environment the reminds much more a tropical jungle.