Meeting with Pierre-François Bartoli, manager of Cors’Aventure +Added to my favoriteItem already present

ntroduce us to your company. What types of activities do you offer, and in what different combinations?

For more than 30 years, Cors’Aventure has created its vision of tourism: exploring Corsica off the beaten track with outdoor activities and the lowest possible environmental impact. We organise day or half-day outings for canyoning, sea kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, climbing and rafting in the spring.

We have a unique asset in Corsica: a private base at the foot of the Richiusa canyon in Bocognano. This allows us to accommodate clients in the best possible conditions, with private parking, changing rooms and toilets, tables and benches to relax, secure storage space for business clients and of course all our equipment, including special canyoning shoes available to hire.

We also organise week-long sea kayaking trips, all-inclusive, with nights spent camping on the beach on the west coast. There are also hiking trips on the famous GR20, or more intimate hikes around the Renosu massif, with a stay in our private stone refuge. Multi-activity family trips encompass several activities in one week: sea kayaking, hiking, canyoning and mountain biking.

Do you have a favourite activity to mention?

One of our highlights was launched in 2018: the Vecchio aquatic hike. The wild and beautiful setting of this river, close to Vivario, allows us to offer a full-day outing. The aquatic hike is like canyoning, but without the use of ropes. It’s all about swimming, floating (letting go in small rapids), slides and jumps. Participants can bring a picnic that we take in watertight containers, and we stop off to eat by the river. Groups are composed of a maximum of 12 people and it’s almost certain that you don’t encounter anyone for the whole day! A really memorable experience during which you can appreciate nature in a wild, magnificent setting.

What type of client do you target? Are any of your activities suitable for children?

We have several types of clients: the experienced hiker who wishes to tackle the full GR20 in 15 days, and the occasional hiker who wants to try a single section of it plus a sea kayak tour over the course of a week. There are also families who opt for multi-activity nature holidays, with total disconnection for a week and a chance to leave technology behind. There are nature lovers and those who champion green tourism and wish to be eco-responsible. And of course, there are all the tourists who decide to use outdoor activities to explore Corsica, with a sea kayaking trip to the Isolella peninsula or the beautiful Richiusa canyon in Bocognano. Canyoning is accessible to children from 7 years old, so there are plenty of little people on our excursions – they can also go sea kayaking if accompanied by an adult in a two-seater kayak.

What challenges do you face?

Our company is operated year-round by seven people, including five state-certified instructors for several specific activities. Although we can organise hiking, mountain biking or beginners’ climbing in winter, the majority of activities take place from April to October, with a high concentration in July and August. The minimum number of participants is normally six, though it depends on the desired activities and they are, of course, subject to weather conditions. The sea swell can sometimes force us to cancel kayak trips, while storms may force us to cancel canyoning and rain makes a hike much less pleasant.

We try to think ahead as much as possible and reorganise activities for alternative days if necessary. Our multi-activity facet helps us to be flexible and suggest a mountain alternative if the sea is bad, for example, or vice versa.

© Cors'Aventure

© Cors'Aventure

© Cors'Aventure

© Cors'Aventure

© Cors'Aventure

© Cors'Aventure