Gave d'Ossau, Buzy - Herrère
Kayak spot · France
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
66Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Wind 1 kn gusting 10, Air 18 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Mon 2 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0.1 mm
Tue 3 · 54 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 66 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Fri 6 · 68 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 14°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 65 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 2.1 mm
Sun 8 · 75 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 18°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 167, good
- Mon 260, good
- Tue 354, fair
- Wed 460, good
- Thu 566, good
- Fri 668, good
- Sat 765, good
- Sun 875, good
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1079, good
The spot in three facts
- Grade II+at its hardest
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 67, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 14°C | 0.3 mm |
| Mon 2Nov | 60, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 10°C | 0.1 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 54, fair | 5 kn | 13kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 60, good | 5 kn | 13kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 66, good | 2 kn | 7kn | 13°C | 0.3 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 68, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 14°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 65, good | 1 kn | 7kn | 13°C | 2.1 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 75, good | 1 kn | 10kn | 18°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 4 kn | 16kn | 23°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 79, good | 5 kn | 22kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jun–Sep
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.
Map
put-in, take-out, its town
Gave d'Ossau, Buzy - Herrère on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More kayaking near here
4 places
- Gave d'Ossau, Herrère - Oloron 8.4 km away
- Gave d'Apse, Soiex - Oloron 10.7 km away
- Gave d'Oloron, Oloron - Moumour 13.7 km away
- Gave d'Oloron, Moumour - Navarrenx 18.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Gave d'Ossau, Buzy - Herrère
A river section on the Gave d'Ossau, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II+, on the international scale. Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.3 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Oloron-Sainte-Marie. Within 5 km we also list 1 mountain bike area.
- River Gave d'Ossau
- Grade Grade II+, on the international scale.
- Who it suits Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.3 km away.
Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,330–US$2,510 each
about US$1,330–US$2,510 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, kayak hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PUF, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$978 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$328–US$543 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$154–US$288 |
| Total | about US$1,330–US$2,510 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Oloron-Sainte-Marie
24 min by car · 16 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Oloron-Sainte-Marie its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PUF, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → PUF on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Oloron-Sainte-Marie · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Oloron-Sainte-Marie · GetYourGuide
River level
River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
Centre nautique de Soeix 11 km
The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits