Nive, Classique - Giberlarte - Itxassou
Kayak spot · France
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
68Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Wind 6 kn gusting 22, Air 21 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Tue 3 · 57 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 62 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 65 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Fri 6 · 70 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 15°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 71 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 17°C
- Rain
- 0.9 mm
Sun 8 · 76 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 32kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 262, good
- Tue 357, fair
- Wed 462, good
- Thu 565, good
- Fri 670, good
- Sat 771, good
- Sun 876, good
- Mon 960, good
- Tue 1060, good
- Wed 1140, poor
The spot in two facts
- Grade IIits hardest rapid III
- Moving waterthe water
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 5 kn | 12kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 57, fair | 4 kn | 12kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 62, good | 5 kn | 11kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 65, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 13°C | 0.3 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 70, good | 4 kn | 8kn | 15°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 71, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 17°C | 0.9 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 76, good | 6 kn | 22kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 60, good | 13 kn | 32kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 16 kn | 34kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 40, poor | 10 kn | 32kn | 12°C | 5.1 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. 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
No month stands out
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 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
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Nive, Classique - Giberlarte - Itxassou 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Nive, Classique - Giberlarte - Itxassou
A river section on the Nive, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II, its hardest rapid III, on the international scale. Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade. 8 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.3 km away. The town to stay in is Louhossoa. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots.
- River Nive
- Grade Grade II, its hardest rapid III, 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 8 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.3 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$1,310–US$2,470 each
about US$1,310–US$2,470 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 BIQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$971 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$47–US$80 |
| 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$1,310–US$2,470 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Louhossoa
5 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Louhossoa 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 40m
About 17h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BIQ, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → BIQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Louhossoa · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Louhossoa · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at La Nive à Cambo-les-Bains, 4 km downstream: 5.77 m³/s, very low for November (updated 1 h ago). Low: it may be too low to paddle.
Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River flow in France: Hub'Eau (hubeau.eaufrance.fr), data from the hydrometric services (SCHAPI, DREAL), Licence Ouverte 2.0. Credits
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
Evasion 64 2.3 km
Ur Tipula 2.6 km
Ibayak Rafting 2.7 km
Cocktail Aventure 5.5 km
Ur Ederra rafting 5.7 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