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Dordogne
The Dordogne in Périgord.
Origin	Massif Central
Mouth	Garonne
Basin countries	France
Length	490 km
Source elevation	1,720 m
Avg. discharge	450 m³/s
Basin area	23,870 km²

The Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest France.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Nature 3 Course 4 Tributaries 5 Activities on the River 6 Sources

The river rises on the flanks of Puy de Sancy (1 885 m) in the mountains of Auvergne, from the confluence of two small torrents above the town of Mont-Dore: the Dore^[1] and the Dogne. It flows generally west about 500 km through the Limousin and Périgord regions before flowing into the Gironde, its common estuary with the Garonne, at the "Ambès beak", in the north of the city of Bordeaux.

]], giving the impression of an etymology *Dore-Dogne.

The Dordogne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibits the phenomenon known as a tidal bore.

The Valley of the Dordogne is quite beautiful and contributes significantly to the attractiveness of the region. The main season for tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne is from June to September with July and August being high tide.

The départements of France through which the Dordogne River runs, together with some towns in those départements that are on or quite near the River, are as follows:

• The département of Puy-de-Dôme - the towns of Mont-Dore (near the source of the River), La Bourboule
• The département of Corrèze - the towns of Argentat and Bort-les-Orgues
• The département of Lot - The town of Souillac
• The département of Dordogne - The towns of Beynac-et-Cazenac, Sarlat, Saint-Cyprien, and Bergerac
• The département of Gironde - the towns of Sainte-Foy-la-Grande and Libourne

Main tributaries from source to mouth:

• (R) Rhue
• (R) Diège
• (R) Luzège
• (L) Sumène
• (L) Auze
• (R) Doustre
• (L) Maronne
• (L) Cère
• (R) Sourdoire
• (L) Ouysse
• (R) Vézère along which many of the great prehistoric caves of Southwest France are located
• (R) Isle
• (L) Laurence

N.B. : (R) = right tributary; (L) = left tributary

Aside from the usual activities such as tennis and golf available in many areas of France, there are a number of water-related activities related to the Dordogne River, including:

• Fishing, an age-old pastime for the locals and for visitors
• Canoeing and kayaking, very popular (canoes & kayaks are easy to rent)
• Boating in a Gabare (a traditional skiff peculiar to the Dordogne)
• Rafting
• Swimming
• Motorboating
• Sailing
• Rowing and sculling
• Waterskiing

1. ^ Not to be confused with the Dore.

• Entry to the Dordogne in Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre
• The Best of Dordogne Guide to tourism in the Valley of the Dordogne (the Perigord)