Adventure CampsSport Camps

Aqua'venturiers (Hiver): learning to swim in Saint-Nectaire

Saint-Nectaire, FranceTemps Jeunes4.6(45)

Dates: Feb 6 – 27, 2027
Duration: 8 days
Ages: 4–12

Price from

$779

Course price for 1 week

No immediate payment requiredFree consultationResponse within 24 hours

A learn-to-swim camp at the Manoir du Viginet in Saint-Nectaire, in the volcano country of Auvergne. Children aged 4 to 12 work at their own pace in the centre's heated indoor pool under a qualified pool supervisor, moving from first confidence in the water to swimming on their own, and leave with a swimmer's certificate. Around the pool sessions the stay explores Saint-Nectaire itself: the Cornadore caves, the hillside church and its view, and a guided walk in the countryside around the village, with local tales told along the way. Evenings and free time bring big group games, themed days, a costume room and activity trunks put to use by the animation team.

Age

4–12 yrs

Language

French

Program type

Adventure Camps, Sport Camps

Accommodation

Campus

About

About the Course

The heart of the stay is learning to swim. Sessions run in the centre's heated indoor pool under a qualified pool supervisor, and children move at their own pace through workshops that build confidence in the water and then independence in it. Every child leaves with a swimmer's certificate from Saint-Nectaire.

What’s Included

The price covers accommodation at the Manoir du Viginet, full board cooked on site, the swimming sessions with a qualified pool supervisor, the outings to the Cornadore caves and the village of Saint-Nectaire, the rest of the activity programme and the supervision team. Accompanied travel from a departure city is booked separately and is listed under extras; children can also be brought directly to the centre.

Accommodation

Children sleep in the manor in rooms of four to eight beds, with sanitary facilities close by. The estate also has gypsy caravans of four beds with their own sanitary block. The building is a restored manor house set in a park of nineteen hectares.

Meal Plan

Meals are prepared on site by the centre's cook and served in the manor's dining room, which is built around a large fireplace. Full board is included for the whole stay.

Activities & Excursions

Beyond the pool the programme goes out into Saint-Nectaire: the Cornadore caves, the hillside church and its view, and a walk through the countryside around the village with local tales and stories along the way. Back at the centre the animation team runs big group games, themed days and evening entertainment, with a costume room and activity trunks to draw on.

Facilities

The centre stands on an estate of nineteen hectares and has a heated indoor pool, a dining room with a fireplace, a large activity hall used for group sessions and evening events, four classrooms, a central courtyard, a BMX track, a road-safety training track and a kitchen garden.

Camp Experience

A residential stay for children aged four to twelve, with one adult for every eight children including a qualified camp director, a leader holding a first-aid certificate and a qualified pool supervisor. Children arrive at the centre in the late afternoon of the first day and leave in the morning of the last.

Language Camp prices

Aqua'venturiers

4–12 yrs · All levels

Dates

Price from

Learn-to-swim programme for children aged 4 to 12 at the Manoir du Viginet: progressive water sessions in the heated indoor pool led by a qualified pool supervisor, plus caves, village discovery and countryside walks around Saint-Nectaire.

There are no classroom lessons — the heart of the stay is learning to swim. Sessions take place in the centre’s heated indoor pool under a qualified pool supervisor, with children progressing at their own pace through workshops that build confidence in the water and then independence in it. Every child leaves with a swimmer’s certificate. The programme also includes outings into the local area and a full activity programme run by the animation team. Supervision is one adult for every eight children, including a qualified camp director, a first-aid qualified leader and a qualified pool supervisor.

The camp focuses on building water confidence and swimming independence through supervised daily pool sessions, supported by outings and group activities.

Daily Schedule

Breakfast
07:00–08:00
Classes
08:30–12:30
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Dinner
18:30–19:30
Evening activities
20:00–22:00
Lights out
22:30

Included items

24/7 supervision
Small groups

Excursions
Hiking
Indoor Games
Outdoor Sports Games

Cafeteria
Games area
Outdoor fields
Residence accommodation

Optional Extras

Top recommendation

Recommended for most families

Smooth arrival and fewer surprises.

Accompanied travel from Clermont-Ferrand

Return travel with a group leader between Clermont-Ferrand and the centre, by train or coach. A departure city runs with a minimum of three participants.

Accompanied travel from Angers

Return travel with a group leader between Angers and the centre, by train or coach. A departure city runs with a minimum of three participants.

Transfer20

Reviews

4.6out of 5

Reviews

Based on 45 Google reviews

School

Temps Jeunes

Temps Jeunes is a French association that organises residential holiday camps (colonies de vacances) for children and teenagers, runs BAFA youth-leader training, and hosts school trips and group stays. It operates its own network of residential centres across France: Thésée (41), Château de Theix (63), Manoir du Viginet at Saint-Nectaire (63), Edelweiss at Saint-François-Longchamp (73), L'Alpestre at Notre-Dame-du-Pré (73), Le Bocage Savoyard at Bormes-les-Mimosas (83), Domaine des Gatinelles at Brétignolles-sur-Mer and La Touraine at Longeville-sur-Mer (85). Camps are sold with supervised travel by train or coach from departure cities across France, or without transport for families who bring their child to the centre themselves.

View Details

Location

Frequently Asked Questions

The camp takes children from four to twelve years old.

Children work through progressive workshops in the centre's heated indoor pool, led by a qualified pool supervisor. They start with confidence in the water and move at their own pace towards floating, moving and swimming on their own. Each child receives a swimmer's certificate at the end.

They sleep inside the manor in rooms of four to eight beds with sanitary facilities close by. Full board is included and meals are cooked on site, then served in the manor's dining room.

Yes. The programme includes the Cornadore caves, a visit to the village of Saint-Nectaire and its hillside church, and a guided walk in the countryside around the village.

Families can bring their child straight to the centre, or book accompanied travel from one of the departure cities. That travel is a paid extra and is listed under extras; a departure city runs only with a minimum of three participants.

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More about this camp

The Manoir du Viginet sits at Saint-Nectaire in the Puy-de-Dome, on an estate of nineteen hectares between the Sancy massif and the volcanoes of the Chaine des Puys. On this stay the centre's heated indoor pool is the centre of the week: children aged four to twelve work through progressive water workshops under a qualified pool supervisor, at their own pace, until they can move and swim independently, and each one goes home with a swimmer's certificate. The village around the manor supplies the rest of the programme. Children visit the Cornadore caves, climb to the church above the village for its view, and walk the countryside nearby while the team tells the local tales that go with it. Back at the centre the animation team fills the evenings and the free time with big group games, themed days and entertainment, drawing on a costume room and trunks of activity material. Children sleep inside the manor in rooms of four to eight beds; meals are cooked on site and served in the dining room around its large fireplace. Supervision is one adult for every eight children, including a qualified camp director, a leader holding a first-aid certificate and the pool supervisor. Accompanied travel is available from a list of departure cities and is booked as an extra; families can also bring their child straight to the centre.

Price from $779