Canyoning (also known as canyoneering) is the sport of travelling down canyons using a variety of techniques including walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling, swimming and "li-loing" (using an inflatable air mattress). It requires navigational skills, ropework, and other skills required for wilderness travel.

Canyoning is undoubtedly a most exciting and rewarding adventure sport. It is just not possible to list all of the canyoning options. Canyoning is a mix of bushwalking, abseiling, caving, swimming, rockclimbing, boulder hopping and white water rafting all mixed into one incredible sport.

Hiking down a canyon that is non-technical is called canyon hiking or just plain hiking. The terms Canyoning and Canyoneering refer to technical descents - those that require either ropework (rappels or abseils), technical down-climbing, technical jumps or technical swims.

Canyons that are good for canyoning are cut into the bedrock stone, forming narrow slots with drops, beautiful sculptured walls and spectacular waterfalls. Although many of the best canyons are cut into limestone, other common rock types include granite and sandstone.

Canyons can be very easy or rather difficult, though emphasis in the sport is on aesthetics and fun, rather than pure difficulty. Significant water flow can make canyons very treacherous, and require special ropework techniques for safe travel. A canyon that is narrower than six feet (two meters) is called a slot canyon. Canyons that are very narrow, especially those narrower than humans, require special techniques to climb through and over, and can be very strenuous.

Canyoning gear includes climbing hardware, static ropes, helmets, wetsuits; and specially designed shoes, packs and rope bags.

Deep-water soloing is a form of solo rock climbing that relies solely upon the presence of water at the base of a climb to protect against injury. This type of climbing is typically practised on sea cliffs at high tide, for example in the Calanques near Marseille, around the Southern Pembrokeshire coast and many other climbing areas.

Canyoning can be dangerous. Quite often, escape out the sides of the canyon is not possible, and completion of the descent is the only possibility. Fatalities have occurred as a result of flash floods, the most infamous of which happened when a group of tourists on a commercial canyoning adventure trip were drowned in Saxetenbach Gorge, Switzerland in 1999. A 1994 accident in Zion National Park, Utah, USA also brought notoriety to the extreme sport.

The recommended jumping technique is the 'pin drop', which involves hitting the water with your body as straight as possible and your hands held firmly by your sides. Closing your mouth completely is a good idea (to avoid biting your tongue) and pointing your toes is optional.

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