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The Aare, the longest river running entirely within Switzerland, is the most important waterway in the canton. It has a total length of almost 300 kilometres. The Aare is the Rhine's most important tributary in terms of water volume, surpassing the Meuse and the High Rhine, and carries more water than the Moselle and Main rivers combined. It is the thread that connects the entire canton of Bern and flows through all six major areas – from the Bernese Oberland via Thun to Bern and the Jura Südfuss. The Aare has its source in the Oberaar and Unteraar glaciers. It then runs for almost 300 kilometres from the eastern Bernese Alps at Lakes Oberaar and Grimsel through Lakes Brienz and Thun, on through the federal city of Bern via Aarberg into Lake Biel and on towards Solothurn. At Koblenz, the Aare finally flows into the Rhine. The Aare Gorge near Meiringen, 1.4 kilometres in length but only two metres wide in places,  and the various tributaries from the Lauterbrunnen, Kander and Simmental valleys are spectacular sights. The Aare is not only a significant supplier of energy, but also an important local focal point for recreational and leisure activities. The 27-kilometre-long, approximately 3.5-hour trip in a rubber inflatable dinghy from Thun to Bern is a real hit with Bernese locals and international visitors alike and is as much a part of summer as the daily swim in the river’s cool waters.