Planning a vacation or weekend outing that includes whitewater rafting can be a lot of fun for a group of friends or family. There are some things to consider before you go, but if you take the time to plan things, it can be a great way to relax and enjoy the time with friends or family.
Guide Services
If you are considering a whitewater rafting trip for a vacation, it can be a good idea to hire a guide to take you down the river. Some rivers used for whitewater rafting can be challenging to navigate. Having a guide that knows the river and the obstacles to be concerned about can increase the level of safety and reduce the stress of the trip.
Often the guide service can provide you with information about the river, help you select parts that you want to raft down, and many of them will provide boats and supplies for the day. Calling the whitewater rafting guide early in the season is the best way to ensure you get the date you want to take your trip, and they will tell you where to meet them and when to be there on the day of the trip.
Single Day Excursions
If you are interested in a whitewater rafting trip but have never been, you could try a short trip that lasts a few hours on a single day to see if you like it. Many guide services offer single-day trips and will teach you what you need to know to be safe on the river. The guide will control the boat for the most part but will also need the help of the rafters to keep it going the right way down the river.
If you are going rafting with friends, you may have several boats and a couple of guides that will take the group altogether. You can request a trip with some mild rapids if you like or something a little more exciting, but talk to the guide service to get a feel for what type of trip is best suited for you.
Multi-Day Trips
Some large whitewater rafting companies offer multi-day trips over a weekend or even longer on some larger rivers. These trips typically include camping along the river and meals at breakfast and dinner, as well as a sack lunch midday.
Many of these services also set up the camp at a predetermined spot along the river so that you can pull off the water, have a freshly cooked meal, and get some rest to be ready for the next day's rafting. When you start looking at long trips like these, the cost will go up significantly, but since nearly everything is provided for your adventure, you may not pay much more than if you took a vacation to a large theme park.