If you’re an adventure seeker, few things offer as many thrills as a white water rafting trip. But not all rapids are created equal. Some will lilt you along for an entertaining but tame ride—others will turn your stomach in knots and have you flirting with danger at every turn.
We asked outdoor enthusiasts to weigh in on the most thrilling rafting spots. If you’re looking to crank up the excitement in your life, read on for their suggestions.
Paul Ronto
Chief Marketing Officer & Director of Digital Content at RunRepeat
Paul Ronto is an outdoor and rafting enthusiast. He’s guided for over a decade down some of Colorado’s most challenging rivers and has been traveling the world in search of white water since he was in his teens.
- This one is obvious–it needs to be the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The rapids are huge. They are nerve wracking and rated on a 1-10 scale, making even seasoned rafters feel small as they bob through these true giants in jumbo 18” rafts and 30” motor rigs. The rapids are not the only wild part of adventuring down the Grand Canyon. The hikes are wild, up aqua blue streams and to ancient cliff dwellings, the camps are outstanding with soft sand, epic bocci, and endless star gazing, and the sheer length of the trip, at 280 miles, makes it a crazy experience that can last up to 4 weeks. There’s little to no contact with the outside world. Where else can you have that kind of forced unplugging?
- This one is not as obvious, and many may have never heard of this destination. It is the Cache La Poudre River in Fort Collins, CO. This small river becomes a mighty torrent in June when waters are high. What makes this river unique is that it’s Colorado’s only Wild and Scenic River, and it boasts over 60+ miles of runnable whitewater, including everything from class 1 floats to crazy class V+ waterfalls. There are commercial outfitters on the river running daily and at high flows (above 5 feet on the hand-painted rock gauge). You are in for a wild class IV/V ride. Into kayaking? The river has some of the state’s best creeking as well from Joe Wright Creek to The Big South Fork of the Poudre, as well as the Class V+ roadside section The Narrows, which is home to a BoaterCross style Class V shootout race every summer. What makes this destination even better is the historic city of Fort Collins, home of New Belgium Brewing, Colorado State University and Old Town Fort Collins (which Disney’s Main Street USA was modeled after). After a day charging down the Poudre, enjoy a cold beer, live music, and fresh tacos in Old Town Square.
- Head north to the panhandle of Idaho and experience true mountain solitude on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. This 100 mile stretch of pristine class III and IV water is deep within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and gets whitewater enthusiasts excited thanks to its steep gradient, challenging rapids, beautiful camps, and riverside hot springs. You heard correct, there are a handful of natural hot springs along this float to soak in and warm your bones after relentless drenching from the spring runoff. There’s even a hot waterfall to meander under. Disappearing into the Idaho woods is a true treat, one only lucky rafters really get to enjoy as there are no road crossings for the 100 miles of river you’ll float down.
Tyler Callantine
Tyler and his wife Jennifer are the owners of Dinosaur River Expeditions, a river rafting company based in Vernal, Utah. They share a passion for the outdoors and for whitewater rafting. Together, they have more than 25 years of river guide and rafting experience from all over the western United States.
It’s hard to beat the Yampa River. A few key points about the Yampa. It is the last free flowing tributary of the Colorado River System. Because of this wild nature, the Yampa River can have really high, fast water or lower, family-friendly flows, depending on the Colorado mountain snow pack.
The river, because of its natural flows, has a relatively intact natural river environment with a huge variety of native species of plants, fish, insects and animals. The Yampa River is also host to one of the most famous rapids on the Colorado River system: Warm Springs.
Warm Springs rapid formed just a little over 50 years ago during a really heavy series of rain storms that sent a flood of debris into the Yampa River creating Warm Springs rapid. At the location of the rapid had historically been a mild little series of riffles. Now, it is one of the top 10 big drops in North America.
Whether the Yampa River is high water or low water, it is one of the most popular rafting trips in North America with a waiting list for people to get on this river trip. It also goes through the heart of Dinosaur National Monument and this is the only way to see a huge portion of the monument. Another plus is all of the Native American archaeology along the river—places like Mantles Cave and Echo Park.
Daniel Masiko
Daniel Masiko is a Ugandan software engineer whose passion for traveling has taken him to see most of Uganda’s major attractions. Daniel is currently the web strategist for Exclusive African Safaris, a Ugandan Tour Operator in Kampala.
Over the last few years, white water rafting has become a major attraction for Uganda’s tourism industry.
Initially, Visiting the Nile was about seeing the source of the world’s longest river that fascinated the old Egyptians for centuries. White water rafting has changed the narrative by adding a lot more adventure into visiting this legendary river. This has turned Jinja into the true adventure capital of East Africa because rafting is enjoyed by both foreign visitors and local adventure seekers.
River Nile has all the rafting grades (classes) from 1 to 5. This means that even those who want a calmer rafting experience get to enjoy it while those going for the adrenaline pump of grade 5 rapids enjoy their fun as well.
The presence of calm stretches of the river allows the rafters to catch their breath before going back to the fantastic action of battling it out with the Nile.
To ensure safety, all rafters are briefed before they start off and fully equipped with safety gear such as a life jacket and helmet. As the rafting proceeds, a rescue team follows along in kayaks to help those who fall out of the raft during the big waves.
Since Uganda has a tropical climate, rafting can happen all year round – come rain or sunshine. When it is raining, rafting can still be done since tropical rains don’t last so long. Tougher storms, however, lead to stopping of the activities until the skies turn friendly again.
Most people who have rafted the Nile admit to having a fantastic time – and falling out more than they thought they would, which added to the whole experience.
Landia Davies
African Budget Safaris Content Creator
Landia Davies , an adventure-loving native South African, Landia likes to step off the beaten path and escape the crowds in nature.
The Zambezi River for sure. Conquer 19 grade 4 and 5 rapids over 23kms in Africa.
It’s the only place where you can start rafting from the base of the largest sheet of falling water in the world, Victoria Falls. From Boiling Point, the starting point, you then raft your heart out through the 650-ft deep Batoka Gorge. With about 625 million litres of water crashing over Vic Falls per minute (in the high season), the mighty Zambezi River has plenty of power to drive its epic rapids and send your heart rate soaring.
The Zambezi is one of craziest white water river rafting destinations in the world – packing in adrenalin highs in a stunning setting.
Tabbi Burwell
Tabbi Burwell is a Senior Manager of Destination Communications
