Know Before You Go: White-Water Rafting For the First Time

Yes, if you’re even moderately into adventure travel and water sports, white-water rafting is worth trying. Sure, it’s a physical challenge—paddling through choppy rapids requires a bit of stamina and strength. But rafting is a great way to see a destination while traveling, as rivers often run through rainforests or river valleys away from roads. Between rapids you can float as you listen to birdsong or howler monkeys and look out for wildlife along riverbanks while gazing up at canyon walls and treetops. On multi-day trips, you may camp on river beaches and even go for a gentle swim.

What you wear depends on the season and destination, so read any rafting gear checklist supplied by your tour operator. Typically, you should wear a bathing suit with some clothing over the top, such as a rashguard or swim shirt to protect your skin from the sun. Wear waterproof shoes with straps that won’t slip off—no flip-flops. In colder climates, tour operators often provide wetsuits. You’ll be geared up with a helmet so there’s no need for a sun hat, but you might want to wear sunglasses with a good strap. An older pair is better than your newest designer shades.

Generally, you should take as little as possible with you when white-water rafting. Again, consult your tour company’s rafting gear checklist. Anything you take on the raft has the potential to end up in the water, so leave phones and wallets in a secure location on land. Guides sometimes have a dry bag where you can put essential items, but size is usually limited.

Tours often provide action photos of the trip, either included in the price or for an extra fee. In hot climates or on longer trips, you might want to take a water bottle—but don’t carry anything too precious in case it ends up going overboard. Bring a change of clothes for after the trip that you can leave on the bus or at camp.

White-water rafting is an exciting travel activity offered in many places across the globe. From white-water rafting in New Zealand to Nepal, Colorado to Croatia, the French Alps to the Futaleufú River in Chile, guided trips are available just about anywhere that rivers meet a bit of gradient. The best rafting destinations combine scenic beauty and clear, free-flowing rivers.

Total beginners may want to start with a half-day rafting excursion that lets you try the sport without a big commitment. Once you’ve got a taste for this adventure, you can book an overnight or multi-day rafting trip that includes camping on river beaches in remote locations. Some of these extended outings even combine white-water kayaking tours.

Safety gear depends on trip duration and destination. At a minimum, you’ll be suited up with a personal floatation device (lifejacket), helmet, and sometimes a wetsuit, if conditions require it. Lunch or snacks are often provided, either to eat at a river beach during a break or back at the base camp after the trip. Some tours have showers (hot or otherwise) available for use afterward.

Multi-day trips typically include the use of camping gear and three meals per day, cooked around a campfire by guides. Transfers to and from the put-in and take-out points are usually offered, although on multi-day trips you may need to pay extra for a flight or long-distance bus transfer.

White-water rafting trips vary in length. Most tours take up a half day or a full day, although transfers to and from the put-in and take-out points, plus safety briefings, use up much of that time, so you won’t necessarily be on the water for eight solid hours. In some places with long stretches of river unbroken by dams or otherwise unpassable areas, you can join guided trips of five, seven, or 10 days—or more.

For example, expeditions down Nepal’s remote Karnali River, which flows from Tibet, typically take 10 days from Kathmandu. Highly coveted rafting trips along the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon—for which you’ll need a permit, issued via a lottery—take up to 18 days.

There’s an element of risk in any outdoor activity, particularly one involving water. White-water rafting isn’t always dangerous or difficult, but it can be, especially on grade III+ rapids. Pick a reputable tour company that employs well-trained and experienced guides—as well as a good ratio of safety kayakers to clients—to increase your sense of security.

You don’t need to be very strong or athletic, but it’s important to follow your guide’s instructions. They will typically sit at the back of the raft and steer as well as call out instructions. Guides say that distracted or uncooperative clients are far more of a safety hazard than those lacking strength or experience, so do as you’re instructed and enjoy the challenge.

White-water rafting is not generally accessible to wheelchair users as the rafts are unstable and require physical dexterity to get into and out of. There’s always a chance of falling out of the raft, which could be especially hazardous for disabled travelers. However, some specialized rafting programs with adapted rafts and facilities are offered in a few locations. Unfortunately, they’re not typically offered by tourism operators. Travelers with other disabilities may be able to find white-water rafting trips that can cater to them, especially on private trips. Gentle rapids—grades I and II—are typically the most accessible.

• When’s the best time of year to go white-water rafting? That depends on the destination, as each place has its ideal white-water rafting season according to the climate and river levels. You need enough water in the river to provide a fun ride, but not so much that the conditions are dangerous. In colder climates you’ll often be given a wetsuit, but you may not be able to go if conditions are too cold.

• What do the white-water rafting grading levels mean? River rapids are graded or classed from I through VI. Grade I or II rapids are pretty gentle and are generally the best rivers for rafting beginners. Grade III rapids are more challenging and require guides to have excellent skills, but beginners with water confidence should feel quite comfortable. Grade IV rapids are more suitable for experienced rafters or anyone keen for a challenge. Grade V rapids are very big and rough, and even experienced rafters may feel uncomfortable running them. Grade VI rapids are unrunnable. Rafting companies will mention the grade of the river with their tour information so you can make an informed choice.

• What ages is white-water rafting suitable for? Different tour companies have different age requirements, which often depend on the difficulty and technicality of a particular river. Family rafting trips are often available. Many easier tours are suitable for kids over 8, and sometimes younger if the river rapids are class I or II and gentle. Some trips accept kids over 10 or 12 as the minimum. The biggest bit of first-time rafting advice for parents and caregivers is to consider their child’s confidence in and on the water, regardless of companies’ lower age cut-off points.

• Do I have to be a strong swimmer to go white-water rafting? It’s a good idea to be confident in the water, but the aim is to stay in the raft rather than end up in the river, so you don’t necessarily need to be an excellent swimmer. You’ll be provided with a personal floatation device, and safety kayakers assist any “swimmers.” Most reputable rafting companies require you to be able to swim to sign up for a rafting tour, although some tours in destinations with less stringent safety laws and regulations may not require it. Going rafting if you can’t swim is not advisable, whatever the “rules” (or lack of them).