Las Vegas: Guided Kayak Tour from Willow Beach to Emerald Cave
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Arizona, USA
- 4 to 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Paddle the Colorado River from Willow Beach to Emerald Cave on a full-day, small-group tour of a section famed for its desert beauty—visiting three scenic spots for photos and swimming. Since the tour follows a section of calm, flat water, it combines next-level views with beginner-friendly paddling. And, an experienced guide offers peace of mind as you explore.
- Get personal attention from your kayak guide thanks to the small group size
- See the Colorado River from a unique vantage point on the water
- Go beyond the most popular sites and spots
- Pickup and drop-off option makes transport a breeze
What's Included
- Access to Emerald Cave
- Three photos at iconic National Geographic featured locations
- WFA, CPR, and First-Aid Certified Tour Guide
- Safety Instruction
- Life Jacket, Paddles
- Performance Kayak
- Bottled water
- Round-trip hotel transportation by air-conditioned van
- Entrance fee - National Park Entrance Fee (Self-Drive Per Car - Waived with National Park Pass)$25.00 per booking
- Gratuities
- For self-drive bookings, round-trip transportation is not included.
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Willow Beach
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
The Colorado River
Admission Ticket Free
3
Emerald Cave
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Willow Beach
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Most travelers can participate
- Tandems may accommodate up to 450 lbs
- Singles may accommodate up to 250 lbs
- Exclusive access to locations featured on National Geographic.
- Highly recommended for beginners, families, couples, and solo travelers.
- Highly recommended for photography enthusiasts and nature lovers.
- The activity provider is not responsible for lost items; bringing a dry bag is strongly recommended.
- Launch times may change due to weather or operational conditions. If the tour day is canceled for weather or operations, you will be offered a reschedule or a full refund.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Had Lee and Josh as our tour guides, they were super understanding with us running late. They both were friendly and Josh was very informative as he's been on the river for many years so has a lot of experience and knowledge. They were great tour guides and highly recommend!
Reviews
4.8
based on 120 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This was an incredible experience. Dylan was our guide and he was super safety conscious and very thorough. He knew all about the area and was very approachable. We picked us up at the designated spot and brought us to the kayaking lake. My girlfriend and I felt very comfortable in his truck. He answered all our questions about the land and wildlife around. The kayaking part is strenuous. We had a little problem keeping ourselves in the right direction. We went swimming in the crystal clear cool waters Dylan always had us in our sights and even offered us a tow back - which we gladly accepted. On the way back to the strip, Dylan took us to a sight overlooking Lake Meade where Big Horned Sheep were roaming around in a playground. I highly recommend this excursion. We had a ton of laughs, and it was great to get away from the strip for a day. Dylan was great.
I really enjoyed this activity — it was an amazing experience! Our guide, Zayne, picked me up at the hotel and we drove to Willow Beach. Kayaking along the cliffs was absolutely wonderful, with beautiful scenery and breathtaking views.
We made several stops at interesting spots where we had time to take photos, and then continued to Emerald Cave, where we took some great pictures as well. The whole experience was beautiful. We paddled for about four miles before heading back to Las Vegas.
It was a really enjoyable experience, and I would definitely recommend it!
I think the experience was bad from the get-go. Our original time was set at 9:30am and then we got a change of time due to weather and was asked to be there at 7:30 AM when we actually didn’t have to waste two extra hours of our day when we started at 9:30 anyway. Long story short, my kayak capsized due to the instructor forgetting to put a cap on the kayak and the kayak filled with water twice it damaged my iPhone, my iPad all my personal belongings. What surprise me as they would put me in the same kayak a second time the second time he had to go to the beach and drain it out cause the tour to be delayed because of this. It was a bad experience for my myself, my fiancé and for the rest of our tour. I have a video of the instructor saying it was his fault for not checking the kayak before putting me on it and he made a big mistake. I would actually like to do it a second time, but definitely not with green wave. I will 100% not recommend anybody to go to these guys for the unprofessionalism and the unsafe treatment. I’m demanding a full refund and have pictures and video to show the incident. My kayak had to be towed due to a defect and for not putting the safety cap on. We made it back, but we were not happy that we couldn’t make it to the cave. If we had started the two hours earlier that they changed we would have, and if my kayak didn’t capsize and flip over, we might have made it to the cave as well. Very unhappy!!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely appreciate you bringing these concerns to our attention.
Regarding the schedule adjustment, any changes we make due to weather are based first and foremost on guest safety. Weather and wind conditions on the river can change quickly, and our decisions are made based on the forecasts and conditions available at the time. The fact that there may still have been wind when the tour ultimately departed does not mean that the earlier schedule adjustment was unnecessary or that the additional time was simply wasted. These decisions are precautionary and are made with the safety of our guests and guides as our highest priority.
Regarding the equipment concerns you described, we have addressed the matter directly with our guide team and reinforced the importance of thoroughly inspecting all kayaks and equipment before and during every tour. We have also provided appropriate compensation to you regarding this experience.
We take your feedback seriously. It has helped us identify areas where we can further improve our equipment inspection procedures, communication, and customer service. Thank you again for your feedback, and we will continue working to provide a safer, more professional, and better experience for all of our guests.
Incredible experience while visiting Las Vegas for work. Our guide Zane was the best and went above and beyond for our group. If you want something off the strip and are up for adventure I can’t recommend this enough.
We’ve Been waiting for an hour and a half for pick up, with no contract. We’ve called and messaged the company with no response. And after and hour when I pull up my ticket it now says pending cancellation on it WTF
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your feedback, and we are sorry for the frustration and inconvenience you experienced.
For clarification, the tour was canceled the day before due to the forecasted high winds and safety concerns, and a cancellation notification was sent in advance. Unfortunately, it appears that you did not see the notification sent to your phone/email before traveling to the meeting location, and we are very sorry for the resulting inconvenience.
Our decision to cancel was made solely with guest safety in mind. Kayaking in high winds can create significant risks, particularly on the return trip. We understand that other kayak operators may have chosen to continue their tours, but each company makes its own operational decisions. The fact that another operator chooses to go out does not necessarily mean that we believe the conditions are safe or that the level of risk is acceptable for our guests.
We would rather cancel a tour and disappoint a guest than take an unnecessary risk with someone's safety. We sincerely apologize that the cancellation communication was missed and appreciate your feedback. We are continuing to improve our notification procedures to help prevent situations like this in the future.
Josh and Michel were amazing, they were super knowledgeable and kind, and provided us with anything we needed. The pick up service was great and dropped me back home :)
This was an outstanding excursion. Our tour guide Colby, was excellent. We learned a lot about the foliage along the river, and the creatures who live on the banks of the river. A lot of history was talked too. A great experience, but bring water...you will get very thirsty in the heat and you WILL be tired afterwards.
Beautiful experience. Take sunscreen. Lee and Josh were wonderful, definitely recommend them as guides
Lee and Josh were great! Water was beautiful. Great sightings of local wildlife. Cave really isn’t a cave but would do it again just for the beautiful water and scenery
Very informative about the plants and animals to the native land, the tour guides Josh and Teacher were the best very knowledgeable
Beautiful day on a stunning river with a very knowledgeable guide! Josh was our guide and did a fantastic job with this tour. He gave us a wealth of information about the river, the wildlife, vegetation and history of the area. Josh was also very conscious about
safety standards and took some great pictures for us!
Josh & Lee were awesome. Really friendly and entertaining guides. The tour itself was beautiful and the perfect balance between relaxing and physically engaging.
Beautiful day to be on the river. Process was easy, equipment was in good condition. Josh and Lee were Great guides.
Kayak operator (Green Wave) never showed up to the drop site at Willow Beach. Another operator said they were a no show the day before and left a couple stranded then too. Beware booking with this outfit.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you were disappointed, but we would like to clarify that this was not a situation where Green Wave simply failed to show up.
The tour was canceled in advance, the day before departure, because of forecasted high winds and safety concerns. A cancellation notification was sent to the contact information associated with the reservation. Unfortunately, it appears that the notification was not seen before you traveled to Willow Beach, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this caused.
Our weather decisions are made with guest safety as the priority. High winds can make kayaking difficult and potentially unsafe, particularly when guests need to paddle back against the wind. Other operators may make different decisions about whether to operate under the same conditions, but another company's decision to go out does not determine whether we consider the conditions safe for our guests.
We also cannot comment on statements allegedly made by another operator regarding events on a different day, as those statements are not based on your firsthand experience with us and we cannot verify what was said.
Safety must come before completing a tour. We would rather cancel when we believe conditions present an unacceptable risk than put our guests in a potentially unsafe situation. We regret that you did not see the advance cancellation notification and apologize again for the inconvenience.
The trip was awesome. Josh and Lee did a great job as guides. Very chilled, laid back and relaxing. Water was beautiful
Book with josh he was amazing!! He shared interesting facts about Arizona I never knew about, would definitely recommend!
We had a great experience with Green Wave Kayak Tours on the Emerald Cave tour. Our guide, Lee, was very knowledgeable, experienced, and interactive with the group, which made the trip even more enjoyable. The tour lasted about four hours and was a really nice mix of kayaking, sightseeing, and learning about the area.
The Emerald Cave is a little different than what you may see online—it’s actually a very small cave, and you do have to wait in line with other kayakers for a chance to go inside. It was still very impressive to see, and the emerald green color of the water reflecting inside the cave was beautiful and definitely worth it.
We did encounter some wind on the way back, which made it a little choppier and a bit harder to return to the beach area, but overall it was still a great experience. I would definitely recommend this tour, and I highly recommend Lee as your tour guide!
My husband and I had a great time. Our guide Lee was awesome and very informative! Definitely an unforgettable experience!
We had a great time. Josh was amazing and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend taking this guided tour with him.
Beautiful, peaceful, serene. Crystal clear water with a glassy surface amidst towering sheer cliffs. The cave itself is really cool, but somewhat small. However, the entire journey is beautiful. A fantastic way to get in nature, get away from the city, and move your body.
Our guide, Josh, was exceedingly friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. He was very attentive to the group and helped anyone who needed it.
The equipment was very nice.
Josh & Lee were great! 23pax on out Grp but the weather & the Lake sure was MUST Experience. Thanks again for a Wonderful Pre Easter Experience. Blessed
The water was very gentle and easy to paddle. The equipment was excellent and you will get a bit wet. You will have a great time and great for beginners due to how calm the water is for those learning.
Lee made our day one to remember. From start to finish this experience was one of the highlights of exploring the area. I would highly recommend
Visiting Lake Mead and doing kayaking was wonderful experience, it is really worth the visit. Having a guide like Josh who helped us understand the history of Hoover dam, and how come Emerald Cove, and Las Vegas came into picture, everything was wonderful about this Kayak experience. I appreciate Josh for his time and effort in making this trip a memorable one, highly recommend him for a great experience to this wonderful site.
Great paddle with Lee! He provided commentary on the history of the area as well as nature. Very friendly to be with!
It was amazing! Our tour Guide, Lee, was a great guide! There were three of us total, including him and it was very serene. Smaller tours are much better than larger ones, in my opinion. We got to enjoy the sound of the lake and wildlife. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
This is an amazing experience would recommend to anyone traveling to las Vegas that want to try something different and fun highly recommended green wave for tour guide Lee was amazing very layered back and knowledgeable
The kayak tour to the Emerald cave on the Colorado river is an absolute must. The area was absolutely beautiful and peaceful. We saw sheep birds fish. It was a beautiful day. Water was calm. You could see the bottom.
Had Lee and Josh as our tour guides, they were super understanding with us running late. They both were friendly and Josh was very informative as he's been on the river for many years so has a lot of experience and knowledge. They were great tour guides and highly recommend!
Beautiful Colorado River tour with chances to see wild life and epic mountains and canyons. So much fun
Member Pricing
From
$80.75
per personWas $85.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Las Vegas: Guided Kayak Tour from Willow Beach to Emerald Cave
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