Brisbane Kayak Tour

Recommended by 94% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Brisbane, Australia

1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover the Brisbane River either by day or night on a 90-minute kayak tour. Enjoy a water perspective on the Story Bridge or the South Bank Parklands after learning the basics of paddling from your expert guide. If you choose the night tour, you’ll hop into illuminated kayaks and enjoy the multicolored displays on the Story Bridge or glide past the evening lights of South Bank. This kayak tour is suitable for all levels of experience and provides a fantastic look at the city’s vital waterway.

90-minute kayak tour on the Brisbane River
Choose a tour that takes place in the daytime or evening
Learn to paddle and steer the kayak with easy-to-follow instructions from the guide
Get a new perspective on the Story Bridge or South Bank Parklands
Ride in an illuminated kayak on the night tour

What's Included

Local guide
All necessary equipment
Life Jacket
Kayak & Paddle
Sunscreen

Towel (also available for hire $2 each)
Water bottle (drinks are available for purchase)
Locker Hire $3.00 each
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Riverlife Adventure Centre
Naval Stores Kangaroo Point Cliffs Drive, Cliffs Drive, Kangaroo Point QLD 4169, Australia
Please Note: there is no on-site parking at Riverlife.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Story Bridge

The Brisbane River

Riverlife Adventure Centre

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Before participating, all participants must sign an Indemnity Agreement Form personally or by a guardian if the participant is under the age of 18 years
Wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 8 years for day tours and 12 years for night tours
Stroller accessible
Please bring clothes that will get wet (board shorts / ¾ pants and T-shirt), spare change of shorts / ¾ pants, hat, sunscreen and sunglasses (optional), towel (also available for hire $2 each), water bottle (drinks are available for purchase)

Complimentary showers and sunscreen are available for your use
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Nick_S

Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the experience due to the busy river traffic. The ferries created significant wake, and combined with the pouring rain, it felt like the odds were stacked against us. However, Hanka quickly put my concerns to rest. She assured us that as long as we stayed close to the edges of the river and remained calm, everything would be manageable. Her expertise and calm demeanor really made a difference. Surprisingly, the weather and wake didn’t take away from the adventure. In fact, the rain added a unique, refreshing touch to the outing. Since it was just the two of us on the tour, the experience felt personal and relaxed—almost like a private tour. Paddling through the iconic Brisbane cityscape in such a tranquil setting was an unexpectedly serene escape from the city’s usual hustle. Overall, it was a great experience! If you’re looking for a peaceful yet engaging way to explore Brisbane, I highly recommend this tour, rain or shine. Hanka’s guidance truly made the trip memorable.

Reviews

4.8

based on 194 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

It was amazing, I had a...

JorgeMiguel_J, May 2026

It was amazing, I had a little trouble finding the place but in the end everything worked out and the staff waited for me to arrive.

Kayak Experience on the Brisbane River

Nick_S, Nov 2024

Fun day on the Brisbane River

Cressida_M, Oct 2024

We had a lovely, friendly trip on the Brisbane River. Not too strenuous. Relaxed. Good for all levels.

Great day out

Kristina_W, Aug 2024

Our tour guide Mitch was very informed about the journey that we were taking down the river, provided an excellent how to guide for how to get back into the boat if you fell in which came in useful when my partner ended up in the water, great atmosphere and a unique experience to do while in Brisbane

Getting to know Brisbane Kyacking

Marlene_B, Jun 2024

Had a great time very chilled and fun time. Lucas was informative and a small group was easy...perfect day to kyack. Thanks to all the friendly staff.

This is the first time I...

NARAYANAN_K, Jun 2024

This is the first time I am khayaking. It was an awesome experience. The instructor was very nice and helpful. The weather was also nice to enjoy the hour and half under the sun.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a worthwhile and wonderful experience. Tyler is indeed an excellent guide, and we're glad his clear and thorough safety brief helped instill confidence in both of you. Walking over the edge of a cliff is no small feat, and we're proud to have been a part of your adventure. We'll make sure to pass along your thanks to Tyler. We hope to see you again for another exciting experience!

Fantastic 90 mins.

Craig_J, Apr 2024

A great 90 mins kayaking on the river, good fun and a different view of the city. Blake our guide was fantastic.

Great fun, bring a change of clothes.

Paul_C, Feb 2024

A beautiful way to see parts of the city, and fun. I have occasionally kayaked before but am no expert, and our instructor & guide kept us safe & assisted two of our group when each got into difficulty. (One lagged behind and the guide towed them to us, the other went for a “swim”.) A lovely way to while away some time.

Don’t supply your real email

Peter_M, Dec 2023

It was a faun filled fantastic wonderful and completely amazing experience that I wish I had done without supplying my email address because ever since I’ve received at least 3 emails per day and cannot unsubscribe from them. So please don’t book online, walk up to the counter and book in person

The service from the...

Richie_f, Nov 2023

The service from the staff was excellent. They brought the energy to make it fun and entertaining and were really helpful in explaining to us the process before going into the water. When we were in the water, they stayed close by giving us ques what to do and not do. The instructor tour guide person was very friendly and helpful and even took photos for everyone at the end. Overall very fun experience and would recommend it to anyone.

Great time!

Kerry_M, Nov 2023

Small group of 2 solo people, we kayaked for about 1.5 hours. The staff was great; friendly and informative. I would definitely go again and highly recommend it!

A beautiful way to soak in Brisbane!

Evan_F, Jul 2023

A great time had with our teenage kids. Easy to do, and the sightseeing was amazing. Great guides too!

Our tour guide was lovely...

Lorne_T, Jun 2023

Our tour guide was lovely and took lots of photos of us. However the actual tour is lacking in content and I think a lot more could be said about Brisbane's history in that 90 minutes we had

Well worth the visit

Geoffrey_D, Apr 2023

The scenery and the atmosphere were amazing and I loved every minute of it. It was well organised and did not feel in danger at anytime!!

Fun in the sun

Lysa_S, Jan 2023

It was fantastic to see the city from another perspective.the guide was excellent, friendly and explained things clearly.

Great guide, Mani. Fun...

ANNE_H, Jan 2023

Great guide, Mani. Fun activity for the whole family, despite no previous experience. Good morning out!!

Disappointed

Kristy_W, Dec 2021

Booked this Adventure but two days before was informed by the company that the booking system made a mistake tried to book another time but the confirmation came through 20 minutes before the adventure started therefore we were unable to participate. This is the second time with this company that I have been let down. Organised a large group to abseil at Kangaroo point last January and it got rescheduled several times to the point that we just Declined any future booking. I thought I would give them another go and they’ve let me down again

Would had been nice if...

Rachel_M, Oct 2021

Would had been nice if more skilled could go with other skilled. Or separate from the group. Sat waiting for others some of the time. I will hire separately next time and go alone not in a group. But was very enjoyable.

Great Holiday Experience

Abbigail, Apr 2021

Great holiday experience! Out guides were super friendly and we had tons of fun. Thanks so much for helping create great memories!

Seeing the story bridge from the water

mark_d, Mar 2020

What a fantastic experience. Mark was so easy going and a great tour guide. Highly recommend this to everyone. Can’t wait to return to do the evening kayaking.

Nice Relaxing Kayak

Harley_p, Feb 2020

Great experience, nice and relaxing kayak on the 1.5 hour tour down the river and back, great staff , would reccomend if you have time while in Brisbane

Too short

Jim_Y, May 2019

This didn't really live up to expectations, we basically spend about 1 hour on the water, this consisted of hugging the bank from the base up to the Storey Bridge and then back to the pier. I expected the trip to be a guided tour where the staff actually pass on information about what we are passing/ seeing, but apart from a very short brief below the bridge this did not happen. Not worth the money in our opinion

What a night. We enjoyed every bit...

Chrissie G, Jan 2018

What a night. We enjoyed every bit of the tour. We were lucky to see the South Bank fire works, listen to a few sounds at the Brisbane Jazz club and enjoy a beautiful warm night kayak. The BBQ was delicious too. Amazing experience

Staff friendly and helpful. Very...

Sonia B, Oct 2017

Staff friendly and helpful. Very enjoyable afternoon. My teens especially liked the switching kayaks while on water. Stewart was a great guide. He was very patient with novices.

I really enjoyed this tour! I went...

Ruth H, May 2017

I really enjoyed this tour! I went on my own to do this and the instructor was very welcoming and chatty with me. I didn't get the best weather for my tour, but it was still a nice experience none the less. I think I'd recommend people to do this with friends. I was on my own and although I did enjoy it, it does get a little lonely on the water when you don't have a friend to share the experience with. Especially when you're a bit slower than others on the tour!! It's a cool thing to do in Brisbane - definitely recommend.