Emerald Cave Kayak Rental with Optional Vegas Shuttle
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Las Vegas, USA
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
Emerald Cove gets its name from the green light that filters through the cave—but reaching it requires crossing a stretch of the Colorado River that's only accessible by water. This half-day rental covers a stand-up paddleboard, single kayak, or double kayak. An optional shuttle with hotel pickup from Mandalay Bay reduces the national park fee payable on arrival.
- Spend half a day kayaking or SUPing the Colorado River from Willow Beach
- Paddle at your own pace on this self-guided adventure
- Package includes lifejacket, kayak or SUP, paddles, and basic instructions
- Upgrade to add 2-way shuttle service: There’s no signal to order rideshares
What's Included
- Single or double kayak, or SUP, life vest, paddle, bottled water
- Directions about all surrounding destinations, Emerald Cave and the Black Canyon historical sites
- Basic kayaking instructions
- Shuttle pickup from Mandalay Bay Hotel from the Strip if you selected the "with Shuttle" option
- We will contact you regarding your choice of equipment/ single or double kayak
- National park fee$15.00 per person
- Tour guide - this is a kayak rental, not a guided kayak tour
- If you meet us at the launch site, National Park entrance fee per vehicle is$25.00 per booking
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
What To Expect
1
Emerald Cove
2
Colorado River
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Basic kayaking instructions provided
- Directions about all surrounding destinations, Emerald Cave and the Black Canyon
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 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
Nancy_K
Great way to spend a day away from the hustle and bustle of Vegas strip. Zen was the perfect host! Informative, fun and has a great vibe! Would definitely ask for him!!!
Reviews
4.9
based on 288 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Timothy_W, Aug 2026
The kayaking through the canyons was amazing. Our guide was great! The emerald cave was a bit disappointing based on the photos from the internet. All in all, a great experience.
Oris_M, Jul 2026
It was easy to book, easy communication, and a great time on the Colorado River! We opted to meet the group at the launch site since we needed to pick up snacks and drinks. The weather was quite warm, but the breeze on the water and the ability to get wet kept us cool. The trip is a down-and-back and on the day we went it was just as much work to get down the river as it was to get back - partly due to the wind. The key to not waiting in line to see the Emerald Cave is to get going early!
John_P, Jul 2026
Great experience highly recommend
Jsut an hour outside of Vegas we really enjoyed taking in some nature and getting out of the busy city for a couple hours
Erika_M, Jun 2026
Absolutely loved It!!! Such a beautiful experience. I just wish I would have rented the kayak for a longer time. Just be prepared to wait about an hour to 1.5h to take a picture in the emerald cave but worth it. Also make sure to wear Sunglasses, a Hat, and plenty of sunscreen or long sleeves if you are sensitive.
Renee_I, Jun 2026
LV SUP were well organized.
Tour Guide Kwame made the experience Enjoyable, Safe, & Fun.
Highly Recommend. Better than hanging out on the LV strip.
The water & cave were a beautiful Emerald.
Kalli_H, Jun 2026
It was just as described. Worth it! Highly recommended. Convenient pick up from the Strip and such a beautiful spot!
George_B, May 2026
It’s a wonderful paddle on the Colorado River with stunning views. The trip is 4 miles round trip and an easy paddle unless the winds are high. I definitely recommend a guided tour - we had Anthony and he was great! The shuttle leaves from Mandalay Bay and is about an hour’s drive to the launch site. The cave itself is cool but, as Anthony told us, it’s more about the journey than the destination. Expect to wait (45-60 minutes) to enter and only spend 5-10 minutes in the cave itself. Overall I highly recommend if you want to get out of the city and explore the beautiful desert scape.
Julie_S, May 2026
We had a great time. A bottle of water is provided. They give instructions before you take off and let you know which direction to head.
David_B, May 2026
It was a great experience, it was my wife and step sons first time on a kayak, we got a little tutorial how to paddle, get in and off the kayak and how to avoid injuries in terms of rowing, the “cave” we actually passed by due to us thinking “that can’t be it” as we passed it due to it being so small, we went an additional mile still beautiful if you go further you will go come across an entire empty place where echos sound pretty awesome, I will say the only down side is that there were tons of mosquitos, bring repellant, and have proper form or your elbows will hurt, over all beautiful we saw 3 big horn sheep, you can’t swim by the shore where you take off with your kayak, so make sure to stop further up stream at some spots to jump into the water, definitely go again.
Megan_S, Apr 2026
Zen and Austin were great guides! Patient, funny and informative. Safe and scenic kayak trip and highly recommend to others.
James_C, Apr 2026
Triston was great! Got us out there and on the water fast and made it a fun time! Lots of jokes and good music on the way home made it seem like a quick trip there and back!
Sarah_S, Apr 2026
Arrive a bit early to ensure you’re able to find the location okay and to ensure you have everything you need such as water and perhaps granola bars. They provided us with cold waters also which was amazing! Ensure you have a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen! Water shoes can help if you wanted to get out. It was a very easy kayak adventure with exquisite views and some history! One of the highlights of our vacation, totally worth it!
Allison_C, Apr 2026
Had the best time with my friends. The best part of the trip was finding a little side beach and spending the day out on the water. I’m thankful we picked a non tour experience because we were able to go at a pace we wanted for the day. If you picked guided it’s way more structured of a trip. Regardless everyone in charge was super kind and helpful. 10/10
Tanya_H, Apr 2026
We got picked up in Vegas and it was a beautiful experience kayaking. Robbie was a great guide. Would definitely do this again
Nancy_K, Apr 2026
Great way to spend a day away from the hustle and bustle of Vegas strip. Zen was the perfect host! Informative, fun and has a great vibe! Would definitely ask for him!!!
Kim_F, Apr 2026
Anthony was a great tour guide.and our group was so fun and lots of laughs. It’s a 4 mile kayak trip so be prepared to use those arms but there was beautiful scenery and so worth it.
Christine_S, Apr 2026
The guides were great. Robbie and Anthony
However I would recommend if you have kayaked before just rent the kayak and not the guide. As some folks in group may be slower and not as motivated.
The cave wasn't really all that great when you are apart of a big guided group. And hearing all of the guides say the same exact information makes it less fun.
Everyone has their own preferences on what they're wanting when they're looking at Adventures like this.
ShaBell, Apr 2026
Awesome experience- staff very knowledgeable and professional. A very peaceful and zen like experience and you get your upper body exercises in
Vince_A, Mar 2026
As advertised. Family with 16 and 12 year old had a good time. I’d say you absolutely don’t need a guide. It was only our 2nd time ever kayaking for point of reference. They explained everything well
Nicole_A, Mar 2026
You can bring your own drinks and snacks. The camera is necessary. The views are incredible and the guides were great
Robyn_L, Mar 2026
This was a great experience! It was an adventure and super fun! The guide was super informed, told great stories and gave us great information about plants, animals and history. Great activity over all. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is, the cave/cove had a huge line that took so long to get in, we didn’t even end up going in. I did go near the entrance and it looked pretty small and unimpressive. I would suggest heading to the spot fast so you have time to wait & see the cove.
Katie_C, Mar 2026
Beautifully clear water. Cool rocks and cliffs surrounding you. Easy enough for all the family to make!
BELINDA_S, Mar 2026
Zen was our guide and was superior with his know of the river and the sites! Great experience 👍🏻❤️
BRENDENJ_F, Mar 2026
Kayak crew did amazing! They brought thr vibe and made sure everyone was having fun while still being safe.
They checked in with us multiple times during the trip to make sure we had everything we needed to enjoy. Amazing!
Michael_v, Feb 2026
Had a great time. Was nice to rent the kayaks and be able to get out before the tours and have plenty of time in the cave and freedom to see the sights on our timeline. Friendly staff made it easy.
Tyrus_W, Jan 2026
The experience of our 1st time kayaking was amazing! And my man Juston was was outstanding from pickup to drop-off! We're looking forward to booking again when we return. Thank you for the experience!
Nicholas_C, Dec 2025
Really easy and great instructions to follow. We spent the whole 4 hours going up the Colorado river and back to the starting point. A definite must do if you are in for a small adventure when visiting Las Vegas! Thank you
Micki_F, Nov 2025
We booked the kayaking rental without the guided tour for me, my husband and our 10 year old son. The shuttle picked us up, along with a few others, on time from Mandalay Bay. Our driver, and guide, Robby was amazing! He invited us to join the group on the guided tour and were so glad he did! He made the experience unforgettable. He was super friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Aside from the amazing experience kayaking the beautiful Colorado River, we took a little hike on the beach and experienced a view we never would have on our own. I would 100 percent recommend Las Vegas SUP Kayak Club!
Vanessa_L, Nov 2025
We took the shuttle from Mandalay Bay. Our driver was Zen. Zen and the whole group was great. We had a great time. Also, Emerald Cove is amazing. I definitely would go back and would recommend it.
Carol_W, Nov 2025
Relaxing beautiful kayak trip on the Colorado with plenty of places to pull over for rest or picnics
From $69.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Emerald Cave Kayak Rental with Optional Vegas Shuttle
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