Queenstown Shotover River White Water Rafting
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Queenstown, New Zealand
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Adrenaline-chasing travelers won’t want to miss private white-water rafting on Queenstown’s Shotover River. After traveling on one of New Zealand’s most treacherous (but beautiful) roads, you’ll have a full safety briefing before donning your gear and getting in the raft. Paddle through grade 3-5 rapids surrounded by amazing mountain scenery. Rafting experience isn’t required but a sense of adventure is recommended.
- Return transport from Queenstown is included
- Wetsuits, rafting gear, and safety equipment is provided
- Raft safely in the presence of well-trained guides
- Warm up with hot showers after
What's Included
- Return transport: Shuttle bus from our Queenstown store to the Rafting Base and back
- All necessary gear provided: Full wetsuit, rafting clothing and safety equipment
- Safety briefing: comprehensive instructions to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience
- Scenic 4WD Transfer: Travel along the iconic Skippers Canyon Road to your starting point
- Whitewater rapid adventure: Navigate the thrilling rapids of the Shotover River
- Post-rafting comfort: Hot showers at Rafting Base
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- RealNZ Queenstown Visitor CentreRealNZ Visitor Centre 88 Beach Street, CBD, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Check-in is required at least 20 minute prior to your departure time.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Lower Shotover
2
Queenstown
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Must be able to swim
- Rafting while pregnant is prohibited
- Rafting with any heart condition is prohibited
- Minimum weight 40kg
- Maximum weight 120kg
- Minimum age is 13 years. Children aged between 13 and 15 years must be accompanied by a guardian
- All travelers between the age of 16 and 17 years require a waiver to be signed by a guardian if they are unaccompanied
- You must bring a swimsuit and towel
- Rapids vary with water levels. Shotover route usually includes class 3-5 rapids, depending on conditions
- Digital photos included to remember your adventure!
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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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
Emma_M
This was a very well organised company. From meeting at the dock, to getting safety gear sorted, to the skilled driver taking us into the canyon. Clear and concise instructions throughout the rafting. SIA was our guide, she was amazing, made everyone in the boat feel comfortable. Her knowledge as we paddled down the river was excellent, telling us all about the water and the canyon.
I took my 21 year old son, first time for both of us, we both absolutely loved this!
Encourage anyone who can swim to give it a go!
Reviews
4.8
based on 370 reviews
Hebe_H, Mar 2026
Fantastic experience, we were with Benji and had an informative, fun and safe experience! Would definitely recommend to anyone!
megan_k, Mar 2026
What a 10/10 experience! Our tour guide was Jacob, and just like in the movie Twilight, I’m team Jacob.
My dad loved it, and he’s from New Jersey, they don’t like anything. My dad also said Jacob was very friendly and knowledgeable and he felt “safe in his hands”.
Personally, I felt like he projected his voice really well. Kind of like he was doing it from his diaphragm. I digress, you should do this tour, it’s great!
Emma_M, Feb 2026
This was a very well organised company. From meeting at the dock, to getting safety gear sorted, to the skilled driver taking us into the canyon. Clear and concise instructions throughout the rafting. SIA was our guide, she was amazing, made everyone in the boat feel comfortable. Her knowledge as we paddled down the river was excellent, telling us all about the water and the canyon.
I took my 21 year old son, first time for both of us, we both absolutely loved this!
Encourage anyone who can swim to give it a go!
Braden_F, Feb 2026
Had an amazing time on the water. Our guide was Mark and he was great! Would definitely recommend these guys
Zara_C, Feb 2026
This experience is so worthwhile, one of the best things we did in Queenstown! All the staff are so friendly and helpful (and everything’s provided for you) and the rafting is much longer and fun than expected!
Adrienne_H, Feb 2026
Excellent time white water rafting. Very well organised from start to finish. Challenging but instructors were very safety conscious and fun too. Coulnt recommend this activity more.
Crystal_D, Feb 2026
It was amazing. We definitely got more than our money's worth from this great trip. I went with my 13-year-old son and we both had a blast. Highly recommended!
pru_h, Feb 2026
I was extremely nervous and the guide on boat was so thorough explaining and looking after us throughout so I felt so pleased I did the whole thing.
Robert_D, Feb 2026
It was awesome, great, and fun. Excellent, and I will definitely do it again and bring friends to do it again.
Manal_H, Nov 2025
The rafting was awesome! The instructors were great and made sure that everyone felt safe while also having a great time. We had so much fun
Daniel_J, Nov 2025
very intense but the guides made
it beginner friendly. the trip out and the rafting itself were super fun and informative. Guy was an awesome instructor and led us to victory
avery_l, Apr 2025
Pro experience start to finish. Get you on and get it going. Driver had us smiling the whole time. Really a fun experience.
Amy_B, Apr 2025
A great day out rafting! Highly recommend a lot of fun. Easy transport and finish line ideally next to a brewery!
Laura_H, Mar 2025
Booked the shotover tour (grade 4/5) that was cancelled and transferred onto the Kawarau river rafting (grade 2/3) instead as the water level was too low to go on the shotover. Apparently the shotover tour hadn’t been running for 2 months because of the water level, and would have needed 2 weeks of rain to make it viable…so not sure why I was allowed to book and pay for it in the first place..?
The trip we went on was like a lazy river.. 2 or 3 very brief rapids (5-10 seconds at most) in the whole rafting experience, and then we just sat in silence drifting for the rest of it. Felt pretty disappointed - no fault of the staff who were polite and nice, but If I had known what it was like I wouldn’t have chosen to do this activity. The 4 other people in our group had the same feelings as me and my friend.
Ultimately, If your shotover tour gets cancelled, go for the refund…
Tony_B, Jan 2025
Very professional. Fantastic trip. The river is worth it, but the whole operation is so slick that it matches the river. Bonus star for not gouging customers for the photos.
Kath_M, Jan 2025
Benji and guides were fun and professional, we felt very safe and well looked after. We will recommend the experience.
Byron_C, Jan 2025
Great tour, we really had so much fun. Team was professional and efficient at getting people where they needed to be. Harry was a great guide.
Tanya_C, Jan 2025
The bus ride from Queenstown through skippers canyon is a bit sketchy and somewhat dangerous, but our host driver kept us laughing the whole way to keep us calm. Although somewhat of a production line to get everyone kitted up, it was well organised and staff were very helpful. Ensure you pack a towel and change of clothes. The rafting was a lot of fun, even though our group of 7 was split. The guides are very experienced and it was obvious safety was their priority at all times. A warm shower after is offered and is a nice way to end it. We had a blast, and would highly recommend the Shotover white water rafting experience to anyone up for some adventure. Yes you will get wet, but it’s so much fun.
carl_m, Jan 2025
Our guide Morgan was very friendly and knowledgeable and made the experience that much better. The rapids were not as large as I had anticipated due to water flow but that can not be controlled and i enjoyed the more mellow cruise with my kids anyway
Justin_S, Jan 2025
An absolutely must do experience. It was so much fun and Jess was an amazing instructor who helped us navigate the course but also was funny and super engaging. Highly recommend this experience again.
Jeffery_B, Dec 2024
Fun time zooming around the river...we did this same tour 20+ years ago, and unfortunately the lawyers must have got hold of Shotover Jet. Much slower than I remember, and they stuck to the middle of the river, rather than edges of the canyon like last time. It was still fun, but not exhilarating.
Joanna_C, Dec 2024
Tuition and safety were brilliant. Chat and banter excellent. Experience great.
Good half day out including the scary drive out there. Would recommend.
Ella_B, Apr 2024
Very fun, would definitely do again! Very good views along the way, guides we're really knowledgeable and experienced.
Amu_G, Jan 2024
We had the experience of a lifetime as a family. Pushing ourselves and seeing a remote picturesque canyon in the middle of New Zealand in Skipper’s Canyon. The guides were amazing - providing confidence and sharing laughter along the journey. Benji our guide was awesome sharing rafting tales from the UK to Iceland and beyond. If you want a memory to cherish for a lifetime - book today!
Siobhan_R, Dec 2023
Jess our guide was a pro and gave us lots of confidence and a great experience. Loved the rafting high fives.
Jenna_S, Dec 2023
Had so much fun! Benji was a great guide. A real adventure that got my heart pumping. Would highly recommend :)
Grace_H, Dec 2023
We had a great time! Guide was experienced and knowledgeable. It was fun and well organized. Would recommend!
Eadaoin_M, Nov 2023
Brilliant experience with our excellent raft guide Erin. 10/10 recommend. They provide all the equipment and transport to the starting point of the rapids which is great
Lynette_B, Apr 2023
All the rafting guides were friendly and helpful which made our rafting experience loads of fun. Definitely recommend them.
Judy_L, Mar 2023
It was my first time white water rafting and I had an amazing time. I almost drowned at one point so I would really recommend working on swimming and making sure you are strong enough to potentially swim against currents to get to your raft. They are not kidding when they say you need to be confident in swimming and strong enough to paddle. If you don’t paddle enough at some points, your raft will get stuck and you will have to jump out of your raft and swim to the nearest raft temporarily. The views were lovely and I had a great time despite almost drowning. I would highly recommend but make sure you read the waiver carefully and don’t have any of the medical conditions listed.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Thank you for sharing your experience with us and recommending white water rafting despite your close call!
We take the safety of our customers very seriously and appreciate your feedback regarding the importance of being a confident and strong swimmer for this activity. We also encourage all participants to carefully read the waiver and ensure they have what it takes to participate.
Thanks again!
From $175.01
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Queenstown Shotover River White Water Rafting
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