Last time I went white water rafting I was crying. I was about 8 years old and in the mountains of North Carolina. Never one for roller coasters, rides, or thrills of any kind I was freaking out. We were on the last run of what was probably a class 1 rapid and it had a big (2 ft) drop at the very end. I did not want to go and was hugging on to my mom’s waist in protest. There was an option to skip the drop and walk to the finish line, but my mom was having none of it as she was always big on making us do stuff we did not want to do. She gave me a look and told me tough cookies, and to hop on the raft. 26 years later I decided to finally give rafting another shot, and luckily did not cry while clutching onto my wife. But, I would be lying if I did not admit I was still a little nervous. Once a wuss, always a wuss.
There are many options in Ecuador for white water rafting. Tena and Baños are two main cities where backpackers flock to for all kinds of water sports and adventure. We chose Tena because my wife was lightly stalked by a rafting guide about six years ago in Baños while volunteering in Ecuador, so it was a no brainer. Tena is small city in the middle of the country, on the Amazonian eastern side. It has been a popular tourist destination with its proximity to the jungle and all of the extreme sports that entails. At this point I also feel it is important to add that if you don’t have a waterproof camera, this is as good a reason as any to buy one.
We arrived in Tena on a Thursday after a hellish 6 hour bus ride from the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Although we read it usually takes 4-5 hours, when you stop every 100 yards to pick up or drop of a passenger, the estimated time of arrival quickly grows. We checked into our hostel and asked about a rafting trip for the next day, since a few of my emails went unanswered from some of the tour companies. She quickly called AquaXtreme who sent someone over to our hostel within 5 minutes to tell us about their tour. Although there are many options, we wanted to do a one day trip down the Jatunyacu (meaning “Big River” in Quichua). It is a class 3 with plenty of fun rapids, scenic views, and was a good difficulty for people of any level. He explained that for $63 USD a person we got an English speaking guide in our boat, a safety kayak (he also took pics), a great lunch, all of our gear, transportation, and around 4 hours on the river. We were the only ones on our trip (yay private trip and front seats the whole time!), but it should be noted that if you do have a full boat, the price drops. We paid a small deposit and were told we would be picked up around 8:30 the next morning and would be done around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Items to bring would be sunscreen, a small amount of cash, a waterproof camera, and a towel or change of clothes for after the trip.
The following day we were picked up in a truck along with our guides, right on time. After a quick stop at the office to pay off our balance, we were off! It was a quick 30 minute ride into the jungle and we were at the drop off point. We were quickly fitted with our gear and given a thorough safety lesson. It was immediately apparent that we were in for a great time. Although all of the companies use the same drop off point, all the guides seem to free lance. They all know each other, seem to all be having a blast, and do tours for different companies. Our guide’s father was manning another companies raft, while his brother manned another. A small walk down the hill to the river and we were off, with the other rafts not far behind.
Our guide asked what kind of trip we wanted as soon as we got in the river. Did we want a rough ride, an easier ride, a little of both, etc. Since it has been raining and the river was high with great wake, we decided for a rough/fun ride. As our guide quickly went over the paddle commands he gently pushed me off the boat, and into the river. Although cold, my fear of rafting quickly dissipated as I was easily pulled on board after a quick swim.
Although it made the paddling a little harder, having our own boat was amazing. Being in the front has the best views and we even made a small pit stop that the other boats did not. After early rapids our guide quickly pulled of on the side of the river under a waterfall so our safety kayak could take some pics of us. Our guide also pointed out indigenous communities and many of the plants and there uses along the way. I cannot say enough about what an amazing job he did. He clearly had been doing this a long time and knew his shit.
After an hour of scenic river views and roller coaster rapids we pulled off on a bank where another river joined the Jatuncaya. Our guide cut down some fruit for us to try and showed us some other plants and there medicinal uses to the indigenous people of the region. Here we met some of the other passengers on the other boats who seemed to be having as much fun as us.
We had another hour on the river and then lunch. This hour featured Michelle riding the front of the boat through the rapids like it was a bunking bronco while I paddled and laughed my ass off. After my quick push in at the beginning of our trip, Michelle quickly passed me as she fell out twice in the rapids. We soon stopped for lunch at an indigenous community who works with the companies to provide a place for the tours to stop. The indigenous are very welcoming and sell a variety of jewelry and other goods. Our lunch was a do it yourself burrito bar, banana bread (homemade by our safety kayaker’s grandma), and tea/water. After all the paddling it really hit the spot. Then we had some more plant life learning time with our guide, and hopped back in the raft.
The last two hours of the trip featured more of the same. This time I got to sit on the front of the boat through rapids while Michelle paddled. I fared better and was not thrown into the river. More swells and rapids followed, as did Michelle’s many plunges into the river from our raft. Final count Will-2, Michelle-5. We also got to try and get our raft vertical with our guide pulling a rope attached to the front. As you might guess, this is fun as shit. Not only did we tumble into the river, but our guide did as well. We soon pulled up to our final destination tired, and with huge grins on our faces.
From there it was a quick 10 minute ride into town. We cannot recommend this trip enough. Obviously we loved using AquaXtreme, but there seems to be quite a few other reliable companies such as River People Rafting or Rios Ecuador. All of the companies offer many different trips (kayak, rafting, treks) so you should have no problem finding one that fits your taste.
