After our adventure in the claustrophic bat cave, we went on to our second activity in San Gil: white-water rafting. Although Chris and I have been white water rafting in Arequipa a few years ago, we were all too happy to go through a safety drill which included a practice fall into the water. Something that came in very handy later on it turned out…
Still dry…
Not so dry anymore…
We were fortunate enough to have the raft all to ourselves, along with our fantastic guide, Kevin. Fantastic that is with the exception of the time we ended up smashing head first into a massive rock face. Unfortunately, that epic collision wasn’t caught on camera, but Capitán Kevin did capture another moment which saw most of us thrown into the somewhat chilly Rio Suarez.
Even though Chris, the salty old sea-hat, somehow managed to remain in the raft, we decided it was only fair to make him walk the plank – which he did with the graceful elegance of a drunken whale.
The rafting trip was brilliant and in between us falling into the ice-cold water, we had plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding us.
After an adventurous day in San Gil, we set off to the nearby town of Barichara, a beautiful colonial town half an hour or so from San Gil. More about that in the next blog, but for now a glimpse of the charming architecture that awaited us once we’d showered and dried off…
Practical info:
- Tour operator: X-Travel
- Cost of tour: 35,000 Colombian Pesos
Looks like fun! I’ve white-water rafted all over the world, but not in Colombia. Definitely a cool experience.
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Sounds like we could have done with your experience in our raft, Becky!
It looks a amazing activity to do 🙂
It certainly was great fun – falling in the river notwithstanding!
Looks like great fun with a terrific guide and group of friends. I’ve not white-water rafted before, but I would like to visit Colombia. Can’t wait to read about the that gorgeous looking town!
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Colombia is great. I’d thoroughly recommend visiting if you ever have the chance!
I haven’t tried white water rafting yet, only kayak and canoeing but this activity looks really cool and fun. Id love to try it one day!
I think if you like kayaking and canoeing, you’ll love white water rafting 🙂
That looks like so much fun. I’d need some time to adjust, but I guess in the end it’s worth it.
It certainly was, Neni!
I love rafting but only ever do it at home! Great idea to do it while traveling. Plus looks like you had a great view when you were all done.
It was a great view, made all the better thanks to a bottle of well-deserved wine 😉
Wow, what an adventure. I’d love to go rafting here, except for the falling in part. I’d be terrified. It looks so fun, though, and Barichara sounds like an excellent place to wind down.
You’d have to ask Chris the secret to not falling in. I wish I knew it!
Exciting adventure! How on earth did you keep your camera gear dry?! Sure loved seeing your photos and reading your story…
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Luckily, our super guide took care of the photos and filming courtesy of his Go-Pro camera fixed to his helmet. A great piece of equipment. Wish I had one actually…
Sounds like you had an awesome day! and got some great photos! We recently rafted down the Zambezi in Africa and were very grateful of the ‘practice fall’ we had at the top of the river!
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I think the good, but also bad, thing about about the practice fall is you are prepared for how cold the water is when you first fall in against your wishes. Otherwise it would be a nasty shock!
That looks fun and also a great adventure! Thanks for sharing about the rafting experience !
Always a pleasure 🙂
That honestly looks like so much fun. Your pictures are great as well. I remember last time I went rafting – for the first section we’d all remained pretty dry, so our guide capsized the raft on purpose.
I think it must be a universal raft-guide obsession – to make sure no-one leaves dry!
This looks like a lot of fun! I’ve only gone rafting once, so I would love to do it again. Was the water very cold? It was freezing when I went!
It was absolutely freezing Vicky. We did our practise fall at the beginning, so were already wet when we started, but when we fell in again it felt even colder. But all good fun!
I’ve never been rafting, but always wanted to. It looks like you’ve had tons of fun, and I really hope I get to try it soon. Not sure if it will be in San Gil, but that would certainly make the experience more interesting.
You should really try it Alina. It is so much fun-even when the wáter is freezing.
I love rafting, I’ve been to several. Ahhhhh— its just the cold water I am not prepared for. I remember one tour had to give is schnaps after the trip, just to warm our bodies.
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Ha ha, I wish I had some schnaps after my trip. It was soo cold and all of my clothes were drenched. But it was really fun nonetheless!
Looks like you guys are having so much fun. Looking forward to more of your adventure. Good luck
San Gil does look great. I cannot wait!
I’m so excited for you that you will go too. It is a great place.
This looks so exciting!! Have always loved rafting! Recently tried it in the Philippines and it was crazy! You guys should try that out soon!
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I would love to visit the Philippines actually. I only hear goo things about it actually.
Seem you have a lot of fun! :))) it was quite an adventure in that bat cave 🙂 I find bats cute.
Actually, I do too! 😉
Watched the video! Looks like a lot of fun!
It was hilarious Eva. Highly recommend it!
This seems quite adventurous. But I think I’m not suit for adventure games. I’m not strong enough. Anyway, I love reading about your experience of rafting!
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Sometimes, I think you just nee to push yourself, an you would be surprised how strong you actually are. 🙂
Wow, what an adventure place it is. I’d love to go rafting here, but don’t want to fall into river.
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It was actually fun in the river, but it was very cold! 🙂
What a fun trip! Makes me want to visit Colombia as well. Never thought about Colombia as a holiday location, but if I see this all … Wow!
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Colombia is a fantastic holiday destination. It offers something for every taste from glitzy city life, to rainforests, mountains and stunning beaches.
This is funny! Nice trip.
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Rafting seems like so much fun and I would love to experience this one day. Did you take any classes for rafting?
Rafting is something I’m planning to try for a long time but after this post I’m really ready to give it a try! Thanks for the inspiration!
what a perfect looking place! a great place to forget the rest of the world and its worries!~
I really enjoyed reading your blog, you have lots of great content, Thanks for posting this interesting article.
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