Why Multi-Day River Rafting Trips are Better than Day Trips
February 27, 2020
By Julie Trevelyan
If you’re are planning a white water rafting vacation and need some guidance, your first question might be, is a multi-day river rafting trip better than a day trip? We have a bunch of reasons why a multi-day trip should be your top choice. Here are five pretty darn good ones:
1. More days = more fun.
A multi-day river rafting trip involves more actual time on the river, which is why you’re there in the first place.
2. The chillax factor.
On a multi-day raft trip, you experience nature’s relaxed pace. As we like to say, just go with the flow.
3. End-of-day coolness.
Our seasoned guides point out that on a multi-day river trip, your daily ending includes a riverside beach, meals prepared by the boatmen/cooks, the possibility of sunset lighting the canyon walls ablaze with rich color, and the sound of the river lulling you to sleep. At the end of a single day trip, what awaits you is a car ride and the concrete highway.
4. Getting in touch with the incredible riverscape.
Between the guides and your own senses, you’ll gain an appreciation for the tremendous geologic history behind each river bend, and the dual serenity and adrenaline rush of an amazing whitewater river.
5. Awesome nighttime entertainment.
As Dan Carter, veteran Holiday river guide, says, “Shooting stars and campfires are a great combination.” And you can’t get those on a day trip.
What’s more, multi-day river rafting trips sometimes are tailored to a particular group or around a theme. Check out a family rafting vacation if you’re seeking bonding time together. Women-only rafting trips are popular as well. Including yoga along with your daily float can be a rejuvenating excursion. Multi-day can also mean multi-sport, combining whitewater rafting with Moab mountain biking tours or horseback riding. Youth group raft trips and specialty river trips that include an accompanying naturalist can turn a multi-day trip into an unforgettable adventure.
Dan sums it up best: “Really, the best thing about spending several days on the river is that you truly get to relax and get in tune with your surroundings. You begin to feel the pulse of the river and the rhythm of nature. As a guide, I have seen the stresses of [the participants’] life’s toils slip away during river trips to the point that they seem to be different people by the end.”
Written by Julie Trevelyan.
Julie is a freelance writer and wilderness guide in southern Utah. She especially enjoys books, coffee, yoga, wild country, horses, and dark chocolate.
See more of her work at www.wildgirlwriting.com