{"id":816,"date":"2009-12-14T16:09:37","date_gmt":"2009-12-14T23:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=816"},"modified":"2011-06-22T17:25:56","modified_gmt":"2011-06-23T00:25:56","slug":"passport-to-adventure-the-best-international-river-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/adventure-travel\/816\/passport-to-adventure-the-best-international-river-trips","title":{"rendered":"Passport to Adventure: The Best International River Trips"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"D200702250062\"\"99-8-16-11\"<\/p>\n

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All photos by Leon Werdinger\/Ottertrack Productions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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As a former professional whitewater guide I believe there’s no better way to travel than on a river\u2014whether you’re after a white-knuckle adventure or a floating meditation.\u00a0 If you’re searching for an international escapade that involves more than visiting crumbling churches, and want to combine thrills and culture on your next vacation, a river outing might just be your E-ride ticket.<\/p>\n

According to Leon Werdinger, a professional outdoor photographer and long-time river guide, there are several great reasons for floating\u2014 and paddling\u2014 beyond our borders.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “On some outings, it’s a great way to connect with local cultures and meet villagers or sheepherders,” Werdinger says.\u00a0 “And river trips allow you to reach locations where you can see exotic wildlife\u2014 on Africa’s Zambezi, fore example, you’re definitely going to see hippos and crocodiles\u2014 and to access places that you couldn’t reach even trekking or backpacking.\u00a0 These trips also often feature an international clientele, which makes them even more interesting.”\"04-3-7-11\"<\/p>\n

If you’re considering an international river trip but don’t want to end up like Meryl Streep in the movie The River Wild, make sure to do your homework up front.\u00a0 For many folks, choosing the right river can be more difficult than paddling through foaming whitewater. There are a number of factors to consider that might affect your safety as well as your enjoyment.<\/p>\n

Rivers are a lot like people\u2014 formed by their surroundings and exhibiting personalities that run the gamut from frolicky to ferocious.\u00a0 Rapids\u2014 the behavior manifested by these personalities\u2014 are rated according to their potential for upset and injury on a scale of Class I to Class VI.\u00a0 A Class I rapid resembles, say, the water in a swimming pool when George Foreman wades in; a Class VI looks more like a frothing smoothie in a blender, and is essentially unnavigable.\u00a0 Most active folks with an adventurous spirit will be comfortable on Class III and even Class IV whitewater.\u00a0 Only real adrenaline addicts\u2014 and probably only those with previous river experience\u2014 should sign up for Class V whitewater.<\/p>\n

Because these trips involve far more variables than a stroll through an art museum, be careful in choosing who takes you to\u2014 and on\u2014 the river.\u00a0 Martha Gaughen, Vice President of Sterling Brownell, an upscale leisure travel agency specializing in soft adventure, offers this advice.\u00a0 “It’s critical that you pick the right outfitter, and the more challenging the river, the more critical.\u00a0 Perform your due diligence: find out what sort of equipment the outfitter uses.\u00a0 Who are their guides?\u00a0 What’s their experience level?\u00a0 How long have they been in business?\u00a0 What safety measures are in place?\u00a0 Are helmets and life jackets required?\u00a0 What’s their medical backup?\u00a0 A lot of these trips are to very remote places, so every expedition needs to have a plan and a person on the trip who’s wilderness certified. Ask a lot of questions and get feedback from actual clients.”<\/p>\n

Finally, the very styles of these trips, and the level of service offered, can vary widely.\u00a0 On some expeditions you can practically get a pedicure while your guides are busy whipping up a seven-course dinner.\u00a0 Other outings are more participatory.\u00a0 As Lonnie Hutson, owner of Sundog Expeditions in Deary, Idaho explains, “I find people have a better time on our trips if they really contribute.\u00a0 People like to get involved, whether that means helping with gear or chopping vegetables in the kitchen.\u00a0 Passengers and guides really bond when they work side by side.”<\/p>\n

From Canada to China to Costa Rica, here are ten international river trip choices that shouldn’t land you in hot water.<\/p>\n

Tatshenshini River, Alaska, British Columbia, The Yukon<\/span><\/p>\n

\"99-8-14-4\"Hatha Callis, owner of Skeena Valley Expeditions, in British Columbia, recommends this relatively calm 10-day international trip closer to home.\u00a0 “It runs through the planet’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two national and one provincial park.\u00a0 You’ll see the world’s largest non-polar ice caps, lakes full of icebergs, as well as glacier bears, grizzly bears, and bald eagles.\u00a0 And you can drink your evening scotch with 10,000-year-old ice.”\u00a0 The Tat also incorporates layover days for great hiking.<\/p>\n

Karnali River, Nepal<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact that just reaching the Karnali requires an overland trek with porters should give some idea of how remote this big-volume Class IV-V waterway is.\u00a0 The week-long trip flows through a series of narrow, forested canyons and ends in Bardia National Park.\u00a0 Most of the gnarly whitewater occurs in the first few days.<\/p>\n

Zambezi River, Africa <\/span><\/p>\n

The day-long section at the top of Africa’s Zambezi river offers what photographer\/guide Leon Werdinger calls “gnar gnar whitewater, with five gnars.\u00a0 If your raft flips you’re instructed to stay in the main current, because the eddies along the sides have crocs and hippos\u2014 and they do flip rafts there.”\u00a0 The overnight stretch farther downriver is mellower, and floats through rural villages.<\/p>\n

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Pacuare, Costa Rica<\/span><\/p>\n

Martha Gaughen calls the Pacuare’s whitewater “fun but never threatening.\u00a0 You can take 1, 2, or 3-day trips and combine them with other eco-tours to volcanoes or in the rainforest canopy.”\u00a0 Highlights include the chance to see toucans and sloths and swim beneath waterfalls.\"04-3-7-6\"<\/p>\n

Upper Yangtze River, Tibet<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric Hertz, President of Earth River Expeditions, describes the Yangtze as one of the most culturally interesting river trips in the world.\u00a0 “The scenery is pretty\u2014 high, rolling, green hills\u2014 but the untouched Tibetan culture is unbelievable.\u00a0 We see monks in red robes in stone villages cut out of cliff walls, amazing temples with paintings, and the people are really welcoming and thrilled to see us.\u00a0 This is one of the all time great river trips.”<\/p>\n

Upper Navua River, Fiji<\/span><\/p>\n

An unusual island river trip, this one-day outing on the Upper Navua cuts through a gorge of black lava overgrown with ferns, vines, and other jungle flora.\u00a0 The easy Class II whitewater is perfect for family outings.\u00a0 Riverside waterfalls await around nearly every bend.<\/p>\n

Shotover River, New Zealand<\/span><\/p>\n

New Zealand’s fun, technical Shotover River is most often run as a day trip from Queensland in the company of Kiwi guides with ‘no-worries’ attitudes.\u00a0 Highlights include a rapid that flows through a tunnel and then pours right into a Class IV drop back out in daylight.\u00a0 Leon Werdinger rates the shuttle drive to the Shotover, on an eroding hillside, as “a Class V\u2014it’s the scariest road I’ve ever been on.”<\/p>\n

Futeleufu River, Chile<\/span><\/p>\n

\"D200702220001\"Describing the hard-core whitewater of the Futeleufu, Martha Gaughen quotes a client who told her, “If you swallowed a piece of coal before this trip it would come out as a diamond.”\u00a0 The intense, challenging Class V river is often run as a day-trip in combination with such other adventure sports as rappelling and zip lines.\u00a0 The river cuts through a beautiful mountain valley.<\/p>\n

Magpie River, Quebec, Canada<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric Hertz calls the Magpie the second best multi-day whitewater river trip in North America\u2014 and that’s saying something.\u00a0 Guests are flown in by float-plane for a week of warm-water boating in a pristine area that “looks like Siberia.”\u00a0 The Magpie has been run so seldom that the rapids don’t even have names.\u00a0 One highlight is camping across from a 100-ft waterfall with a powerful volume of water.<\/p>\n

Tombopata River, Peru<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten- to twelve-day trips on the Tombopata carry travelers from the Andes to the Amazon along a river boiling with Class III-Class IV rapids.\u00a0 It passes through two national parks.\u00a0 Some expeditions are joined by a naturalist who points out such wildlife as monkeys, tapirs, macaws, and even jaguars.\u00a0 Guests stay at lodges and camp out en route.<\/p>\n\"D200702250103\"\"D200702260232\"\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All photos by Leon Werdinger\/Ottertrack Productions. As a former professional whitewater guide I believe there’s no better way to travel… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,19164],"tags":[5608,944165,5598,5609,20,5599,5454,5600,5557,5601,5561,5602,5592,5603,5593,5604,5594,5605,5595,5606,5596,5607,5597],"class_list":["post-816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-travel","category-offcourse","tag-tombopata-river","tag-adventure-travel","tag-rafting-in-nepal","tag-rafting-in-peru","tag-rivers","tag-upper-yangtze-river","tag-river-trips","tag-earth-river-expeditions","tag-tatshenshini-river","tag-upper-navua-river","tag-leon-werdinger","tag-fiji-rafting","tag-skeena-valley-expeditions","tag-shotover-river","tag-karnali-river","tag-new-zealand-rafting","tag-zambezi-river","tag-futuleufu-river","tag-pacuare-river","tag-rafting-in-chile","tag-costa-rican-rafting","tag-magpie-river","tag-rafting-in-africa"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2009\/12\/D200702250062.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816\/revisions\/2599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}