Our routes have been carefully chosen to include the best night stops and highlights. However, as local and operational conditions may vary and unforeseen circumstances can arise, the following itinerary should be used as a guideline.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Day 1). Depart Las Vegas Hotel at 05:00 AM and transfer to the Colorado River
Days 2-7). Colorado River/Grand Canyon
Day 8). Transfer back to Las Vegas
PRE TOUR MEETING
There will be a pre-tour orientation meeting in the lobby of the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel at 20:00 hrs the night before the tour begins. You will meet your group and discuss any questions relating to the upcoming adventure on the river.
BEGINNERS WELCOME
No previous rafting experience is required; however, we do suggest that you are confident in and around water and that you are willing to live without a mobile phone signal for the duration of the trip!
CAN'T SWIM?
No problem. Neither can many of the people who raft the Canyon. We will supply U.S. Coast Guard-approved life preservers, and each person is required to wear one at all times aboard the boats.
A TYPICAL DAY ON THE RIVER
7:00 AM
We wake to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee. Although the sun will not flood our camp for some time, tops of the Grand Canyon's walls already are aglow with sunlight. While eggs, sausage, and muffins cook, sleeping bags are being packed.
9:00 AM
We enter a series of rapids. A great blue heron takes off down-river, wings pumping. Both bird and its surroundings seem somehow prehistoric.
10:00 AM
We stop to explore a narrow, beautifully sculptured wash named Shinumo. In shadow, all but fleeting moments each day, its polished silver walls shed a light of their own. To see the sky, you must tilt your head back with great effort.
11:00 AM
South Canyon intersects the river, signaling that Vasey's Paradise is just ahead. A paradise, indeed! Sunlight seems to explode from the fountains of water gushing from the Grand Canyon's walls. Lush growths of moss and ferns in this "paradise" seem strangely out of place in such a desert setting. We drift close to the gushing water, giving everyone aboard a welcome shower.
12:00 Noon
Our boats stop for lunch in the shade of Redwall Cavern. Inside this great cave, there's room enough for a game of softball!
2:00 PM
As two golden eagles soar lazily overhead, we drift quietly and our boatman tells us the story of Bert Loper's historic river run in 1949. We feel the heat, but soon a roller coaster rapid refreshes us.
4:00 PM
We sight moon lilies, abloom at the mouth of Saddle Canyon. A hike to explore Saddle is topped off with a cold soda.
6:00 PM
We make for Nankoweap, site of ancient Indian ruins, and our campsite tonight.
8:00 PM
After a dinner of fillet, dutch-oven potatoes, green salad, and cherry cobbler, we hike to the ruins, and view the river below.
9:00 PM
Those who cannot stay awake find their sleeping bags. Bed tonight is beneath the Milky Way, and a canopy of stars that dwarfs even the Grand Canyon.
EATING ON THE RIVER
The design of our boats enables us to carry several hundred pounds of ice, which will last the entire trip. Every meal is prepared with fresh meats and produce. All food is prepared by our boatmen, who have mastered the art of Dutch-oven cooking. We provide generous quantities of cold soft drinks, fruit juice and filtered water which are available to you throughout the day. Dinners include a meat course served with a fresh vegetable, salad or soup, and a dessert.
NATURALLY RESPONSIBLE
We contribute $8 per person to support the Grand Canyon Conservation Fund - a non-profit organisation working directly with worthy conservation groups such as Friends of the River, Grand Canyon Trust and others. The money is used to further research and protection of the Grand Canyon.
