Whitewater Rafting in Ecuador

I havent actually ben rafting in Banos myself but a couple of mates of mine have and they said that the white water there is absolutely outstanding. Grade 5 level stuff. Worth a look I reckon.

I am a whitewater kayaker and spent three months of Ecuador a couple years ago travelling around and boating. I also lived in Banos for 6 weeks and worked as a safety kayaker for rafting trips there.

The rafting in Banos is somewhat limited. The main river there is the Pastaza River. It has two sections, one class 3+ and one class 4 (with a class 5 thrown in). The river is really fun and very pretty, but unfortunatley also very polluted. So keep that in mind. I worked for Geotours, a company in Banos that I would recommend if you do go rafting there.

Tena is more well known for its rafting, and will probably offer you a few more options and also has rivers that wont be so polluted. Because I had my own kayaking gear, I really didnt get to into the commercial rafting scene in Tena, but the rivers I paddled there were amazing.

If you are going to be in Tena, I would recommend doing your rafting there. However, if your not able to make it over there, youll enjoy rafting in Banos as well. On a side note, I loved the town of Banos and ended up getting stalled out there for a while. I definitely recommend making your way there. I'll be headed back this Spring myself.

I did a water rafting on Jatunyaco (III) with http://www.riverpeopleraftingecuador.com/ . They were very professional and everything was great. First we had 2 hours of rafting, than 1 hour brake for the lunch and than again an hour and half. everything was 50$.
regards, marin

We are also kayakers who just spent a month living in Tena and are going back to live for two more months this winter. My advice don´t go in Baños the rivers are very dirty (fecal matter and lots of it). Tena is not as touristy as Baños but has much better rivers, well worth the trip. Good luck. River People is a great rafting company in Tena. Hostal Limoncocha a clean nice hostal also with rafting. Beth

We did white water rafting with GeoTours in Banos. Those guys rock! Class IV and V rapids.