Rio Grande Gorge Full Day
- 6h 30m
- 2 languages
- Mobile ticket
Highlights
The Lower Gorge of the Rio Grande is a broad canyon with lush riparian habitat along the banks of the Rio. A fantastic full day adventure for families, first time rafters and groups. The first half of the day is beautiful float through the Orilla Verde section of the Rio Grande with incredible scenery, gorgeous riverside lunch stops and ample opportunity to work on your paddling in preparation for the exciting whitewater of the Racecourse to come in the afternoon. The Rio Grande Gorge full day trip meets at our headquarters at 8:30 a.m. daily and the minimum age during most of the year is 5 years old
Inclusions
What's included
- World Class Guides
- Safe, Secure Parking,
- Full Service Headquarters
- All rafting Equipment
- Lunch
- Signature, Hot Chicken Fajita Lunch
What's not
- Gratuities
Itinerary
Starting Out We start at our headquarters where you’ll meet your guides for the day who will outfit you with all the gear necessary for the day on the river. At the headquarters, you will find safe secure parking, clean restrooms, changing rooms, shaded picnic tables on our patio rooms, and any last minute items you might have forgotten including sunscreen, water shoes, hats and much more. This is the perfect place to start your adventure. Craft choices are dependent on water levels. The large majority of our guests like to participate and paddle along with the guide in the back of the boat giving paddling commands, however, you may also choose to sit back and let the guide do the work on an oar boat. And for the adrenaline junkies, ask about an inflatable kayak at no extra charge. Floating the Rio Grande Gorge After the short drive to the starting point in our vans, your river trip begins with a placid morning float through one of the most scenic parts of the canyon with great opportunities to see a variety of wildlife including mule deer, river otter, beaver and many different birds of prey. This section also affords us time to practice paddling techniques, swimming and simply enjoying the Rio Grande. Somewhere in this stretch, we’ll stop on the side of the river for a nice lunch put together by your guides. After lunch, we run the Class III rapids of the “Racecourse.” The Lower Gorge of the Rio Grande is a broad canyon with lush riparian habitat along the banks of the Rio. As we enter the “Racecourse” section the geology radically changes as we pass onto the Rio Grande fault line, one of the largest intercontinental fault lines in North America. But let’s not forget the whitewater! The Racecourse is 6 miles of action-packed class 2-3 rapids. Perfect for everyone from beginners to intermediate/experts. There is something for everyone to enjoy on this section. With rapids like the Maze, Albert’s Falls, The Narrows, and The Thunderdome make sure you are braced in and ready to get wet! Listen to your guides as they negotiate these rapids and don’t forget to ask them to surf when the water levels are lower. Guides for the Rio Grande Gorge Full Day Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. Our Guides have experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do. They will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible. Full Day Rio Grande rafting trips available EVERY DAY starting in March through September. Our minimum age at most water levels is 5, however, at the higher flows, that minimum age rises to 13. Book online or call us anytime, 1-800-983-7756, to reserve your space.
Cancellation
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Reviews
4.9
- 5197
- 44
- 33
- 22
- 11
Ratings come from 207 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5It was a great experience...
It was a great experience breathtaking reviews! Our tour guide was laidback and encouraging. The water was lower this year leading to the rapids not being to challenging… but, definitely worth a visit/trip !
2Be Careful what you wish for
This review is directed to the ownership. Our guide were pleasant and knowledgeable. They both tried to make a disappointing trip pleasant. Here is the question… At what point or at water level of the river do you ask yourselves as business owners do you close up because the water level is so low that a raft can not make it down through the river without getting stuck in rocks every 25 feet. If a ski lodge does not have enough snow to cover their trails they shut down. But if a raft can still float even though there was less than a foot of water in many places you still charge people $120 each but the guide has to get out in knee high water and drag to raft off the rocks. Great decision management team. Let’s just keep charging those unsuspected out of state visitors. Never coming back!!!
5Great day on the Rio Grande
Absolutely incredible experience rafting the Rio Grande! We did the full-day trip and I highly recommend it. Our guides were fantastic, funny, knowledgeable, engaging, and wonderful with the kids. They kept us laughing with their cheesy jokes, taught us about the history of the Rio Grande, Indigenous cultures, and native plants, and even made us a delicious fajita lunch along the way. It was the perfect mix of adventure, scenery, history, and fun. Truly a memorable day and one of the highlights of our trip
5Very enjoyable,...
Very enjoyable, fun,Austin our guide was knowledgeable about the route, history and nature, and knows his craft. Lunch was homemade and very tasty.Rapids and surrounding nature was beautiful and peaceful.
5A great rafting adventure just outside of Santa Fe
This group is a well oiled machine and we had a great trip. Highly recommended. We had Riley as our guide and he was fun and told us a ton about the river and plant life, as well as history that we were passing along the river. He is a skilled river guide and kept us safe while making sure we all had a great time.
5Youth Trip Fun Day 2026
We took a youth group of 20 high school students after a local mission trip as a fun day and we couldn't have been more pleased. Staff was courteous, welcoming, and very knowledgeable. This would be a very good experience as a team building exercise for corporate teammates.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Our physical address is 2273 Hwy 68, Embudo NM 87531 Please Note: Using your GPS will get you close to us, however, due to our rural location, it won’t usually lead you all the way to our headquarters so please follow the written directions below and call with any questions.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 24 travellers
- Operated by
- New Mexico River Adventures
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
How it compares in Santa Fe
- Its from-price is 22% above the median of the 99 experiences we list in Santa Fe.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 6 of 99.
About Santa Fe
Santa Fe, capital of New Mexico, is a high-desert city of adobe buildings, art galleries and Native American and Spanish traditions below the mountains.
Santa Fe lies at about 2,200 metres at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and it is the highest state capital in the United States. Spanish colonists founded it around 1610, and the Palace of the Governors, an adobe building on the central plaza, dates from those early years. Portals along the plaza are where Native American artists sell jewellery and pottery. The spiral staircase of the Loretto Chapel and the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis, in Romanesque style, stand within a few streets.
Top-ranked sights in Santa Fe: Loretto Chapel.
Special offers in Santa Fe
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
