Rafting on the Jatunyacu River with Rios Ecuador

We left our Jungle home stay in the back of a pick up truck on our way to another adventure...river rafting!

We were met by George and his crew to take the rafts down the river for 27km so it would take most of the day. We were fortunate that the day was sunny and warm so the water wasn't too cold.

Here we are after our safety briefing all ready to go....

I was a bit apprehensive about going on this river but after meeting our guide I relaxed and was eager to begin...

The Jatunyacu River is Class 3 with some Class 4 rapids. It's name means "BIG WATER" in Quicha because it has big waves and lots of rapids. It is the headwaters of one of the two rivers that form the mighty Amazon.

Here we are starting out where the river was slower...

Here are some pics to show our trip down, these were taken with a GoPro camera strapped on our guide's helmut so the view is from the inside of the raft.

Going through one of the rapids, there were over 20 on our way down.

Ohhh, that water is cold!....

Don is wondering if I am going to make it back in???

Well what about him???

He was so happy to be back in that raft!

How many people does it take to get another one aboard the raft???

We stopped at a small beach for a rest...

Here is part of the crew... and our guide, Ivan who had a bad hit with one of the paddles. Here he is applying a poultice made from plants that George found on the river bank.

Nicole and Katie are very happy!

Here are some action shots taken when we were all in the same raft at the beginning of the trip, these were taken by the safety guide who was with us in a kayak as we went down the river.

Halfway down we stopped for a lunch on the riverbank.

The lunch prepared by the crew was delicious!

Fooling around on the bridge, but we had to get off so the horse could come across...

We didn't see a lot of wildlife but we did see an anaconda snake floating by...

Here are a few more shots of our trip....

The reason this is a great river to raft is that between the rapids there are long stretches when we could float and enjoy the scenery from the raft.

And then there were the rapids and the rocks...

All in all it was a great day on the river and an experience which we won't soon forget!

At the end of the trip we helped load the rafts back onto the truck and shared a cervaza with the crew to celebrate the wonderful day we spent together. It was another great adventure!!!