I participated in the 7-day class 3 to class 4 whitewater kayak progression class. The overall experience was excellent. We started on a fun class 3 big water river to warm up on the first day and then progressed to a variety of other fun and technical rivers. Highlight of the trip was paddling through remote jungle gorges with amazing scenery. The leader, Alex Dent, did a great job preparing and supporting me through every step of my first trip to Ecuador. We discussed the attributes of the rivers to make a selection each day while factoring in weather and river levels. The skills learned were a huge boost to my capabilities and confidence. I'm now very comfortable with class 3+ and starting to run class 4 rivers with confidence. The food, lodging and hospitality of this all-inclusive package was excellent! I plan to come back to enjoy the great paddling/instruction, beautiful scenery/wildlife, hospitality and wonderful culture of Ecuador.

Not recommended. Find a different operator. The rafting trip itself, the guides and the scenery were nice, but much shorter in distance and time spent on the rivers than advertised. We spent 2h50m on the rivers doing a 16km trip, while it was advertised as 4h30m and 37km. The owner (Alex) came across as dishonest. We asked him about the difference and there was no good explanation. The day before the rafting trip we even asked about the conditions and water levels. He then said the trip was still on and there was no mention of a shortened trip. Upon telling him that they shortened the trip he said the website was wrong and it should state 27km instead of 37km. When telling him (again) that we only did 16km he said we used a different entry point as there was no profit for them using the normal entry point. Long story short, we still had to pay the full price for ~2/3 of the trip and were never informed about it by river people. It had the feeling of a scam as it felt like Alex wanted to get away with it and didn't like us pointing it out to him.

A fantastic family adventure, a beautiful way to discover the Ecuadorian Amazon and its vast biodiversity. I cannot be happier with our experience with River People: Alex & Adriana so sweet and professional, our guides Pancho Echeverria and Carlitos, what a great team. We absolutely recommend them!

The river people helped to pioneer the whitewater play in this region, and they deliver a high quality, industry standard experience. I guide and instruct on whitewater in the United States and they exceed the standards I have experienced back at home. They equip you well, give you the information you need and only go deeper if you are curious. Exceptional highlights - the guides actively work together to ensure the entire party on the river has a safe and appropriate experience, all boats stay in sight of one another for effective river communication and they have a safety kayaker to scout and observe boater skills. They checked everyone’s swimming ability in a safe section as a “fun” activity, but that allowed them to assess the abilities of all participants and it helped them make the choices of their lines more appropriate for the abilities of all boaters. The guides were exceptionally skilled, and stood apart from the other raft parties on the river that had many rafts flipping and looked like junk shows by comparison. My partner and I were placed in a smaller raft team with a guide named Carlos who had been working on the rivers in this area for 8 years, and his skill was outstanding. He was able to take an eager boat through class III rapids on lines to hit holes and waves that made it feel like the challenge of a lifetime while being 100% safe and in control. We did the class III section of the Jatun Yacu as a way to see a lot of river while having a great time. It was perfect! Carlos is a LEGEND of a rafter who had some particularly impressive river moves and was well complimented by even more seasoned river guides on the other rafts. We cannot recommend the river people enough, you will not regret any programming you sign up for with them! To round out your visit, staying at the REMA kayak lodge (run by the same family) makes your stay easy and logistically so smooth! Our only regret was not spending more time with them!

This company is amazing. I spent three days in the jungle with the company, spent time with Pancho and Jose who showed us how to camp, survive and what food to eat. We then went white water rafting for the first time. We felt so safe and the lunch was delicious. I would recommend this company to anyone, especially Pancho. Thanks so much for an amazing Ecuador experience! Our group cannot thank you enough

We did the 2 day whitewater rafting trip! It was incredible!! Daniel and Alex are great guides. They speak English, are knowledgeable about the nature, and made rafting really fun. On the first day we rafted some difficult rapids, hiked through a creek (make sure to wear strappy water shoes!) and camped at this sandy beach. It was beautiful! The beach had flushing toilets. Great experience. On the second day we rafted difficult and exhilarating rapids and did another hike to this waterfall where there are clay walls. Very cool! (Strappy water shoes necessary) Overall rafting was amazing, fun, and beautiful throughout. You will not regret doing this trip! Very organized trip and the meals were delicious!! There was so much food prepared, I ate way too much everytime :)

Fantastic day trip. Very knowledgeable guides with fluent English. Daniel was an outstanding instructor, me and my husband felt very safe the whole way. Landscape was incredible and the rafting was exhilarating. Also the lunch was amazing and we very much appreciated the vegan options! Would 100% recommend.

Amazing day on the river with Victor and Alex. Fun white water and incredible scenery. Victor was super knowledgeable about all of the flora and fauna along the way. I highly recommend them!

Very enjoyable trip with the River People. We felt that they did a superb job. The river was exciting, but not too dangerous. The scenery was breathtaking. The lunch was excellent. Transportation was great.

This was my first white water excursion and I absolutely loved it! Alex, Byron and the gang are a wonderful family-run outfit. Great sense of humor and fun. They really enjoy what they do and they just 'get it'. I felt so happy and close to them at the end of the trip that I invited them out to dinner. Please go on this adventure if you are anywhere in Ecuador. You certainly will love it!!

We lived in Ecuador for years and didn’t go to Tena. Now, after Covid, finally decided to raft the famous river. What a SPECTACULAR experience!! The water is big, clean, and the scenery incredible. Help this great team get back on their feet after covid and COME visit, you won’t regret it!!

Had a blast on our rafting tour! I have to admit, when we showed up, I was a little nervous about going on the river, but was put at ease by our guides' professionalism and obvious experience of leading groups. I went with a friend and we agreed that this was definitely a highlight of our trip to Ecuador. Beautiful scenery and a super fun experience - I highly recommend!

Alex took us trekking down to the Gran Canon and the Caving. It was day of great fun for myself but also for my 7 year old daughter. Everthing was well planned and the provided lunch was tasty. I highly recommened River People Rafting for more than just rafting!

This was my 3rd rafting trip with THE RIVER PEOPLE. This company gets it right every time. From the planning, briefings, punctuality, equipment, and especially the skill of the operators, you cannot go wrong using this outfitter for your jungle activities. On this last trip, Alex was our guide and we did the 3 day package of whitewater rafting on the Napo, hiking El Gran Canyon, and caving north of Archidona. Transportation, meals and equipment were provided and were top notch. Alex is a very experienced river guide, and holds a wealth of local knowledge which he shared during the activities. He was constantly aware of the quick changing weather and adjusted the missions based on his client's safety. This is often not the case here in Ecuador. I would highly recommend The RIVER PEOPLE for excellent and safe outings while in the Amazonia are. We were also able to secure exceptional lodging while there for the week, ask them about it if you're booking a trip.

Loved the experience. Super professional, and had everything in order. Victor was our rafting guide, taught us everything we needed to know, very understanding of what we wanted. We would definitely pay another tour with them, they knew the river really well, made feel safe at all times and had fun during the entire ride. Even mid-way we make a stop to have lunch that they made with guayusa, all really good too. Excellent experience.