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5 hours
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Exploradores Colombia
Exploradores Colombia
5
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About
Exploradores Colombia grew out of a passion for running rivers and taking a bunch of like-minded people to remote and exciting parts of Colombia. It was founded by Ariel Munoz, who had spent many years guiding the best rivers in Costa Rica. His vision was to start a company dedicated to providing safe, fun, exciting and cultural trips for clients and guides alike. He leads a team of professionals, who have helped him to realize this vision. Exploradores Colombia is now the white water specialist around San Gil. Rafting has long been plagued by the myth that it is dangerous, extreme and only for adrenaline junkies. Rafting is our profession, so we take it seriously. We are serious about safety, about good food, good times and serious about fun! We offer trips to suit all ages and abilities - it is not about fitness, it is about fun. Our youngest client to date was 6 years old, and our most mature was a 73 year old. RNT : 52691
Tours and Tickets by Exploradores Colombia
On the Water
3 hours
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Full-day Tours
6+ hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
161 reviews
Excellent
146
Very good
10
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
4
Deisy L
3 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
Excellent! Ariel was really friendly, responsible and professional. He organized everything: transport, delicious food and equipment. We felt safe while kayaking the beautiful Rio Fonce. We can only recommend it! Thanks Ariel and we wish you all the best for your next adventures!
Written November 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jakov
19 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
I've had an amazing experience doing kayaking with Exploradores Columbia. The instructor is knowledgeable and very kind. We had loads of fun in this 2 day activity.
Day 1 was mostly for learning techniques, and day 2 was for applying them while going downstream.
Oh, I should also mention a very nice local lunch that is included :)
Day 1 was mostly for learning techniques, and day 2 was for applying them while going downstream.
Oh, I should also mention a very nice local lunch that is included :)
Written November 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gareth
2 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
I did the kayaking course while in San Gil with Ariel who turned out to be just a fantastic instructor. By the last day he had pushed us as far as we could go and built our confidence a huge amount since the first day. Although some of the rapids were scary we always felt safe because of his superman-like powers in a kayak. It was one of the best things Ive done so far on my trip, unforgettable! Thanks Ariel
Written April 30, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carla S
16 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Amazing day out rafting!!! The staff were amazing and looked after us all very well.we had so much fun going down the river. The instructor was very knowledgable. At the end they took us for lunch to this little lovely family run place, where they also dried tobacco leaves and surrounded by chickens. Definitely recommend it. And do the level 5!!
Written May 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
grenierG
Winnipeg, Canada36 contributions
Dec 2017
People need to know that this is a very technical river , with lots of big class 4 & 5 . Ariel spoke very good English and gave a really good briefing . I was really upset when we got different guide that didn’t speak much English. We had 2 rafts go out the other day . Out of 14 people , 11 people’s first time EVER rafting . They didn’t provide wet suits, they said the water is warm enough. Well wet suits help you float more , they make your more aerodynamic for when you do fall in the water . And protect you from rocks. They only had 1 safety kayak for 2 rafts . I’ve been on trips where they have 1 safety kayak and 1 safety catamaran for 1 raft. And that trip the rapids weren’t nearly as dangerous as these were. It was a disaster . So we get to this massive class 5 rapid and our boat hits a gigantic rock sideways and gets stuck upside down. Wether it was our guide not doing a good job at steering us , or us not paddling good enough ( we are all beginners if we weren’t paddling good enough they shouldn’t have taken us out.) I get it , accidents happenbut it just gets more ridiculous . 4 of us go in the river ( 2 of us got stuck in a washing machine and had a really bad scare ) and the other 3 ended up standing on this giant rock where the raft is stuck, in the middle of the river . After 2 hours of trying to pull this raft out they decided now they will bring the 3 girls to shore . Absolutely unacceptable . An hour later right before the sun set the rest of the group walked down ( 3 of us were about 400 m down river just waiting not knowing what was going on. They just wasted 3 hours of everyone’s time ( 2 guys missed there bus) There is no way 4 men could pull that 10 foot raft from that gigantic rock in the middle of a fast flowing river like that. Waste of time , get everyone to safety then worry about the raft , I get those rafts are very expensive but they aren’t worth more the. A life . So the plan now is 14 people get on one raft. They insure as that there aren’t any big rapids and we will stop at a bridge. We won’t finish the river . We get to the bridge and walk up the road just in time . Pitch black now . Now wait 40 min for the van to get us . They provided food ( I think we were suppose to have at half way point ) was good chicken potatoes and pineapple . I do not recommend doing this river unless you have experience , and the rest of your team has experience . you’ll love it . We loved it , untill 2 of us almost died and 3 left stranded on a rock for 2 hours, we lost the raft, sitting like ducks for 3 hours while they hopelessly try to get the raft out, and all 14 of us had to get in one raft to get out of there. I think this company could use more safety measures ; wetsuits, English speaking guide, a more experienced guide, more safety kayaks, everyone should get out and see the route before a big class 5 and what to do in a emergency, a phone for each raft , ( they only had one phone and it was in the raft that was stuck) . They should not take beginners on this river with those massive rapids if they can’t even get the raft down safely . How long till something fatal happens ?
Written December 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
My name in Ariel. I am one of the guides who was present during this rafting trip.
Every day is a new experience with new people. However, as a rule, we always inform each client as if it was thier first time partcipating in the sport of rafting. This way we can be sure that we never omit anything in the saftey talk. In the river we always practice how to paddle, what happens if someone falls out, and teach each client how to recuse another passenger. In the saftey talk we discuss all of the possiblitiies that may occur on the river. If someone swims what should they do? If the boat flips how should the clients react? If the boat hits a rock sideways or gets stuck how should the clients react? The rafting trip in question was no exception. Yes, people fell out of the boat. I understand that the expereince of swimming a large rapid can been scary and is not in any way pleasant. However, swimming is a risk that clients assume when they participate in this sport. Rafting is an extreme adventure sport, especially in class 5 rapids. Colombia is one of the few places in the world that you have the option to navigate these rapids.
From the moment that you pay for the trip you are aware of the risk that you may fall out of the raft. If this risk is too great for you, I suggest rafting class 2 or class 3 rapids. Though, even calmer rivers, there is a risk that someone may swim.
On the day in question, the boat became stuck on a rock. We tried to get the boat off the rock but it proved impossible. We had no choice but to leave the boat. According to our rescue protocol we had two options: 1. The first option was to hike out. However, the route was complicated, involved lots of gradient and it would have taken us at least 3 hours to reach the road and then another hour and a half walking on a dirt road to return to where we started the activity. 2. The second option was to continue downstream 20 minutes with all of the clients in one raft. From there we needed to wait 45 miuntes to an hour for our transportation and it was another hour back to San Gil, where we started the trip. We opted for the second option because hiking through the jungle in a remote area was risky and we knew that the remaining rapids, class 2 and 3, were easily passable with everyone in one raft.
It seems that your review is a bit harsh and not very constructive. There is always a risk that someone may fall out and swim. When this happens, people feel like they are drowning, even when this is not the case. As I said, swimming in strong rapids is extremely unpleasant. While we try to take all precautions, there will always be an element of risk in all extreme sports such as rafting and especially in class five rapids.
In Colombia, foreigners really started arriving 10 years ago and many guides are in the process of learning English as a second language. All of the guides are trained to guide with basic English. However, the saftey talk is given by guides that have a more advanced level of English, so that all of the saftey concerns are clearly understood.
We are located in the tropics and we run the risk of clientes overheating if we provide them with neoprene wetsuits. In Colombia, as in other countries, neoprene wetsuits are not used. The average temperature in our rivers is 20 degrees celcius. In other countries such as Chile, the USA and Norway neoprene wetsuits are almost obligitory since the water is 5 degrees celcius or less.
Exploradores Colombia has been operating for 5 years. We have an excellent saftey record. In all of this time, the most serious incident that has happened was when a client broke their leg because they fell out and the river was super low. Thankfully, the day in question the river was in a medium-high level. Though the clients were frightened by the large waves and hydraulics, no one hit any rocks. In the past 5 years there have been fatal accidents in other countries, such as Peru, Costa Rica, Spain and Ecuador in class 4 rivers. Knowing this risk, people still continue to raft these rivers.
Each year we have the privilege to take, on average, 3,000 people rafting. The grand majority of the people that we take down the river are extremely satisfied with service we provide. There will always be a small minority, for whatever reason, that is unhappy with their rafting experience. Still, we always seek to improve the service that we provide and take any negative feedback seriously.
Again, on behalf of all of the guides that were present, I am sorry that you were not satisfied with your trip. However, I am sure that we acted in a safe and responsible manner, putting our guests saftey as our first priority.
Written March 6, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Leroy K
Utrecht, The Netherlands821 contributions
Sep 2022
This was easily the highlight of our San Gil trip. The days before going, rafting was impossible (too much water for safety) so we were in for a ride.
The staff and safety instructions were top notch. We had experienced and first-timers and everybody seemed to have a great time. Very much recommend to go here
The staff and safety instructions were top notch. We had experienced and first-timers and everybody seemed to have a great time. Very much recommend to go here
Written October 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sightseer84357
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Friends
It's a wonderful activity, the lanscape is awesome.. Great equipment Great guides, security and fun!
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jane c
London55 contributions
Dec 2019 • Friends
We had a wonderful day rafting in the river Suarez with Exploradores. Great service including pick up from our hostel, full equipment, super clear safety talk in English and lots of time to practice in the water before you get going on the river for real (as first timers this helped put our minds at rest as we were a little nervous). Once we got onto the river it was amazing, the guides really know their stuff and look after you, it was a fabulous adrenaline filled experience, not to mention the beautiful countryside the river runs through, we all want to do it again!They also include lunch and a beer before heading home. Thank you so much Ariel, Antonio, Kevin and of course Don Eriberto for the beers 😀💪🏼
Written December 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashlee W
2 contributions
Mar 2018 • Business
This company is the most unprofessional serive provider I've come cross in all of Colombia! Firstly our guides told us only 5% of people get thrown from boats but in reality 3 out of 4 people were sucked out of the boat on a massive level 5 rapid. And they're management of it was appalling. They had no way of saving the 3 of us. Its was the closest near death experience I've ever had and would highly recommend you go with a company who understands the abilities of the people on the boat. our guides answer to everthing was No Problemo... well there was NOTHING BUT a huge problem when most of your boat ALMOST DROWN.
Now to top it all off they've deleted our photos of the entire expedition. We were relying on their photos as this was part of their package and now we were told "opps sorry about that"
I think they deleted it so there was no evidence of their incompetence of keeping us safe in the boat.
Moral of this story: FIND A BETTER TOUR COMPANY.
Now to top it all off they've deleted our photos of the entire expedition. We were relying on their photos as this was part of their package and now we were told "opps sorry about that"
I think they deleted it so there was no evidence of their incompetence of keeping us safe in the boat.
Moral of this story: FIND A BETTER TOUR COMPANY.
Written March 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
planschi
Munich, Germany8 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
We did the Rafting Tour on Rio Suarez with Ariel (who has 20 years of experience) and it was just perfect. We had instructions before we started and felt safe all the time...even some guys in our group were beginners. It was a great adventure, a lot of adrenalin and it ended up with a fantastic meal&beer. If you have the time to do Rafting in San Gil, do it and do it with Ariel and Exploradores Colombia!
Written October 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
enriquearana
Bogota, Colombia
Buenas tardes. Tengo dos hijos de 11 y 14 años; me dicen que el rio Fonce es el adecuado. Quisiera saber cual es el precio de esta atracción????
Written July 8, 2017
excelente, el rio fonce esta acto para ellos, con gusto los atenderemos y pasaremos una buena aventura.
puededs contactarnos al 304 670 0025 whatapp
Written July 19, 2017
would like to know if this attraction is safe for 15, 12 10 and 8 years old kids
Written May 21, 2017
Hello, sorry to be lated , for Suarez River for sure that is imposible, but we have a anothers rivers such as Fonce River, class 3 awesome for them.
Written June 29, 2017
Christoph D
I apologize that you were not able to go rafting on the Suarez, but you have to understand that the rivers in Colombia can rise and fall very rapidly. In a matter of hours, the river can rise from a perfect and fun level, to being much to dangerous to pass with clients. I am a guide and owner of Exploradores Colombia, and rafting and kayaking on rivers is my favorite thing to do in the world, but the saftey of our clients takes priority over going rafting.
After checking the levels by phone on this day, we drove to the river thinking that it was at a good level, we arrived to find that it had risen in the last hour to be too danerous. After returning back to San Gil we refunded everybody´s money in full and gave the option of going the next day if the level changed. In fact, we lost money on this day, paying out drivers, guides, and fuel for the day only to find out we cannot do the activity.
This can happen with all outdoor activities, from storms interrupting parapente conditions, to lighning interrupting bungee jumps, etc. I really think that this 1 star review on médium as important as Trip Advisor is really undeserved. In the future, I will make sure that all of the vendors and the guides communicate better the possibility of changing wáter levels, as this I can control, but the conditions of the river are out of my hands, and the decisión to return without rafting was made for the safety of everybody.
Ariel Muñoz Delgado
Exploradores's Mananger
Written June 26, 2015
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