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Shotover River Rafting: Family-Friendly Adventure
4.9
317 Ratings
Queenstown
Raft the gentle upper reaches of the Shotover River on this half-day trip through Skippers Canyon. You’ll drive from Queenstown through a former gold-mining region and learn about this significant part of New Zealand’s history. The Class I and II rapids are suitable for ages three years old and up.
Raft the gentle upper reaches of the Shotover River on this half-day trip through Skippers Canyon. You’ll drive from Queenstown through a former gold-mining region and learn about this significant part of New Zealand’s history. The Class I and II rapids are suitable for ages three years old and up.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Skippers Road - Family Adventures specialise in soft adventure trips, rafting the upper reaches of the famous Shotover River near Queenstown. Our trip by bus and raft is a unique way to experience the wonderful backcountry we have close by in Queenstown, and is suitable for everyone from 3 years upwards. Water confidence is NOT necessary.
- Skippers Road - Family Adventures specialise in soft adventure trips, rafting the upper reaches of the famous Shotover River near Queenstown. Our trip by bus and raft is a unique way to experience the wonderful backcountry we have close by in Queenstown, and is suitable for everyone from 3 years upwards. Water confidence is NOT necessary.
What's Included
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Qualified rafting guide
- Transport to rafting base
- Snacks
- Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- Specialized river rafting equipment
- All activities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Qualified rafting guide
- Transport to rafting base
- Snacks
- Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- Specialized river rafting equipment
- All activities
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
- Bring a swimsuit and towel
- Member of the NZ Rafting Association
- Qualmark accredited
- TripAdvisor Excellence rating for 12 straight seasons
- Bring a swimsuit and towel
- Member of the NZ Rafting Association
- Qualmark accredited
- TripAdvisor Excellence rating for 12 straight seasons
Location
Marmolada Cafe
Camp Street
The Station building bus stop, corner of Shotover Street and Camp street.
We meet 10mins before the start time.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(317 Ratings)
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1 star
Rusovarela
Feb 7, 2025
Excellent - Excellent excursion, well organized in a spectacular location.
Rafting is ideal for families with young children, plus you can take several baths along the way which makes it more fun
The guides are excellent
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Songl381
Jan 27, 2025
Best rafting experience for families in Queenstown - Simon, Georgia, Mark and Luke made our absolutely the best highlight of our Queenstown holiday by being thorough, entertained and looked after the whole experience. Beautiful scenaries in the pristine clean glacier water made the best rafting experience so far among all our past rafting trips.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Borisbee
Jan 22, 2025
The best experience in the South Island!! - Had such an amazing time rafting the rapids - this was the highlight of our South Island tour! Simon, Georgia and his team are the absolute best at what they do!! We were well taken care of by such a solid team. The views from start to finish were incredible. Such an unforgettable, flawless experience not to be missed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mrb2097
Jan 19, 2025
Gentle and very scenic tour - I did the Family Rafting trip with my adult daughter who has a disability and Mark (our rafting guide) was extremely accommodating of her needs. The trip in and out of Skippers Canyon was incredibly scenic so this added to the actually rafting trip. We had a very enjoyable morning and I’d definitely recommend this trip for anyone wanting to experience Skippers Canyon and soak up the gorgeous scenery on the Shotover river. The rafting was gentle and lots of fun, topped off by a swim.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meander29778580537
Jan 16, 2025
Excellent - Perfect rafting experience for beginners and families with kids aged 14 and under. The experience provides rafting at an entry level which also enables the unique experience of getting out of the raft now and then and into the water for additional fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zogglet
Jan 11, 2025
The perfect gentle rafting experience - We wanted to do a rafting trip but were stymied by our daughter not quite being 13. So for us family adventures allowed us to go on a gentler rafting trip. The scenery to get there is both hair raising and spectacular. Mountain passes, canyons and big drops - but they drive you there safely. The Shotover River in skippers canyon is like no other. Clear cool waters, aquamarine colours. The white water rafting is very gentle - so not for those looking for extreme fun. However we got to jump off into the river (optional) and float down - feeling a part of it all. Safety is adhered to at all times - a must for those wanting a fun but gentle experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Huiwenw2018
Jan 9, 2025
Great rafting experience for families with young kids. - Amazing view and experience for families with young kids! Kids (aged6-9) enjoyed the water rafting and we learnt about Queenstown mining history. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria
Jan 8, 2025
Great water adventure - Great guide for both kids and adults. Beautiful views and fun water adventure. Perfect level for adventurous kids and great fun for the whole family!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vacation603327
Jan 6, 2025
Fun times!! - Amazing trip! The river is stunning, rafting was so much fun, we got to jump in the river too. I've never known as skilled and confident driver as Simon, he made the scary road look easy. Our guide Holly was amazing, she's an absolute Ox and coolest chick around! She had loads of stories and information about the history, as well as being an epic guide in the boat. Such a great trip! Thank you for a fun day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca_a
Jan 5, 2025
Great for those too young to do bigger rapids - Family adventures rafting was great, shuttle drivers holly and Luke did a good job trying to make the trip as best as could be, the road through skippers canyon was brutal, holly was amazing, arrrived at base camp to get kitted up with thermals and wetsuit, then off up river for a great trip back, Mark was our guide and photographer, he was great, good knowledge and sense of humour and most importantly knew the river well. They stopped along the way for a cool dip and then a rock jump into the fresh water, 🥶🥶🥶 then back to base for a cookie time before the return up skippers canyon. Would we recommend to people with kids, In the words of our 11 year old “it was fully sick bruh” so yes we would.
Review provided by Viator