Top 5 Whitewater Rafting Trips That Will Blow Your Mind

1. Cotahuasi Canyon, Peru

Trip: Rafting the Cotahuasi
Dates: May – June
Add-on: Optional Machu Picchu extension

The Cotahuasi River slices through one of the deepest canyons on Earth — yes, even deeper than the Grand Canyon. It’s remote, it’s raw, and it’s absolutely raging. You’ll navigate Class IV–V rapids surrounded by 6,000-meter Andean peaks, Incan ruins, and natural hot springs.

Rafting through the Cotahuasi Canyon in Peru

Why it’ll blow your mind:
This is real expedition-style rafting — no tourists, no phone signal, just you and the wild.

2. The Zambezi River, Zambia

Trips: Zambezi Blast & Zambezi Ultimate Adventure
Multiple departures: August – October

There’s rafting, and then there’s Zambezi rafting. With legendary rapids like “Oblivion” and “Ghostrider,” this trip is a masterclass in adrenaline. Add luxury camping, riverside BBQs, and elephants as your neighbours (at the hotels), and it’s pure African magic.

Why it’ll blow your mind:
You’ll paddle beneath Victoria Falls — one of the natural wonders of the world — and conquer some of the biggest commercially run rapids anywhere.

Raft plunging into a rapid on the Zambezi River, Zambia

3. Zanskar River, India

Trip: Rafting the Zanskar
Dates: August

Tucked into the remote Himalayas, the Zanskar is a river trip unlike any other. Think high-altitude paddling, Tibetan monasteries clinging to cliffs, and deep gorges carved over millennia. It’s wild, but it’s also profoundly spiritual.

Why it’ll blow your mind:
The scenery is surreal, the culture is rich, and the river offers both thrilling whitewater and moments of peaceful drift through the mountains.

Clients standing beneath Himalayan peaks on a rafting trip on the Zanskar River

4. Karnali River, Nepal

Trip: Rafting the Karnali
Dates: March, April & October

Nepal’s longest and mightiest river delivers a perfect mix of adventure and immersion. You’ll tackle warm, fun Class IV rapids, camp on pristine beaches, and pass through dense jungle home to wildlife like langurs, leopard and river dolphins.

Why it’ll blow your mind:
It’s everything you want in a multi-day rafting trip — without the crowds.

Camp beside the Karnali River surrounded by Nepalese jungle

5. New Zealand River Rafting Road Trip

Trip: New Zealand Rafting Road Trip
Dates: February

A two-week odyssey through the adventure capital of the world. This isn’t just one river — it’s a smorgasbord of hand-picked, world-class rapids from the North to the South Island, wrapped in gorgeous road trip scenery.

Why it’ll blow your mind:
Waterfalls, forests, glowworm caves, heli-rafting… it’s whitewater heaven with a Kiwi twist.

Rafting a waterfall on the North Island of New Zealand — Tutea Falls on the Kaituna River, near Rotorua

Honourable Mentions

Tamur River, Nepal – Trek-and-raft epic through the Himalayas
Deserts & Rivers, Morocco – A fusion of culture, desert and river life
French Polynesia Sailing & Snorkel Adventure – Not rafting, but too dreamy not to mention

Ready to Paddle?

Every one of these trips is handcrafted with heart, passion, and a little bit of madness by our expert team at Water By Nature. So the only question is…

Where will your paddle take you next?

Explore upcoming departures
Contact us to find your perfect trip

by Hamish McMaster

Hamish McMaster is the Water By Nature owner. He has spent the past 25 years exploring and playing on the world's great rivers. He still loves nothing more than getting out there and sharing adventures.

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