jamiek654
First time white water rafting. Venue was great, staff friendly, laid back in the right sort of way. The facility really promotes a chill party feel with basket ball nets, pool tables, dart boards, lots of places to sit, camp fire, stayed up late just chatting. Stayed the night in tents before white water rafting the next day - was fine, but recommend cabins. No individual camp fires permitted on campground, communal fire only. Rained a good chunk of the evening and we just stayed under the covered porch and it was fine. (should have upgraded to cabin) Generous dinner and hot breakfast included. Went at the end of the season, so pretty quiet and had the place to ourselves and about 40 other folks. Fantastic guide that was informative, candid, and made us feel safe, even as he went over the risks. Boat full of mostly first timers still did exceptionally well (we didn't lose anyone from our boat, but a few got popped out from the other 3 boats we traveled with - quickly and efficiently 'rescued' with smiles on their faces) Due to health restrictions, I couldn't paddle but had a complete blast on the river and took the video (attached to my helmet called the 'go-pro'), which turned out totally superior to the video they film from the shore. Worth to keep in mind, however, that you've only got about 45 minutes of footage, so suggest restricting to mostly just before, during and after each rapid. Not typically a thrill seekers, but gets you very stoked. Got to spend some time swimming outside the boat too - really fun. Was worried about equipment, it's all adjustable to sizes big and small, helmet, suggest wetsuit if it's cold at all. Check internet for white water rafting tips a coupled days before your trip so you bring the right stuff. (Like sneakers you don't mind getting completely submerged in water, or tight fitting water shoes) Fosters major team work.All fears about safety, if I was capable, equipment cleanliness and quality, etc. eliminated after first rapid, excellent, easy to follow directions by the amazing guide. All staff extremely knowlegable, and engaging. Highly, highly recommended no matter age, size, experience, and they are super accomodating of health or dietary restriction.
The_Arden
For a bit of background, my group consisted of 6 people, all adults. We went mid-week. Most of us have never rafted except for one; me. My previous experience was years ago with River Run. The last time I went, I went only for the rafting and stayed in Pembroke, while this time I stayed on-site in their log cabin that sleeps twelve. Because of this, they were totally different experiences. We all bought the High Adventure Rafting plus resort day package.First, let's talk about the rafting. For those of you new to rafting and are wondering if rafting is for you, the next few lines are for you. We went on the high adventure rafting tour with up to 12 people per raft. You should know that if you are adverse to hard work or are just unable to paddle hard for whatever reason, you should probably avoid doing this tour. If you can't swim or do not swim well, you may want to think twice about doing this tour. If you don't like thrills, you may want to reconsider doing this tour. Rafting on the Ottawa river is not a stroll in the park, regardless of the tour company that you choose. People in both groups that I had rafted with had expressed that it was a lot harder than they expected. This is, in part, due to the misconception that all you do is float down rapids the whole time. In actuality, you will be required to paddle yourself between rapids, which I estimate, are around a kilometre apart, or more. Sometimes this is against the wind. Once at the rapids, you will then have to paddle the boat up to 3 times harder to maneuover the raft into position. Then, sometimes, you will have to paddle back up stream to do it all over again. And then, you might actually fall out of the boat and be required to swim to safety. Don't get me wrong! This is actually fun if you like thrills and don't mind some hard work. But don't take it lightly. In a twelve person raft, it's actually not that easy to fall out of the boat if you're sitting in the proper way and in a favourable position in the boat. Also, the staff tries to make the journey as safe as possible. With that said, things happen, and there is real danger to rafting. If this doesn't sound like something for you, consider one of Wilderness Tours' family rafting packages, because once you're out there, there is no way to get back, except by raft. Well, maybe you could hike it. The high adventure package, 12 person rafting really is quite an awesome experience though, and I would recommend it to most. Just know what you're getting into.If after reading the above, you haven't been scared away, here are some tips to optimize your experience. Unfortunately, a lot of your experience and enjoyment will depend on your guide, which is out of your control. However, what you can control are your boatmates. Take a group of at least 8 people that you know will paddle. What this does is that reduces the amount of dead weight in your raft from people who don't paddle. Believe me, it will make it a lot more fun since you're not doing all the work paddling around a bunch of other people, and you will be able to get your boat into position more easily for some nifty tricks. In fact, if it's allowed, I recommend that you request that only your group members be in the boat. Otherwise you might get stuck with random people who won't paddle. I can't stress how important paddling is. If you have a good crew, you will enjoy your experience immensely. If not, you might end up cursing them out (in your head of course) the entire trip.I was going to talk about the difference between River Run Rafting and Wilderness Tours, but as far as the rafting is concerned, it will all depend on your guide. It's really just the luck of the draw I think. For what it's worth, River Run seemed like a more intense experience. We would paddle up and down a river attempting several rapids multiple times. But with Wilderness, I think we attempted one rapid two or three times and the rest once. Otherwise the route was exactly the same, from what I remember. Keep in mind, it's been several years since River Run though. Again, the differences could just be due to the difference in guides. Overall the rafting experience with Wilderness Tours was good. The guides were very friendly, seemed to know what they were doing, and they provided a fun environment to raft in. The only complaints that I have about the rafting is that there isn't enough info on what to expect before getting out there. I would have liked to know the kind of amenities when we stopped for lunch, for example. What we should expect for lunch? Are there washrooms? I didn't have any problems, but some people have special food requirements, or medical requirements, etc., and some extra information would have gone a long way in preparing for the trip. To answer those questions, we had hamburgers, cookies, soup, water and lemonade for lunch at a campsite along the path of the river. There were no washrooms from what I remember. There was a covered area, some picnic tables, and a campfire.As for safety, there was a brief, but adequate presentation before the trip to let you know how to save yourself should you fall in the water. You're provided with helmets and a life jacket. If it is cold, you can rent a wetsuit for about 30 dollars.The lodgings, in particular the log cabin, were great! They have some small cabins that look about 12 x 12 square feet, some with washrooms (from what I hear) and some not, but they don't look comfortable if you can't take confined spaces. The log cabin that sleeps 12, however, was beautiful and very comfy. We had electricity, tv, 2 rooms with a double bed, 1 room with 2 singles, a loft that looked like it could sleep 4, and some pull out couches. It had an open concept kitchen and living room area that was a pleasure to hang out in. There was one washroom with a shower on the main floor and a bathtub in the master on the second floor. There was suppose to be wifi, but the signal was too weak for us to connect to. There was also a deck with picnic tables and lounge chairs to relax on. The log cabin was near perfect for people who like the comforts of home. The only negatives are that there were mice in the kitchen, which we rarely saw, and that the wifi didn't work. I'm fine with mice, but some people may not be. I imagine though, that mice would probably be a problem regardless of where you stay up there. As for the wifi, you'll most likely be spending time outside anyway (unless it's a cold and rainy day like it was for us), so it might not be a problem. The only problem is that it is advertised, but not provided. Don't advertised it, if it isn't available. For those planning on doing some work up there and require an internet connection, don't rely on the wifi if you rent the log cabin. Apparently the signal is generated from a nearby beach house that you can also rent, so that may be an option if you need wifi. Alternatively, wifi is available at Rafter's, their bar/cafeteria area.The food there was surprisingly good! We decided to get the meal plan for the days that we were there. You should be aware that there is nowhere to buy food around there unless you're willing to drive 20 to 30 minutes to a nearby town. Also note that if you don't get the meal plan, you can buy meals there for around 18 dollars, but the "restaurant" is open only for very limited hours. Therefore, you can't get food whenever you want, so bring snacks, or your own food if you rented one of the lodgings that have a kitchen. As I mentioned, the food was pretty good, although a bit limited in choice (at least for the meal plan). One night we had steak and baked potato, the other we had ribs, rice and beans. For breakfast we had french toast one morning, pancakes and bacon the next and the morning we left, we had sausages. On our resort day, we had hamburgers for lunch. There was a good variety of fruits and veggies and/or cereal available at each meal, but the main course is set each day. I notice that there were chicken strips for kids and maybe fries and gravy, so they do try to offer some different options for kids, but for adults, you're stuck with one choice. If you don't like it, you're pretty much out of options. One adult member of our group didn't want the ribs and would have preferred chicken strips, but it was not allowed, which is strange since I imagine chicken strips would probably have been the cheaper option.The available resort activities were quite varied and extensive. There are three volleyball courts, a floor hockey area, two courts for basketball, some large chess boards, a checker board, kayaks, a pool, hot tubs, darts, billiards, bikes for rent (about $20 an hour), and finally bungee jumping (about $80), though I never saw anyone jump. At night, they have live entertainment. While we were there, there was a brother and sister act which we all thought were fantastic. We were also greatly entertained by one of the staff's impromtu river dance moves while the musicians were playing. There was lots do there while not rafting, but mid-week, there really wasn't much going on. I would have liked there to be more organized events, maybe all volleyball tournament or something to keep the guests entertained, but as it was, for the most part, you're left to your own devices.Finally, the staff were very friendly. That goes for pretty much everyone we met from reception, to cafeteria staff to the guides. Although friendly, it seems like their staff is mostly seasonal and/or inexperienced and they weren't particularly helpful or accomodating in most instances. For example, why couldn't we have chicken strips instead of ribs (see above)? Also, the wifi wasn't working in our log cabin, but it took hours before anyone investigated. In fact, reception didn't even know wifi was suppose to be included in the log cabin even though it was clearly advertised in their flyer. These experiences seemed to be ubiquitous throughout our stay, but it's not really a big deal. Unfortunately, I think it's probably just a symptom of seasonal industries like these. You see the same at ski resorts.In short, Wilderness Tours offers a good experience for the whole family. The rafting is great, the accommodations were good and there was plenty to do at the resort. However, I couldn't help feeling that with a little polish in a few areas, it would have been an unbeatable experience.
