owl rafting (ottawa whitewater leaders rafting)

Last summer we went to Canada for our family holiday and we visited the Owl Rafting which was the best day of our trip. It was fantastic! A year on and they continue to impress. I collect fridge magnets from wherever and whatever I do (don't judge me) so as you would expect I bought one from Owl Rafting only to find that when I returned to the UK I had left it on the counter at the shop. In a sad way I was devastated because it was one of, if not the most enjoyable experiences of my life. So over a year on and my better half got in contact with them to inquire about getting one of their fridge magnets sent to us and told them my sad hobby. To which they replied and said they would send me one out FREE of charge as I had already paid for it, they have even paid for the postage from Canada to the UK. So if I could give more than a 5 I would!

Even though the day was cold and rainy it was SO AMAZING. We were given food and told rafting basics before getting started, had lots of time to get prepared, then were driven out to the location where we got on our rafts and practiced some really basic paddling and were told what to do if we fell out or if someone else did as well as safety times and practicing "getting down". Then we went out to the rapids! Lots of fun, and we even went in for some dunks. After tons of awesome white water rafting, we stopped for a cliff jump (optional) and a snack. Then we continued through a few more rapids before ending off on a pontoon with a tasty buffet lunch going back towards the shore. Then if we wanted to watch the video we could wait to do so, and purchase it if we so desired. In all a GREAT day out.

My family has gone up to Canada for years and Owls Rafting was always one of the things that were on the to do list. This past August was very special for us . We lost our father due to Cancer on August 16th 2013 so we went up this year in honor of his memory (August 8th-16th )since this was his favorite thing to do every year and Owls Rafting was always on his list as well. In spite of the rain and the very cold weather that day we all had a blast and would definitely do it again and again . Thank you for making our day so wonderful and giving us a beautiful memory to take back home to the states ! :)

We took a two-day adventure package - first trip in a big 12-person raft, second in a smaller one, and greatly enjoyed both. Bigger raft is safer and less likely to flip, and probably less paddling is needed, however I would recommend going in a smaller, 7-person boat. It's much more fun, and you really feel the river. Our guides were Dan first day, and Josh the next day, and both were awesome. We'll certainly come again, to make it in a SportYak (2-person inflatable kayak).

we did a two day rafting adventure . got a real bonus the first day there were not enough people for the big raft so we got to go in sport raft which we going to upgrade to for the second day. Great food all kinds of activities at the beach good weather . Then there is the rafting. only word to explain it awesome the power of the rapids getting all kinds of air off the waves tossed from the boat it was great. cant say enough about our guides Matt and Kiwi Kim Dave and Sasha on video and the rest of the crew at OWL we had a blast got a bit banged up no big deal. just wondered why it took us so long to do this. cant wait till next year and were bringing friends

10 years ago I did this trip to take it off my bucket list with my husband and 2 daughters. We did the 6 man adventure trip I had no idea what to expect my husband and 1 daughter cannot swim a stroke. The lifejackets are amazing and the instuctions helped my family stay calm when boat tipped over to get out from underneath they even jumped the cliff And now 10 years later Ive taken my grandkids because I promised. It was just as exciting as the first time and the guides are still well experienced. The cabins were clean I bring my own sheets and sleeping bags and pillow ps, bring your own power bar and light it helps with phones etc I will do it again when more grandkids come of age. Iam now 60 so if I can do it so can you enjoy your stay at owl rafting it is a great family trip

We went on August 21, 2014. The staff was extremely enthusiastic. This was exactly what we needed, because the weather was awful: pouring rain all day. The cheerfulness of the staff lifted everyone's spirits considerably. I must note that it was a terrifying experience at parts, but I'm glad that I went. I never felt that I was in danger, but I did feel as if I was doing something that you wouldn't describe as "safe." I would recommend that any thin women like me should rent a wet suit for the trip, because you're sure to get cold before the end of the day. Also, DO NOT think that you can wear Crocs. Bring sea shoes or tight water sandals or even scuba booties, but NOT Crocs. You will lose them for sure. Just sayin'.

We arrived at Owl Rafting after driving for 7 hours on the Saturday of the Labour Day weekend. We checked in quickly and got to our cabin.Labour Day is close to the ideal time to go – air temps and water temps are both warm. I’m a pool wimp – takes me forever to get in to a pool. We had summer like air temps (26 C) and getting in to the river did not offer any temperature shock.The cabins are small. Enough room for 2 double beds and a 2 ft. gap at the foot of each bed and in between the 2 beds. No gap on the 2nd side of the bed. The two single beds both form the top bunk. Not a ton of space but sufficient for our needs. We were happy to be only 3 in a room that can sleep 6.It poured rain the first night – glad we were not camping.Rafting happens rain or shine – you will get wet adventure rafting so a little extra is no problem. They do get to the side of the river if the thunder gets close but otherwise, keep on floating. We were already wet when the rain hit day one and no problem.Morning started with a hearty breakfast – fruit, cereal, muffins, pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage. We filled up because lunch was hours away On to the safety talk. One thing that impressed me was the emphasis on safety. Each day starts with a talk; once you are at the raft put-in, there is a check of your gear; before each set of rapids there were instructions on what to do if you get tossed from the boat; before getting to the pontoon boat, safety instructions for the pontoon boat. Even if you take the pontoon boat from the resort to meet the rafts, you get a safety talk.We spent day 1 on a big boat – large enough for 13. Our guide was the lovely (said with an Aussie accent) Jess, a wonderful woman with a large voice, a larger personality and a heart of gold. The guides make the trip fun, and Jess, with her 5 years of experience, did it in spades. I had the chance to meet several of the guides and didn’t meet any who would not have made it worth the trip.I like the fact that at the end of summer, the big rapids are at the start of the ride. So once you get thru the first few – the rest of the ride is a bumpy cake walk – still fun but you feel like an old pro. There are different raft activities at each rapid – so it isn’t just getting thru the rapids and paddling to the next event. There is thunder dunking – padding upstream into the rapids and getting the front of the raft dunked. It is a hoot.Between rapids are lovely periods where you get to paddle gently and enjoy the scenery. Where the water is deep enough, there are opportunities to get out of the raft and float in the current. Shortly after the last rapids, the convoy of rafts is met by a power boat. This means you don’t have to paddle the last few km where you meet the pontoon boat. After stowing your gear, you get a BBQ late lunch buffet. The food was excellent - pork chops the first day, sausage the 2nd. But I would have been happy to chow down on just the pasta salad. As you enjoy lunch, the pontoon boat returns you to the resort.After returning to the resort, stowing your equipment and loading the rafts for the following day, they show a video of all the day’s activities – available for sale. Then you have hours to enjoy the resort. They have a sandy beach, kayaks, paddle boards, a raft with a slide, Frisbee golf, a small grass maze. Or just kick back with a book. Dinner is served buffet style at 6:30, another great feed. If there is anything to criticize, they didn’t serve a lot of dessert – cookies on the boat, nothing that we saw with dinner. Our 2nd day was on a sport raft. The activity on the first rapids for sports rafts is surfing. The raft gets in a sweet spot and stays there until the guide turns it out. I’m sure there is more involved. Getting out of the surf, the sport raft is LIKELY to flip so you will be swimming.During our last surf, I got to experience something that most people do not. I got injured. Turned out to be a severe sprain. I voluntarily removed myself from the raft when we reached the next rapid. There is a trail that allows you to bypass any rapid you don’t feel like shooting. My guide took me to the end of the trail where we were met by another guide and the lead guide. They gave me the option of returning to the resort by truck, which I accepted. My guide returned to our raft so they could shoot the rapids. The second guide, whose group had done the rapid stayed with me, waiting for the truck. Despite my saying he could return to his group, I was the priority until I was with the truck. I was never left alone. When we returned to the resort, I got to change and only then did I get to fill out the accident report. Having worked in industry, I know how necessary these things are so I appreciated that they do the same. I got to read for an hour and then it was time to get on the pontoon boat so I could meet my friends for lunch and hear about the rest of the trip.What would I do next time? Put my sunscreen in a container attached to a carabineer. Request water be available at the rest stop – the first day there was only a energy drink.So, because I was injured, would I say it was a bad experience. Heck NO. It was awesome, amazing, the most fun I’ve had in years. Would I go back – in a heartbeat. We are already discussing a return trip. If time and money were no issue, we would do it twice a year.If you have any thought that you might find this fun, do it. And do it with Owl Rafting on the Ottawa River.

We were visiting relatives in Petawawa and wanted to go white water rafting for the first time, and heard alot about Owl. This place was amazing, with everything right down to the clean nice smelling washroom/change rooms. They were right to the point with everything you need to know about safety which was great for our first time. The organization of the guides and getting to the rafts, to getting to the pontoon boat, to getting back to the chalet, were very smooth and well planned. Our guide (Kim) was awesome!! She knew how to handle the raft and have fun along the way. I don't think I have any negatives about our experience with this outfit. Can't wait to go back again next year and even would like to try the 2 day stay over.

I booked the family rafting trip for myself, wife and daughter. Everything from booking, to directions and check in went very smoothly. We received a comprehensive safety briefing before setting off for the rafts. Before each section of the rapids we were told by our guide what to expect and if we wanted to stay on the raft or walk that section. Everyone was asked to walk the first half of the first section of rapids as the staff were concerned for safety due to high water making that section a bit too bouncy. The meal on the way back to OWL was OK but we thought it was going to be a bit more that a burger when it is advertised as a BBQ. Soon after we got back a movie of our morning was shown and afterwards we were told where to go if we wanted to buy a copy (no hard sell). At this point most other family's left, leaving us and 1 other family to use all the kayaks, canoes, paddleboards etc on the private beach at OWL. We finally left 2 hours later having spent a great day out. Our daughter now wants to return and go on the extreme rafts so she can get flipped into the river.