We did the South Fork Chili Bar. Met at the campsite around 9am and then took about a 25 minute shuttle ride to the river. Our tour took about 3ish hours and we conveniently ended up back at the campsite by 1:30pm where we had lunch! Lunch included a cheeseburger with vegetable toppings, chips, and rice krispy treats. Our guide was Lucas, who we found out was a white water rafting champion in Brazil! The Chili Bar included Class 2 and Class 3 rapids. The water was ice cold but was refreshing on a hot day! Lucas made our trip very fun and adventurous but still made us feel safe. Life vests and helmets were included for safety. Photos were available for purchase as well. Would recommend to bring cash for tip and parking ($5 each car so carpool if you can). I'd highly recommend Action Whitewater Adventures for anyone looking for fun and adventure! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Yes I recommend 100% Our guide was Rafael Keke he was fun and amazing Great time with staff food was amazing read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Water rafting - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

I set this up for my husband for Father's Day and let me just say it did not disappoint! Most of us in our group have never done Whitewater rafting, so there was excitement and a touch fear but our lead instructor was awesome. He eased our nerves we ended up having so much fun, definitely will be back. The only thing I thought was a little off, was at the end when you go purchase your photos it could be pricey. read more

It was my first time trying rafting with my daughter and her boyfriend. I was really scared not knowing what to expect but after the experience I would say that there's nothing to be afraid or! I had a great time! It was a good mix of chill time and adventure. We were even able to swim! It really helped having a great guide like Eduardo! We're definitely requesting him as our guide when we come back next year! read more

See all

We booked the Middle Fork rafting trip with Action Whitewater Adventures for Father's Day, and wow--what an unforgettable day. Our group of four had the best time. Huge shoutout to our guide, Sam--a total pro who clearly knows the river like the back of his hand. He made the whole experience not only safe and smooth but also super fun (and honestly, he's pretty hilarious too). He really brought the good vibes to match the rapids. Also want to give a big thanks to Wayne, our driver--great driving, friendly, and just an all-around great guy. This was my fourth rafting trip overall, and hands down the best yet. The team was warm, organized, and made everything easy from start to finish. Even the lunch impressed us--fresh, tasty, and with healthy options (did not see that coming on a rafting trip!). If you're thinking of doing this--stop thinking and just book it. Highly recommend, and already looking forward to the next time. read more

Absolutely phenomenal experience! Our guide, Eduardo, is experienced, professional, and hilarious! We were laughing the whole time! Will book again as long as Eduardo is the guide! read more

First and foremost, these stars are because Guide Fabio Ramos made sure that not only did my family have the best experience ever, he ensured they came back home in one piece. Both husband and son came home and were adamant that I Yelp and awarded them 5 stars. The look on their faces as they recounted what they had experienced and how exhilarating it was is all this mama needed. Their day started at 8AM. They opted for a 3/4 class rapids, since it was the kids first time. The weather was not as they would have wanted but Fabio provided them wet suits and jackets which they said made a world of difference. The water was definitely cold and the lack of sunshine in the morning definitely reminded them of that fact. Fabio made sure to tell them that they would have fun and push the boundaries a little to increase adrenaline, but they would do it safely. They stopped for a hamburger lunch and then were on their way for the last leg of their adventure. They reached their destination around 3:30. My husband and his brother have been white water rafting a handful of times and have experienced various companies. They said hands down this was the best. If you needed a sign to check this off your bucket list..run...and request for the Fabulous Fabio! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - My husband and his brother took their youngests on an adventure. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

From kid: Hello, I am a 10 year old kid, and my name is Max. First, I loved this trip, and if I could, I would give it a 10 star rating! Next, the river is a really nice place to go rafting. To any kids who aren't sure about doing this, trust your parents because this place is a lotta fun. I hope whoever reads this has fun at the river! From Mom: This was an amazing trip. Pablo was so knowledgeable and we felt we were in good hands from a safety perspective as well as learning about the history of the river. We took the full day trip which I was worried kid would lose interest, but he loved it. The rapids were so fun. Highly recommend this group and the photo package was reasonable and amazing quality. See you next year! read more

See all

Truth: 4.5 stars. Our rafting day was great. Our guide was fantastic (Samuel), knowledgeable and experienced, expertly guiding us through the rapids, giving us "surprises" and with a calm but fun personality. Lunch was great, etc. I've rafted about 12 times in my life and our guide was one of the best. 5-stars. 4 stars? The organization/company. We purchased through groupon and prechecked our dates before buying the groupon. After purchasing the passes, we followed the reservation instructions and reserved our dates. Bam, right?! Nope. Within a few days I received a call from the office asking us to change our dates because they had overbooked themselves inadvertently. I stood my ground and we rafted as planned, but the call left a kind of bad taste in my mouth (particularly as I had to follow-up with them to confirm we were still going, etc.) + All in all, though, I recommend the company based upon their guides and the fun experience and would not shy away from rafting with this company again. Safe rafting! read more

Highlight of our trip! Perfect weather, perfect guide, just all around good time considering this was our first experience with river rafting! Definitely a must if never experienced before. read more

3rd timer and not the last since I can count to 20, both in English and thanks sesame street, also in Spanish. Great service, thanks Groupon for the discount, gave the discount as tip to the guys. Trust them with my life. It was funner this time, the dam let go of the water and man the rapids are crazy. Love it like a cat on catnip. read more

Chamy was our guide on 8/14/25 and we had an amazing time. He was so creative with our experience with spins and backwards rafting etc, yet, we always felt safe. Thank you for an amazing day on the river. read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Action Whitewater was awesome! Our guide Jorge was personable, knowledgeable, and fun. I strongly recommend this company for your next rafting trip! read more

Knowledgable, kind, and exciting staff! Each guide has their own flavor. They helped create memories that will stick with me forever. I would refer any of my friends or family to ride with AWA! read more

This is our first rafting at "South Fork - The Gorge Express". We had an awesome and suprising time at Action Whitewater Adventures. We really enjoy this advanture! and the staff are really nice to help. The rapid level is level II and level III. We feels relax in level II and fun in level III. The coach is very professional and gave us a lot of advice and asked us to tight the life jacket and helmet during the trip. This is really important! My son got fall into the water during rapid (level III) and the coach saved him rapidly. Really appreciate the help and keep our trip safe. The onsite staff are also very nice and helpful. We set up our tents easily and feel a little chill in the morning. But everything else goes smooth. The site has a lot of tables to set up your own meals during the camping. Overall it is an unforgettable trip! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Camping site - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

See all

The guide, Laz, was great and made it an awesome experience for us!!! I was even able to talk to him on the drive back to camp and it was nice to get to know him on a personal level. read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - South Fork - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

My son flew out from Texas for a week. I put together a trip for us to go Whotewater Rafting. This place was awesome. Paid for deluxe camping, they give you a tent, bed pads and a sleeping bag. Very quiet nights at camp (people wise), 300' from a river, which you can hear all night, very surreal, FN Awesome. Then a day on the water with our guide Sam. That dude was cool as shit, funny, informative, all out great guy. It was quiet during the middle of the week. A Wednesday was when we went rafting. All day, great lunch midway through on the American River. Just beautiful and Bad Ass all in 1. Strongly advise booking. They have showers and a bathroom not far from camp, up a small amount of steps and your there, very convenient. read more

Amazing summer activity!! It was my first time white water rafting and I loved it. My guide was Sasha (from Russia) and he made it really fun for my group of four. Some details about this adventure: We booked the South Fork - The Gorge Express adventure which includes numerous class II and III rapids. It's about an 11 mile rafting trip down river which took my group a little over 2 hours. When we got to the end of our journey, a speed boat pulled our raft to Salmon Falls Bridge where we got on the bus that takes us back to where we parked our cars. For me, the Gorge Express was the perfect amount of time and length. I was definitely starting to get tired from paddling and the hot sun was very strong. My group of four was the smallest group there, so maybe we had to paddle extra hard to make up for it (I noticed that some other groups had 8 people in their rafts). It's not unlikely for a group member to fall out of the raft at some point but the instructors are clear on how to navigate the water if that happens and explained how to pull an individual back into the raft. We all wore life jackets and helmets so we felt really safe despite rafting around rocks and rapids. One of my friends can't swim but she was still able to come with us and had a great time! I recommend Action Whitewater Adventures for anybody looking for a great summertime teambuilding or family activity. read more

Awesome day !!!! although we have been down the lower river many times, we did the whole river this time. Lucas was great as our guide, we did some new things this trip. other than riding the bull on hospital bar. I would say it was our best trip on the american....... What a day !!! read more

Awesome!!! No one in our party had been whitewater rafting prior. We have been twice this season. The first trip was the 2 hour Chili Bar Express. There were two adults and a 12 yr old in our party. Natalia was our guide. Our second trip was the full day, 23 mile South Fork River. We asked for Natalia to be our guide. I will definitely go again, hopefully before this year's season ends, otherwise next season. We can not say enough good things about Natalia! Safe and fun! Thank you Natalia ( I hope I have spelled your name correctly). read more

We had an awesome time at Action Whitewater Adventures. As a first timer the "full south gorge" trip exceeded my expectations. Please remember to bring your waivers, they do not seem to have copies at the location. Arrive 15-20 minutes early to turn in your waivers, grab equipment and turn in your car keys for safe keeping. Almost nothing needs to be taken on the raft other than maybe water bottles or sunscreen. WEATHER We didn't get wet suits, maybe due to summer season? It was much warmer than expected out in the water, but the water is pretty cold. Wear as instructed: shorts / t-shirt and non-slip on shoes. TRIP FORMAT We boarded the bus and drove 5-10 minutes to kick off our raft. Within 1.5-2 hours we were at our lunch break - to our surprise it was literally where we started! Then the trip continued and got more intense the remaining 2-3 hours on the water. Toward the end the rafts were tied and we got pulled in with a jet ski. From there we had a 30 minute bus ride back to our cars. RAFTING EXPERIENCE There's 3-8 people per raft. Our guide, Samuel was very experienced and had a lot of fun "surprises" to make our rafting experience more thrilling in the water. You paddle when the guide asks you to and it's not very often. No one from our group fell out of the water. For a nervous first timer the south gorge is perfect to begin with, for an adventurous first timer I'd say go for Middle Fork! LUNCH: Lunch was delicious. It's a freshly done burger barbecue with vegetarian options. Sides are confinements, chips, cookies. Drinks are water and lemonade. Also for south gorge you have access to your car again since you're back where you started. PHOTOS You can bring your phone if you have a reliable waterproof pouch but I wouldn't risk it. They take 40-50 photos of you toward the end at this class III rapid. You can purchase these photos for $75 dollars after the trip - this is great to split with your group. + Use the Groupon to get a great steal at action whitewaters! Make sure to call and validate/schedule your Groupon. read more

See all

Mike, the owner, made sure our group had an amazing experience from beginning to end! Starting with Jenny and Maya in the office who were so friendly and helpful when I book the trip. Our guides, Pablo and Mau, were very skilled boatmen that made it look easy and so fun! The ladies serving lunch were so polite and their smiles were warm and friendly while serving us grilled burgers which were perfectly grilled! The photographer was so good he even got close-ups of several of our group members. Mike also made sure we made it safely back to our cars from take-out, driving us in the bus and entertaining us the whole drive back! I highly recommend rafting with Action Whitewater Adventures! read more

I had a great time with Action Whitewater Adventure at the south fork. The course was a bit boring at the end, but it's perfect for kids, beginners, and first timers. The guide Kennedy was very friendly, although sometimes it was difficult to understand his humor. If anything needs improvement, I would say the lunch which is included in the package. Lunch consists of a small burger. I was expecting more than that. Overall, it would highly recommend this place for your white water rafting adventure. read more

excellent experience and staff, loved it. I would highly recommend to others, good for first timers too.

Great Rafting experience with our guide, Luccas! First time Rafting for myself and 12yo. and we had a BLAST! We went on the Chilli Express Tour to test the waters. Looking forward to going back on a New Tour. Thanks read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

See all

Our experience with Action Whitewater Adventures was wonderful. The ease of communicating on the phone and getting all questions answered prior was appreciated. The entire company was very professional, gear was in good shape, and instructions were very thorough. During the experience Chomy was very knowledgeable on navigating the river and gave great instructions, so we felt in control and safe. I would definately raft with them again. Afterwards we had a delicious hot lunch that hit the spot. read more

We have done white water rafting on the American River many times, but were impressed by this company. First of all, they are very organized. Clear instructions were given regarding getting there, what to bring, and how to not get hurt. It felt a little petty charging $5 for parking, but their lot was limited in size, so I get it. We left early to have plenty of time, but on narrow HWY 49 there was an accident that stopped traffic for 15 minutes. We called them and they gave us a clear time that they could wait until. Fortunately, because we had left so much extra time to get there, we arrived on time but we appreciated their understanding of the situation. Lunch was ok, but lots of simple carbs, so bring something if chips and rice crispy cakes are not your thing. read more

All in all this was a great experience for our family. Our guide Steve was top notch and I feel lucky he was chosen to be our guide. Only thing I would change is the way you have to wait on all the other rafts to catch up. We had a lot of down time in our day and was a bit frustrating after a while. In addition... the waiting and exiting process could be really improved as it was hot and after a long day and out of drinking water by the end of the trip ...waiting in the sun to be towed in by a jet ski was not ideal. read more

We were here just three days ago and booked the 6 hour South Fork Trip. It was a lot of fun and shout out to our guide Agua who made it all the more enjoyable for being so sweet and friendly to talk with. Besides the beautiful scenery, exhilarating rapids, and relaxing ride overall, we also saw quite a few animal inhabitants along the river as well as certain rock formations and tree shapes that Agua pointed out to us that resembled animals. I thought her sharing of her personal observations and stories was a nice touch! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Us with our guide Agua high five-ing with our paddles :) - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Sam was a great guide! Our family of 5 had a wonderful time and made some great memories!

My family and I had an amazing time with Action Whitewater rafting on the North Fork American River. Our guide Sam, safety kayaker Gonzalo and photographer/ kayaker Kyle were absolutely wonderful to go with. They made the trip extremely fun and safe for a group that was hesitant to go. We were all laughing the whole time! The lunch was a wonderful spread for wraps and all was included when booking! Highly recommend going with them and would definitely do it again! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - White water rafting - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

This is my second time rafting with action water adventures. Both times provided great fun with experienced guides. I highly recommend them. I rafted with them on Middlefork and also North Fork on the american river. read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - My guides and myself. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Great time with my wife, kid (10 y.o) and guide Chammy! Guide was very relaxed and good with basic instructions for the newbie kid. Easy booking. Good lunch, and always felt safe and situation..."under control". Will Return! read more

What a great experience! My wife had been wanting to try it out for years, so we finally went with a couple of our friends. We went with the full 21-mile or so tour. We're all glad we did! The experience is fun, exciting, and safe. Our guide was Maurie (from Chile), and he gave us a fantastic tour. He was both fun and safe, as well as talking to us about whitewater rafting experiences. He told us the middle fork is a more narrow experience that is more fast-paced, which is what we will likely try if we ever get back out there. You're provided a helmet, life vest, and a splash jacket that helps keep you warmer than you would be without it. Your butt will likely get a little sore from the sitting, but you're allowed to stand up and stretch out at times on the river. You can purchase photos at the end ($50 for one section of rapids, $75 for 2, $100 for the trip). We purchased the $75 for 2, because the photos were funny/cool and it was a heck of an experience. Lunch was a burger, chips, and lemonade/water. The guides and bus driver do accept tips. read more

See all

Wonderful Trip. Well planned for the best experience from the time we arrived, to the return. Blake was a fantastic guide, he knew the river well and was able to take us on the best route possible. read more

We had a fabulous time on the river. My family was here from Wisconsin and this was their first time down the river. Pablo was fantastic! He told us a little bit about the river and the water heights. We saw where some of the old mining trails were. He explained the trouble maker and what to expect when we approached it. All in all great day, great tour will try again next year when the water is a little higher! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Before our tour. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

They have very professional guides here. We stayed in their camp. Campsite has a riverside in 30 seconds walking distance. I chose Deluxe plan which they set up tent, mats, sleeping bag and chairs. Easy setting but enjoy night sky and camping with river sounds. We did middle forks and south forks. They are so fun and even our guide, Mau made our trip more fun and safe. Their lunch was fresh and tasty too. Thank you for all your professionalism. Well come back next year! read more

We were a bunch of old timers whose friends - and family - were not sure that we should be on the river at all at our age - over 70!. We did the South Fork Gorge - Express run in late September and had a fabulous time. Our guide, Jenny, gave us a great trip, keeping us in the exciting parts of the river without getting stuck in trouble spots. We were tossed about in the boat a couple of times, but everyone was laughing. Jenny took good care of us and knew where the best parts were. We came home very satisfied and will surely go again, maybe next year. read more

Guides were great! Very friendly and easy going. The rafts were a bit weathered compared to other companies I've rafted with. We had a blast doing full day Middle for American River. read more

AWA is the BEST...Let me explain why. First off they are so darn friendly. They truly care about safety and their customers. They give you a short training skill before you meet your guide, and then your guide will give you a little more detail on what should be done while rafting. Once you're in the raft the thrill begins. It's only minutes before you hit your first rapids and our guide asked us if we wanted to be adventurous. Of course we all said yes and I'm so glad we did. Once we got to the rapids our hearts were pumping like a 1000 beats per minute and laughing at the same time. My new family of friends that I just met that morning in our raft got a much bigger laugh when I fell out. Yes, I fell overboard. Not once but twice and everyone laughed so hard that their chests were hurting and they even had some tears in their eyes. It was an experience that I'll never forget. Not a bad one, I loved the heck out of it !!! We were the only raft on the water being thrill seekers and getting soaked that day. All the other rafters were dry and not being adventurous as us. My new family and I thought that was kinda boring. We wanted excitement and our guide, Paco (?) was giving us just that. We had the BEST guide on the river by far and there were tons of guides. Paco not only EXCELLENT at his job, but he also told us jokes, sang to us, teased other rafters, gave us many thrills, he pulled me into the boat twice all by himself and I'm twice his size, and he kept us safe the whole entire time. A lot of the rafts on the river were quiet. Not our raft...We were making noise, giving high 5's to one another with our oars, we were interacting with other rafters and the people ashore as well. Paco would also jump up and down from time to time inside of the raft while we were going down the river. This is something that none of us had ever seen before, and It was so COOL !!! We rafted the complete South Fork and mid way down the river we stopped and had a BBQ lunch that AWA had supplied for us. Lunch was delicious and it included a cheeseburger, chips, and cookies. For the drink you had your choice of lemonade or water. During the trip down river AWA has photographers taking pictures. These photos aren't just snapshots... They are AWESOME pictures !! At the end of the day you can purchase the digital photos. I suggest splitting the cost with others in the raft with you. That's what we did. We split the cost 3 ways and we got a vast amount of great looking photos of us hitting the rapids. I can't say enough about Action Whitewater Adventures. They're a top notch company who will keep you safe and give you a day of thrills that you'll never forget !!! The rafting experience was fabulous and I'll never forget it. However, it woulda been nice to be able to purchase a shirt to go along with the pictures we bought. For example, "I Survived The American Rapids, I Survived The American River or simply I Survived The Full South Fork or Middle Fork". Just some quick ideas. I know if there were shirts for sale, everyone in our raft would have bought one !!! read more

See all