Super fun trip! Got tickets for $76 on Groupon when they're normally $149. Use Groupon!!! Only suggestions: the bus we took to get from the Peking to the river had all broken windows, so we couldn't get any fresh air and it was 100° outside... this needs to be fixed! And pictures of the trip are $50! Oof. Too much. Bring a GoPro! read more

*I think it's important to note that I rarely review unless I have an incredible or a horrible experience.* Where do I begin? Our experience was without a doubt 5 stars! This is a no-frills, all-thrills company. Expect it to be what it is, a wet & wild rafting trip (in a canyon through the forest). We had a blast from beginning to end! We did the Middle Fork 18-mile tunnel run (with lunch included). They give you what you're paying for, a great adventure and memories to last a lifetime! This is a local company employing both highly experienced locals and returning seasonal whitewater rafters. Our two tour guides Rafael "Keke" and Samuel are here from Brazil (they're 5 time whitewater rafting champions) and have been on the American river many times. Not only are they experienced, professional, fun, and kind, but you will always feel you are safe. They are both strong enough to pull you into the raft with ease if needed. It wasn't needed on our trip. My fiance and I are both experienced rafters, however, the group of six in the other raft was not. Our raft had the two of us, our guide Rafael "Keke", and another employee named Aidan (there to help fill and balance our raft). Once we arrived at our destination they went over safety information and proper positions. Then we practiced the positions and synchronized paddling with verbal instructions. After we brought the raft to the water, we took off to the first set of rapids and went through the tunnel run (which was beautiful). The ride was an absolute blast with a mix of calmer waters and peaceful moments to adrenaline-rushing moments. My fiance and I also got to sit "cowboy style" on the front of the raft with our legs hanging over while going over some big rapids which were incredibly invigorating! When our guide let us, we hopped out of the raft (with our helmets and life jackets on) and swam/floated down the river for a bit. Lunch was simple but perfectly fine for us. They had deli meats, veggies, and condiments for us to make wraps. They offered us granola bars and rice krispies on the side as well as cold beverages. I am so glad I brought sunscreen, plenty of water, and my iPhone with a strap to take pictures. They do have people take pictures of you on the bigger rapids (for purchase after the trip), however, I wanted my own pictures throughout the ride. We will definitely be back using this same company every summer (my fiance's family lives near the Lotus pickup point). Bring cash to tip the guides and driver. This is a professional, fun, friendly, and safe adventure for the whole family! Highly recommend. -Shayna & Tucker read more

Guide chased us around for $120 tips. Not recommended. The company should pay their staff better to prevent this! Our guide had good skill, however during the rafting he told us normally people gives $20 per person as tips and when the float ends. He came to us twice directly to our car while we are changing clothes and mentions about the tips. We embarrassingly gave him the $120 tips at the end and decided not to come to this rafting place again because of the bad experience. Initially we are planned to give $10 tips per person overall $60 but seeing him insist the high tips and other rafting place leave no pressure on tips made us think the company is extremely underpaying their guides which made the guides extremely eager to chase us around and ask for some specific amount of tips. read more

This will be the second time my company NorCalGroups.com/SafeandSober Tours.com has use this venue for safe and sober senior trip it works wonderfully as staff is very supportive! The location location is great to keep kids safe and active all night long and give them an adventure the next day! Thanks again Ann & Matt for taking good care of us in 2017 and then again in 2019. I hope to find more groups that would love a different adventure for Senior Grad Night and bring them to Action. read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - First half of the group pic - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

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We got our adventure purchased through Groupon. This was our first time as a family river rafting. The staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about our trip. We had a great time. read more

The guides were nice enough but the van driver was late and then we piled into a beat up van and drove all over the countryside because one of the guides forgot the waivers. When we were dropped off at the entry point it was actually was only a few minutes from where we left our cars but we had been in the van for 40 minutes to retrieve the waivers. I think they thought we would not notice. We all wanted to raft as a family but 2 of us were asked to kayack and the other 4 were split between 2 rafts. I know the river was low but I really did not want to kayack. We had no choice because they only brought 2 rafts and 5 kayacks. I have had better rafting experiences. Usually guides tell you history and share info. That didn't happen on this trip read more

It's my 8 times to do white water rafting in the past 9 years. The group number is increased from 6 people to 66 people this year... Wonderful trip and experience! Great guides, food, photos and experience! We will be back in year 2023.. read more

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

This place is great! We did the Gorge tour. We rode about 30 minutes by bus from their meet location to our raft launching location. We were given life jackets, helmets, and paddles. The rafting trip down the river was approximately 4 hours. There was a nice mix of floating and a good splash in class 3 falls in the river. This was a perfect rafting trip for a beginner - like myself. The boats and equipment were in good condition. My guide, Devon, was knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. He really entertained us while we were calmly floating and set up to hit each run perfectly. There were probably 6 other rafts with varying numbers of people in each raft (4 to 8) and everyone was friendly. There were professional photographers to take your photos during your trip, mostly during your big drop in the river. They'll show you the photos first and will offer to text/email it to you but you have to pay them like $75 which I declined. Also a heads up that to park in their on-site parking spot are $5 per car. I'm taking away 1 star for serving veggie burgers to me and my party of friends (we're all vegan) that had dairy & egg whites in them even though I beforehand on 2 separate phone calls made it clear that we are vegan and asked if their patties were fully plant-based (which they said yes). I wouldn't make a big deal about if meals were complimentary but I paid for it and expected this company to be knowledgeable about folks' dietary preferences especially if folks are doing it for ethical reasons for animals. Needless to say, my friends didn't eat take the burgers and just ate the clementines and oreos that were out. Either don't get the lunch or if you do want lunch as a vegan, ask if the veggie burgers they have are plant-based and they don't seem confident in their answer, just assume there are animal products in it and do the rafting without lunch option to save yourself money. Overall great place to raft and they provide a good white water rafting experience. read more

Im really not sure why AWA has such a high Yelp rating. I don't claim to be an avid rafter, but I have been on a few full day and half day trips on different rivers over the years. While nothing stood out as "bad" on this trip, it was just a blah experience all the way around. Thank goodness I bought these tickets on Groupon for about 1/2 the normal price. Six of us rafted the Chili Bar half day trip. The river itself is a great experience, especially for new or timid rafters. There are some really fun rapids that will toss you around and get you completely soaked. Even though AWA told us to we'd be on the river for 2.5 hours, it turned out to be a much shorter 1.5 hours. The Camping: We started out the night before at AWA's river front campground. They charge $20 for each person per night if you bring your own gear and $30 each if you want them to provide a tent, sleeping bag, pad and chair. You are literally right next to the river. There is a lot of shade and grassy areas for tents. The areas are assigned, but are basically right next to each other. You will have your own table. During the day, when the river is high, the swimming is a little treacherous. Later in the day, they shut the river down and it drops several feet and flows much slower. The swimming got much better. If you want to camp, I would suggest looking at camps C, D, E. Camp A looked a little rough and camp B (our camp) was down wind from the porta-potties. So, while trying to fall asleep, we had the nice aroma wafting into the tent. There are regular bathrooms and showers at the other end of camp. The ladies working the little store were nice and accomodating. They carry the little things you seem to forget for camping and rafting. They were open from 8am to 5pm. The rafting: It was a Monday and there were about 25 people on this trip. We boarded a bus and drove about 30 minutes to the put in spot. Our guide was a nice enough kid from Costa Rica. We got a quick safety speech and onto the river we went. The trip lasted about 1.5 hours and was a pretty straight forward ride. No stops, no games. Other trips we have taken over the years included jokes and games on the bus ride to and/or from the put in/take out locations. The rafting itself came with a detailed history of the area, swim stops, swim rapids, games like hooking two paddles together and having a tug-o-war until someone or both ended up in the river. Intentionally flipping the boat, getting it stuck in an eddy, etc. There was none of that on this trip. Once back at the base camp, we waited for lunch to be served (came with the rafting package). Lunch consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips + salsa, gatorade looking stuff and water. Again, nothing to write home about. On other trips, the lunch spread has been impressive. Tri-tip, chicken, deli trays, salads, fruit, chips, and even an adult beverage! We will raft again, it's an absolute blast to be on the river. But there are much better outfits to go with. read more

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Well run and organized, and our guide Cory was great!

Class operation. Started with a great lunch of BBQ cheeseburgers. We were greeted by our guide Louis who had cold waters for us. After a safety briefing we started down the river. We did the Gorge - beautiful scenery and perfect amount of rapids. Our guide was fantastic very knowledgeable about the area and river and kept us safe. Highly recommend read more

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Had a really fun day, the guide was very professional at guiding us safely. Our boat mates were friendly and fun to be with. This is my third trip with this outfit and it won't be the last! I'm trying the middle fork next. read more

Go here!!!! This was my gift to my husband for our 8 year anniversary and we both LOVED IT! Class 3 rapids through the south fork American river- all day! Lunch (bbq) was included . Our guide was Mike and I'm so happy that he was our guide! He was very knowledgeable about the river and any questions our group had for him. I was surprised to see some swimmers from the other rafts but thankfully our group paddled well and no one fell out :). We definitely had a great time and when we come back we plan to request Mike again! We reserved a campsite for two nights and opted to bring our own camping gear ($20/person/night). My husband and I go backpacking often so this was a little different for us as we are used to being out in the wilderness near no civilization. The AWA campground is nice and bathrooms and showers are on site. If you like camping, I highly suggest bringing your own tent as you will have more space. The area where they provide tents was very crowded but it is a good option for those who don't want to bring anything as the company will provide tents and food with that option. Bring water shoes, sun screen, and a hat! I wore running shorts and a long sleeve water resistant shirt (it was in the upper 90s) but I felt fine all day due to how often we got wet and I didn't get sunburned ;). In regards to the rafting, be sure to follow the guide and paddle STRONG with your group. You'll have a great time! I can't wait to go again! read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - This was after we packed up but Our tent was far at the end by itself. River on the other side. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

My husband and I have been wanting to go white water rafting and finally booked it with 2 of our friends. There were 4 of us in our group with our guide Stevie G. Trust me, you want Stevie G as your guide!! He basically grew up on the river, knew all the ins and outs and was a blast!! We will definitely be back and we will request Stevie G! Hey Stevie, stay in the current ;) read more

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

Absolutely excellent service at this business. Cannot say enough good things about our guide, Agua, she was incredible. We had so much fun. We would definitely do it again. We highly recommend Agua as your guide as she made our trip truly special. Everything was professional and top-notch. Do not pass go make your reservations right now for wonderful rafting experience read more

As a first timer, I felt very well taken care of. * Great customer service and very accessible for all questions * Gave us wet suits, fleeces and waterproof tops (we saw other groups which didn't have them), and thank god we did have them! * Multiple communications before the trip re timing The guides were very experienced - 11+ years doing this - and we felt very secure and well taken care of. The level 2/3 ride is actually a walk in the park, or a ride down the river. Nothing to ever be scared of. Great group! read more

This is my second time here and honestly, has to be the BEST experience of whitewater rafting. Compared to my first, it doesn't even come close even though i had tons of fun the first time. I went with a group of 8 this time and was the only one with previous experience so i was giving advice throughout the weeks leading up. We did the South Fork - Full River that had level 1-3 currents. Our instructor was named Samuel. i'll tell you this now, I hope to only get Samuel for ALL my rafting adventures. Everything about this trip was AMAZING because of him. We did a lot of team building activities and our communication was put to the test. The whole day went by so fast that i was really sad. EVERYBODY in my group had tons of fun. For those reading this, come ready and be prepared. Don't be afraid of the water and just enjoy the experience. Make sure to go on Groupon or Living Social, there's a bunch of deals to save you money. Please please make sure to tip your instructor. Also, if you're doing a full day, there is lunch provided around 12pm-1230pm. Vegetarian option is provided. I don't want to provide the details of the rafting trip but i can guarantee that you will get wet and smile/laugh a lot. There is a bus that takes you from the starting point (where you check in and park your car) to the area where you start rafting. From there, the instructor will guide you and you'll begin the journey. I'm coming back during April-July so i can aim for the level 4-5 currents. Thank you again Action Whitewater Adventures!! read more

Good trip, friendly guides. Would raft with them again.

Excellent Trip! Definitely worth the adventure. Our guide Oscar was entertaining and knowledgeable about the river (He's also a great photographer :-P ). This was my first time river rafting and it was a great intro and LOTS OF FUN! Looks a lot more challenging than it actually is. I will definitely attempt different category of rapids for the future! read more

I really love whitewater rafting! It is fun and exciting, and the professional guides are there to keep everyone safe. And that is the reason for this one star rating. I was horrified to see that one of the guides did not use a life jacket today, in violation of state and local law, not to mention common sense. When the guides gave the mandatory safety briefing, they emphasized that EVERYONE must wear a life jacket (and helmet). The reason is that, no matter how strong and experienced a swimmer you may be, nobody can swim against the power of the river, and an accidental fall into the frigid whitewater rapids can be fatal without one. Well, it turns out that they miscounted the jackets, they were short one, so the guide gave up hers so that all the passengers would have one. This, rather than sending back to camp for another one or borrowing from another outfitter. If the guide were to fall in and become incapacitated, it would put her and all of her passengers in danger. Also, the only safe way to get someone back into the raft is by pulling them up by their life jacket straps. No life jacket, no straps, no safe way to get her back into the boat. When you are paying for professional guides, the very least they can do is observe fundamental safety requirements and the law. This was very disappointing. See photo for proof. read more

Action Whitewater Adventures - Hey guide! Where is your lifejacket and helmet? - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Started with the Chili Bar run for our first time! Ann was our guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and made sure we were safe while having maximal fun! Only wish we opted for the longer trip :( IT'S OKAY, WE WILL RETURN SOON! I highly recommend Ann/Action Whitewater Adventures to everyone! read more

The rafting itself was good but the organization was absent. Good thing i've read some info in the email beforehand because when we arrived, nobody told us anything; anyone we found with the company's logo, had no idea or any information. We asked-"what do we do? Where do we go? Who is our guide? Who do we give our papers to? when do we depart? what's going on?" = all of these questions went unanswered. In the end (1.5hrs in) we finally found someone (supposedly the leader) who handed us off to another guide who barely spoke any English and also did not know what is going on. So that's how our journey started, with little explanation and no clue to what's happening. Even the guides looked confused and couldn't figure out who's taking whom and which boat we are going on. During the journey, they could not answer any of our questions or give clear directions, didn't know the time, distance nor the location either. When we arrived, we had to wait for the bus like half an hour, because the bus apparently was running late too and had no idea what's going on either. So that was our "clueless" journey. The rafting itself is fun, but i'd advise to go with a more "organized" and knowledgeable company. P.S. The food could have been better also. It was the cheapest kind of cheeseburger (or veggie burger) one could find in a dollar store. And another question in my mind- why feed before and not after a 4hr rowing journey? read more

Dee was our tour guide ! She was so sweet snd good! None of us fell off the boat and felt safe .. real story ..... me and a gf on dees boat even saved an indian man from drowning. Wow lotion in my mind forever. What an adrenaline filled day! He was stuck in deep high current fell off. His son was crying like crazy. Dee steered close enough. He almost went under our boat but dee was good at steering and having us the opportunity yo grab the mans arm and life jacket before he went under! Good day! read more

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Action Whitewater Adventures has the best guides. I have been bringing my disabled adult son for years on the South Fork American river for years... no matter the conditions on the river, the guides love their clients and this river as much as I do. They get high marks from me! Cynthia read more

Our guide was amazing and the trip was a blast! Can't wait to go back again. Highly recommend.

Family adventure If I could, I would give Action WhitewaterAdventures 20 STARS! It was SO much fun! The staff was incredibly kind and informative. I was nervous, picture this: a mom, taking her triplet 13-yr old girls whitewater rafting!! But, everything turned out GREAT. Our raft guide/leader was LUIS. Our very own Captain Jack Sparrow! Although my girls were also nervous, he made it both incredibly fun and safe. He and the rest of the raft guides/leaders really know how to navigate these waters. We were in good hands. Luis was incredibly patient and fun as he taught us the importance of water safety on the river, how to work together as a team, during calmer waters he shared historical and nature anecdotes about the river area, calmed nerves with breathing exercises...the list goes on. It can't say enough great things about the experience! AND, at the end of the rafting, we enjoyed a well-earned grilled cheese burger with all the fixin's. All this to say, we will certainly be back!! read more

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

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Came here on July 4th weekend, our group had a blast for our first rafting trip!!!! Ann was our guide and she was super informative throughout the entire trip. She made us felt safe and comfortable as we approached the rapids. Great sense of humor as well, will definitely recommend to others and return in another season read more

A great fun experience with an excellent guide! Patricio made this day a wonderful experience for all of us, giving us clear and safe directions when needed, while also making sure we had the most fun possible! I had personally been on this river once before, but this time around my experience was far more enjoyable thanks to Patricio going above and beyond to make sure we all enjoyed our experience. Definitely recommend this to anyone on the fence about doing it, and i'm certain you will have a great time! read more

Spent a full day on the south fork river - 3 adults and 3 kids under the age of 10. We all had a blast thanks to our guide Pablo. He was very friendly, knowledgable and patient with us all day. This was our first time rafting so we decided to do the 22 mile - 8 hour trip to the chili bar and gorge. Check in time at 8am and everyone boards the buses around 8;30-8:45. 20-30 min ride to the river. After our orientation we started our rafting trip a little after 9:30am. 1st part of the trip is the chili bar (8 miles and roughly 2 hours) was really fun and exciting. Lots of rapids. Got back to the campground for a hamburger lunch around 11:30. Started again a little after noon with the 14 mile gorge sections. It was very calm for the 1st hour but then it gets exciting with more class 3 rapids. Ended our trip at 4pm. Viewed pictures and decided to get the entire package for $100 because there were a lot of nice action shots. We tipped Pablo because he worked hard on this trip with us :) Would do the trip again when the kids are older. Hopefully we get to do middle fork soon! read more

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Amazing trip! Mili was a very skilled, cheerful, and energetic rafting guide. Honestly, the best guide in my years of rafting.

Went rafting for the first time with the kids (8-12) and we all had a blast. Highly recommend this place. Our guide's name was Aqua. She was the best! Very sweet and friendly and kept us entertained throughout the entire raft. Pick her if you can at your next adventure read more

Took my family whitewater rafting (for the first time ever) at Action Whitewater Adventures. We did the Lower Fork Gorge and it was an absolute BLAST! Our Guide was Agua and she was fantastic. Super friendly and knowledgable of the area and local sites. We paid extra for the "Wild Side" add on and Agua really kept us all entertained with tricks and stunts... We're already planning for trip #2 -- but this time we want to brave the Class 3-4 rapids in the Middle Fork run! read more

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

Had an absolute blast. Super professional and fun guides and management. You get fed either before or after your trip depending on what you do, and it's a tasty hamburger. Our guide Steve was so fun, knowledgeable and friendly, he truly is what made it such a great experience. Make sure you bring some water and sunscreen, we did a four hour gorge ride and I was happy to have some protein bars too. read more

Lance was awesome! 20 plus years of experience and one of the funniest guides ever. He did so much tricks down the rapids with us and made the experience even better! He was singing, jumping in with the kids, made my 10 year son be the instructor for a minute and have him take over the raft to guide us through one of the rapids. Very memorable moment for him. This is our second time rafting with Action Whitewater Adventures and they never disappoint us. Best part is it comes with a hot BBQ lunch. We will definitely be requesting Lance on our next rafting trip. read more

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My family had an amazing time! safe , fun and exciting. highly recommend! Easy to book, and schedule. We have been before with other companies and this company was way easier to deal with. Thanks for a great time! read more

Trip on Saturday, August 31st. The 18 mile water rafting trip was a fun filled journey down the middle fork. Our guide Samuel, from Brazil, was so experienced at what he does and always made sure we were safe and not once fall out of the boat. He got us through rapids from 1 to 4 and made sure each rapid was just as exhilarating. The river was a balance of active and calm sections. So there was time to relax and enjoy the nature scenery, as well as paddling thru each rapid. Lunch was a delicious wrap with your choice of filling, which was much better than I expected. Efficient quick set up by the guides and made sure we were in the shade on a hot 90* day. Great trip, great guides! Will definitely be coming back again! read more

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Guide was great. A teenage boy fell out at the worst moment and he saved the day. Stud!

Just got home from an AMAZING day. Started off rough with us running late, but they were super friendly and they waited. We had Tacota as our guide and he was the sh**! WE really enjoyed our time with him. He was very knowledgeable on the rafting and also made sure we had a great time. We did the full day south fork trip and it was most def worth every penny. We were all 4 first timers and he made it extra comfortable for all of us. He felt us out and started easy, but seen we got the hang of it and started to go backwards and do spins down the rapids. I can't wait to go again. The only negative was not being able to find him after we returned to give him a thank you and his tip. Hopefully the office gives him his $ because he was def worth the $ and more. Thanks again Tacota and Action Whitewater!!! Can't wait til next year. DONT THINK TWICE on doing this adventure, 3 of 4 in my group are scared of water and this trip helped them conquer their fears and they all had the best of times! read more

hidden fees.. because of covid, we wanted our group to be in a separate raft than the group that they were going to put us with. They made us pay an extra $90, while the other group did not have to pay the fees because they weren't the ones who requested it. The experience wasn't bad, but it's unfair that the website says each group gets their own raft and we had to pay an extra fee to get our own. When we brought that up to the manager, he said "the website hasn't been updated". We drove 7 hours for this experience and wish they had been completely honest with us from the beginning... read more

I had reserved for South Fork Full River trip. What an amazing and fun experience. We had the best tour guide, Mauri who instructed us every step of the way, warned us for approaching rapids, and was concern of our safety. The lunch was alright. And I understand there were no clean restrooms. The parking and leaving of keys could have been better, because we have to go back and forth to get the money for the tip. But our overall experience and all the staff were kind. The decision I made to have my bonding moments with my Sept Bday Boys was memorable. Thumbs up! Paddles up! read more

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