Introductory Kayak Course

• Meet your guides at our adventure cafe calle 8 #43a-98, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia at 8 a.m. 
• Learn basic paddling strokes, how to maintain balance in your boat, and how to steer your boat.
• Once you have mastered a “wet exit” and practiced river rescue techniques, you will kayak in a gentle flow on River at San Francisco or Cocorná.
• Stay overnight in beautiful Comfortable and rural accommodation. Depending on availability, your stay may be at either La Mestiza or Tierra de Agua.
• Demonstrate your learning kayaking a Class 1 and 2 rivers. The 1 to 5 river classification system starts with flat water, and brings you to advanced whitewater.

After breakfast at your hotel, meet your transport at the Masaya Hotel at 8 am. Drive for 2 hours to reach our jungle base, where you will meet your guide. Select with him the appropriate sizes of equipment and outfit your kayak. One time on the Santo Domingo river, practice your paddle stroke on flat water and learn some new paddle strokes and boat steering techniques. You will spend the night in the Eco lodge right by the river.

After fresh food and fruit for breakfast at the reserve, head to the river for your first kayak run on whitewater! Learn how to read the currents and anticipate how they will impact your kayak. In a calm pool in the river, learn how to do a safe “wet exit” from your kayak and river rescue techniques. Your guide will be close by to help you at any time as you are learning how to safely leave your boat in the event that you flip in the river. Learn about the different types of hydraulics and the potential hazards of a river, so you learn how to identify similar features in other rivers and skillfully and safely navigate rivers. Have a snack by the river and enjoy the day paddling the river with your guide at your own pace to truly learn how to improve your kayak skills and increase your confidence in the river. Head back to Medellín after a full day of adventure.

Extend your trip by 1 day and 1 night to continue to kayak down other sections of the Rio Guatapé. After another restful night at Reserva Zafra Touristica, you may be ready to head to the river with confidence to paddle a whole section of river! We will drive to the upper Rio Guatapé put in, an 8 km stretch of class 2 whitewater. Get ready for a full day of adventure in a beautiful natural setting with water that is crystal clear and rapids that form from white round granite boulders.  This is when you will realize the magic of kayaking as a means for exploration to pristine environments. Enjoy lunch on the river. Towards the end of the river, there are two small drops, which gives you the occasion to try your first waterfall! Return to Reserva Zafra Turística for a shower and a snack before driving back to Medellin. After a 2 ½ hour drive, arrive to Cra. 43e #11-13, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia by 7 p.m. * arrival time may vary.