If you’re thinking about whitewater kayaking in Ecuador I highly recommend kayaking Ecuador with Boof Sessions, my friend Abe Herrera’s whitewater kayaking tour business down there. Word on the eddyline is that this is a great way to get a non-touristy and authentic version of the whitewater experience in Ecuador.
“Ecuador is all about Class IV fun,” Abe says, “very classic, continuous, but very clean.” Everything I’ve heard about it is that it’s beautiful, fun, and there’s a good range of kayaking trip levels for people to go on. Ecuador Paddling does trips in the Class III to V range, and Abe is an experienced instructor with a ton of safety certifications: 2006 ACA Level 4 Instructor for Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting, 2006 Certified Instructor for Rescue 3 International in Swiftwater Rescue, high angle rope rescue, ice rescue instructor, motorized boat handling instructor, and 2012 NOLS WFR (National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness First Responder). In other words, there’s a good chance he can get you out of whatever you might get yourself into. :)
Abe basically has things set up so that you can get guided whitewater kayaking trips while not feeling squanched (technical kayaking term) into a big pre-set routine. He also rents boat, which is pretty charitable seeing as, in his words, “Boats come to Ecuador to die.” It’s all the boofing, I think. And it appears that his rates are definitely on the reasonable side of reasonable.
I think he is planning an Ecuador whitewater festival in January 2014 with a downriver race, boater cross, sprint, the works. Something tells me it will be epic. In any case, I can definitely vouch for his whitewater skills and Mike and I are hoping to head down there to paddle with him sometime in the next year.