Explore the Rio Grande Gorge: Full-Day Tour from Downtown Santa Fe

Summary: ⸻ This ended up being the perfect anniversary treat—just my husband and me on what felt like our own private guided boat trip! From the moment we arrived, Sarah greeted us with her warm, bubbly personality—you can tell she truly loves what she does. Our guide, Jordan, was amazing—so knowledgeable about the area and made the whole experience fun and easy. Do yourself a favor and book a boat ride with this crew—you won’t be disappointed!

Summary: My boyfriend and I went on a full day Rio Grande trip with Courtney and it was our first time doing anything like that. It was just us and the amazing guide. She was so knowledgable about the area, the geology, the plants, the history....I was blown away. She showed us petroglyphs and how you can sift for garnets in the river. The rapids were fun and Courtney was such a pro. We had a blast, we felt safe and we learned so much. This was a highlight of our trip and we really appreciated the simplicity of the process, the people who work at NMRA and the entire experience! Highly recommended!

Summary: My guide Austin was amazing. This was my first rafting experience and I hope I can do it again next year! All the staff were amazing and friendly.

Summary: Our guides Kennedy and Ava were awesome and expectations were exceeded. I am an avid kayaker and was initially concerned that being a group tour would not provide enough excitement. However, there was a good balance of relaxation and exhilaration. Bonus points for the Southwestern chicken fajitas our guides cooked onsite for our lunch break. 😋

Summary: This was my husband's and my first time river rafting. We truly enjoyed the entire experience. Our guide, Fiona, was a big reason our rafting trip was so pleasurable. She was super knowledgeable about the history of the area, and pointed out so many sites we may not have noticed without her knowledge. Gorgeous views.

Summary: The guide team were very knowledgeable, not only of river rafting points, but on history of the area and history of indigenous peoples and current systems protecting the rainforest and resident animals by some indigenous people. First, we reviewed intensive safety and procedure exercises. The month we enjoyed the river it was mostly class III, and some Class IV. We enjoyed meeting friends from South America and Europe.

Summary: Despite the rain for a good portion of the day, we had the best time on this rafting trip. Our guide Auston, was the best. Request him if you go! Having said that, everyone there was super nice, and seemed to love their jobs. The facility was nice, and they have a lot of items at the shop, and yes, they are reasonably priced. Instructions for safety were made clear and reiterated when necessary. The lunch they made and served was delicious! I am highly recommending them, and want to thank them one more time for a great adventure!

Summary: The full day trip was excellent! Our guide, Dan, was outstanding. Made sure everyone was safe and was a wealth of knowledge about the surrounding area and all the nature we saw. NMRA did a great job in providing a great lunch. Would highly recommend this trip. We plan to come back and try their multiday trip down the Chama.

Summary: We had the perfect full day rafting on the Rio Grande in the Taos Box with Austin. I can’t say enough good things about his professionalism. We went through more than a dozen class IV rapids, and it was just the two of us in the boat with him. He gave us precise instructions for how to row through each rapid, and we did so successfully and with lots of fun. We saw plenty of wildlife (bighorn sheep, numerous species of birds), and the lunch was great. Austin provided so much information about so many different topics - the river, the rapids, the wildlife, Taos, New Mexico in general. My head was spinning with all of the details he provided - in a good way! This trip is not for beginners, but if you’ve rafted on white water before, you MUST sign up for this trip if you are in the Taos area. If (when) we visit the area again with our twenty-something children, we will bring them along and do this again!

Summary: We are a family group of six. New Mexico River Adventures did a great job of outfitting us and preparing us for our trip. There were ample knowledgeable staff on-site, and their procedures were efficient. Amelia guided our raft. She taught us how to maneuver the raft, and shared her knowledge of the river, and of the history, geology and biology of the area. She was supportive with our children, especially our special needs son, and when we all dove in for a swim, Amelia hoisted us back into the craft like it was nothing. She also took several pictures of our group and shared them with us. When it was over , I was wishing we’d booked an all-day excursion. Thank you, Amelia, and the whole staff for such a great family outing!