With a boat or raft through the Grand Canyon

A boat trip on the Colorado River is an adventurous way to discover the Grand Canyon. During a trip on the Colorado River – which runs through the Grand Canyon – you will have the most beautiful views of the canyons and rock walls. You will also pass sandy beaches, beautiful viewpoints, and stunning waterfalls.

There are numerous companies offering Colorado River boat trips and rafting tours. On this page, you will find information, tours, and links to tour organizations. Additionally, you will find more information about the types of boats, types of trips (calm or wild), and departure locations.

Calm trips on the Colorado River

Departure	Tour	Starting Price*	Type of Tour
Grand Canyon South Rim	→ Grand Canyon Coach and River Trip	$255	Bus tour + calm ride through the Horseshoe Bend
Las Vegas	→ Grand Voyager Rim to River	$594	Airplane + Helicopter + Calm ride on the Colorado River

White Water Rafting on Inflatable Boat

Departure	Tour	Starting Price*	Type of Tour
Peach Springs	→ One day Whitewater rafting	$429	Rafting tocht rubberen boot
Las Vegas	→ Grand Canyon White Water Rafting	$705	Rafting tocht rubberen boot vanuit Las Vegas

* Subject to price changes. Check the tours for the current prices.

Grand Canyon Coach and River Trip

A beautiful river tour is the Grand Canyon Coach and River Trip by Papillon. Note: this tour is a calm ride on the Colorado River. For white water rafting on the Colorado River, I refer you to the Whitewater Rafting Tour, which departs from Las Vegas (view tour here) or Peach Springs (view tour here).

This tour departs by bus from the Grand Canyon South Rim (“Maswik Lodge”) to the town of Page, east of the Grand Canyon. Upon arrival in Page, you will board a motorized raft at “Lee’s Ferry” for a calm 30-kilometer trip through Glen Canyon and the world-famous Horseshoe Bend. During your journey, you will make a stop at Petroglyph Beach, where you can view authentic ancient rock carvings.

On the return trip to the South Rim, you will make a stop at Cameron Trading Post, a cultural meeting place where visitors can explore the history and traditions of the native Americans of the area.

The minimum age for this tour is 4 years, and the tour can be booked from $255 per person. Including the bus trip to and from the South Rim, this tour lasts 12.5 to 13 hours. A lunchbox is included.

Grand Voyager Rim to River

A spectacular tour through the Grand Canyon by boat is the Grand Voyager Rim to River tour. This tour departs by plane from Las Vegas to the west side of the Grand Canyon. Upon arrival, you will board a helicopter that takes you to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you will board a boat for a calm ride on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This tour is perfect for those who want to see as much of the Grand Canyon as possible in a short amount of time.

One day Whitewater rafting

This one-day Whitewater Rafting tour starts at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs. The town is located between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon South Rim. It is approximately a 2.5-hour drive from both points (Las Vegas and South Rim) to Peach Springs.

This Colorado River Rafting tour includes a 65-kilometer trip on the Colorado River in a motorized raft with an experienced guide. In the first 19 kilometers of the trip, you will conquer strong rapids. After that, the boat trip is much calmer.

During this boat trip on the Colorado River, you will stop for lunch on a sandy beach (lunch and drinks are included). You will also take a short hike to the Travertine Cavern Falls waterfall.

The minimum age for this tour is 8 years. The tour can be booked from $429 per person and is also available in a two-day variant.

Grand Canyon White Water Rafting

The Grand Canyon White Water Rafting tour departs by van from Las Vegas to Peach Springs. The journey starts as early as 4:00 AM and takes about 3 hours, including a pit stop and breakfast in the town of Kingman.

Upon arrival at the Colorado River, you will board a raft for a full day on the water. Along the way, you will stop for lunch (included) and visit the Travertine Cavern Falls waterfall. Be sure to watch the video above for a good impression of this complete tour from Las Vegas.

Departure Point for Colorado River Tour

An important aspect when choosing a boat or rafting tour is the departure location. Grand Canyon National Park is a vast area. Be sure to check where the tour departs, as tours often start early in the morning.

Type of Boat or Raft

The type of boat is important when choosing a Colorado River tour. You can ride on an inflatable raft, which (relatively) comfortably bounces over all the waves. These rafts rarely capsize, providing a good mix of excitement and safety.

Another option is a hard boat made of wood or polyester. These boats are much stiffer than inflatable rubber boats, making the trip on the Colorado River much rougher. This boat is therefore very suitable for true thrill-seekers!

Then there is the large J-Rig Raft, a motorized raft that can accommodate over 20 people. This large raft is very stable and, due to the motor, travels relatively quickly over the Colorado River. See the video below from Western River Expedition about the J-Rig Raft.

There are also tours on a pontoon boat. This is a boat suitable for calm trips on the Colorado River.

Finally, you can also travel on the Colorado River in a kayak. This is only suitable for experienced kayakers who have the skills to handle class 5 rapids (“Very difficult”).

Find a Colorado river boat trip or rafting tour yourself

There are many different companies offering Colorado Tours, and there are dozens of different tours. The four tours on this page are just a selection.

For example, at Cayeneers.com, you can book a multi-day tour (ranging from 4 to 15 days) through the entire Grand Canyon. This is a journey of no less than 362 kilometers on the Colorado River.

The range is therefore very varied. Check out various Colorado River tours from one of the providers below.

• Cayneers.com
• Westernriver.com
• Canyonexplorations.com
• Raftarizona.com
• Azraft.com
• Grandcayonwhitewater.com