⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Epic Day on the River — Come Prepared to Get WET (and Tired, and Happy) - This was hands-down one of the most memorable and physically rewarding days of my trip to Medellín. I was picked up from my hotel at 4:38 AM, and we drove out to a peaceful countryside hotel-restaurant where we had breakfast before starting the rafting portion of the tour. The rafting itself was thrilling, beautiful, and intense, we paddled, swam, jumped off rocks, and explored the natural surroundings. It’s not a lazy river ride expect real adventure and movement the entire time. 🛟 MUST-KNOW TIPS: 1. You WILL get wet everything. Some people showed up in full jeans and regular clothes, totally unprepared. Before the rafting started, I overheard the dad trying to buy a waterproof phone pouch, so I offered to sell him my extra one for 20,000 COP (~$5 USD), and he accepted. By the end of the tour, they were drenched, but at least the phone survived. 2. The cave is optional and comes after the rafting. After rafting, you stop at a riverside farm where you can buy snacks and drinks. This is where the group splits: • If you’re done, you get back on the bus and return to the starting point (at the bridge). • If you want to continue the adventure, you’ll get back on the raft float, a little bit more on the river and then you follow a trail through rugged terrain to a dark, wet cave. It’s wild and a bit intense, totally worth it if you’re up for it. 🧠 Important: Bring a waterproof flashlight or headlamp. The cave is pitch black, and both hands are needed to balance. EVERYTHING you bring must be able to get wet. If it’s not waterproof, leave it behind. 3. Plan ahead for dry clothes. After breakfast, I left a towel, dry clothes, and shoes at the hotel-restaurant. When we returned after rafting, I was able to shower and change comfortably. (Yes they have showers, even though no one told me in advance.) thankfully I came pretty prepared. 👉 Don’t bring your change of clothes with you leave it at base after breakfast. 4. Lunch IS included. We returned to the same hotel-restaurant and had a delicious plate of chicharrón with rice, beans, salad, and a toston. It was perfect after all the activity. 5. The guides were great, especially when I lost my phone. I accidentally left my phone in a raft and didn’t notice until after I exited the cave. My guide Sebastian let me use his phone, I logged into Find My iPhone, and thankfully, it was found and kept safe at base. Huge relief. 6. Communication before the tour could be better. When I reached out after booking, the responses were short and cold, it honestly made me anxious. But on the day of the trip, Marilyn Hernández, who was on the bus that picked me up, messaged me directly and was sweet, helpful, and changed the entire vibe. Huge shoutout to her! 🧳 What to Bring: • Swimsuit or quick-dry clothes • Water shoes or old sneakers (NO flip flops) • Waterproof phone pouch or dry bag • Waterproof flashlight or headlamp (for the cave) • Towel, change of clothes + dry shoes (to leave at base) • Snacks and Colombian pesos for drinks and extras 💧 Again: if it can’t get wet, don’t bring it on the river. Final Thoughts: This isn’t a touristy float it’s a real adventure. You’ll get wet, tired, and totally exhilarated. Just come prepared mentally, physically, and gear-wise and this will be an experience you won’t forget. I’d absolutely do it again.

Much more than 10 hr - The river experience was really fun, Luis was a great guide. We were swimming through rapids and whirlpools, even got to do a rope swing into the river. The experience in the cave with the oilbirds odd truly unlike any other. But two things people need to know about this tour that aren’t conveyed accurately on viator: First, my trip was 18 hr, not “approximately 10”. I was told to be ready for pickup at 4:10am and didn’t arrive home until after 10pm. You use some sort of public bus that doesn’t really adhere to a schedule well, makes unplanned stops etc. (I was actually pretty upset about this because it was my last night in Medellin and more things I was planning to do.) Second, the tour said “English guide” but I didn’t meet a single person who spoke English the entire day. Now there were so many patient people with me, and I’m very grateful. But had i known the reality that no one spoke English I wouldn’t have booked this tour because I felt like such an imposition. So, please don’t think it’s a bad tour, i had a wonderful time on the river and Luis really made it fun. But had i known the truth about duration or language i personally would’ve decided to do something else. Hopefully that helps the next person decide with a more accurate picture of what this tour is like.

Great activity, not so good bus driver and pick up guide - The rafting and caving experience itself was AMAZING and came with a great breakfast and lunch. What let it down was the communication from the company, along with the bus driver and guide who picked us up from our accommodation (NOT the rafting company in Rio Claro, they were fantastic). The driver, Julio, was incredibly cold towards us even when we said Hola & Gracias eachtime we got on and off the bus, granted we cant speak great Spanish other than the basics but we always try and were being polite. The bus was freezing so we asked twice if the air conditioning could be turned down a little bit (thank you google translate) and he just ignored, turned towards us with a dirty look and just shook his head. Yet later that afternoon on the way back, someone who could speak Spanish did the same and he adjusted it without any hesitation. Its important to note that we actually booked an ENGLISH speaking tour but the company just threw us on the Spanish one. As for the guide who picked us up, Marilyn Y, laughed with the driver when we asked for the second time for the air conditioning to be turned down in the morning, and mocked us in the afternoon when we asked for a third time. We know we weren't the only ones feeling the cold as everyone on the bus had blankets and also mentioned to us they were cold too. Unsure if the blankets were provided by the company or not but we definitely were not offered one. The guide who actually took us on the activities was fantastic, although again only Spanish speaking, we made it work because fortunately there was someone on the tour with us who was able to translate. So in summary, the activity itself is a 10/10 and we would highly recommend anyone coming to Medellin to do it, just be sure you get put on an english speaking tour if you dont speak spanish well. We did not appreciate the attitude of the driver, Julio, and guide, Marilyn Y, who picked us up. Just extremely rude. Its not our fault we booked an English speaking tour and got put on a Spanish bus. We always try our best to be kind and come happy and ready for a great day, but the both of them just ruined our experience.