There are several time slots available to go rafting in Arequipa. We went for the midday time slot since we arrived the previous evening from the 2-day Colca Canyon tour. The rafting tour cost 60 PEN1 each and included all equipment rental. The only additional cost was for the pictures taken by a professional photographer which came to 30 PEN for our group of 3. The photographer drives ahead and captures action shots with a DSLR camera so it was worth getting the pictures.
For the midday tour, the meeting point was at the tour agency’s office at the Plaza de Armas. It was then a quick 30-40 minute drive to the equipment rental location. Equipment includes a wet suit, water shoes, life jacket, and helmet. A thing to note is that if you have a GoPro, be one of the first ones to get a helmet since there’s like 1 or 2 that have the attachment. There’s a male and female changing area and once everyone was ready, we headed to the River Chill. It was another short 30-minute drive to the river where the boats were being set up for us. We were split up into groups with the smallest being 2 people and the largest being 4 people. Each group had a guide and they went over the instructions before setting out. There are several calm spots in between the fast-moving currents of the river. We stopped at the river bank for a break halfway through. In total, we were in the river for about 45 minutes and it was great fun. When we reached the end, we got changed behind the minibus and then made our way back to the city.
