White Water Rafting

2 weekends ago, I joined a group of other volunteers and went white water rafting. I'm not a risk taker when it comes to outdoor adventures. I love roller coasters, but I wouldn't even jump off the swings in elementary school! But with some gentle teasing from my cousin, I decided to go. I'm so glad I went.

We went to an outdoor adventure camp on the Tana River called Savage Wilderness. They have been open for 23 years and employ both Kenyan and non-Kenyan guides. They also have a zip line, bungee jumping, and rock climbing. I think it would just be an amazing place to rent a bed in the bunk house and just relax away from city noise. 

First Rapid!

Definitely thought we were going to hit the rock!

We didn't, but we did end up in a tree!

We were given a safety presentation by quite possibly the funniest man ever. He had a good mix of serious advice and humor to ease nerves. He warned us about snakes, spiders, hippos, and crocodiles. None of which we ended up seeing - Thank Goodness. Once suited up in our safety gear, We got on a bus to the starting point.  The guide for a boat, Patrick, reviewed the safety rules and taught us how to jump left and jump right to redistribute the weight in the raft. He said a few of the rapids were up to a class 5. I have no idea what that means but, I think it sounds impressive. I managed to stay in the raft the entire time, even when our guide took us "surfing" and intentionally tried to flip the raft. Only 2 of us out of a group of about 25 didn't fall in!

"Surfing"

I was not falling out!

We started the trip with 4 in our raft but then one of the girls left to join a different boat. We didn't mind, we had such a great guide. Later I did jump in to swim in a few places. There was one place with "swimming rapid" so Kaite and made like otters, I held hands and floated through the small rapid on our backs.

It took a second to flip over, but once on your back, the water carries you!

Yes, we are still in the boat.

At one point, the guide tied all the rafts and we got out onto giant rock. At the bottom of the rock was a "toilet." So, we all took turns sliding down the rock. Once in the water, the current swirls you around and spits you outl hen you have to swim back to the rock. They had 3 back up plans in case you missed he first rope to get out! It was such a weird sensation so I only went once.

We made it!

We ended the excursion back at the camp with the most amazing lunch! We bussed back to Nairobi and ended the day with cold stone!