As we pack up our Ecuador equipment and look towards home, we will definitely miss the paddling! As well will be some of the cultural differences found here, the most prominant being the politeness between both friends and strangers here in the country... And...
Adventure Travel
Thinking outside your backyard and Traveling Abroad via Kayak
Traveling outside the country provides an opportunity to combine a passion for paddling and a desire to experience different cultures than we have at home-- with great people. Our trips have been a win-win combination for the past 23 years — just ask the group that...
Cultural Immersion from a Different Perspective
Heading out to paddle/run trips in an international setting means bringing along a checklist that includes such things as learning the access points, watersheds (because if the river you were hoping to do is too high, what else is coming in), the language…and so on;...
Kayakers=Ambassadors. Honking.
It might seems like a dangerous statement to say that kayakers become ambassadors to and from their home country. But it is true. We bring a bit of reality to the locals we paddle by....and bring home reality from the people we have shared time with. With our winter...
The Varying Moods of the Quijos River
Walking out to the beach on the Quijos River it is always a guess as to what the river mood will be. This morning found the river a gorgeous glacier green color. The different colors/river levels on the Quijos change as frequently as a mood ring. As a result--even...
The Magic of Paddling in Ecuador
Lava laced canyon walls monkeys swinging through the trees little ones gathering to watch you gear up stunning jungle scenery a week of awesome whitewater with good friends All of the above are reasons a boater packs up their paddling gear and heads to winter paddling...
Where the headwaters of the Amazon headwaters originate Ecuador-style
The Amazon River is the second largest river in the world: 3,900 miles of river, 2,720,000 square miles that discharges more cfs into the Atlantic Ocean that the next six largest rivers combined. The majority of rivers we paddle here in Ecuador are all part of the...
When all your hard work pays off and you are kayaking somewhere cool!
As little as a year ago, at least two of this crew would have never imagined that they would be kayaking in Ecuador. They were still struggling to learn how to roll, catch eddies and stay rightside up. And then the next thing you know there you are--paddling rivers in...
And when the snow really falls–Kayak Ecuador!!
Our 2011 Ecuador Whitewater shirt is another awesome design!! This year our design artist is Marlo Wright--who captured the magic of San Rafael Falls with her paint brush. Every year we do a unique design for our trip shirt. And with the help of the proceeds from the...
Winter Solstice in Ecuador
Winter solstice means the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere--and the longest in the southern hemisphere, giving us even more time to enjoy paddling here in Ecuador! The effects of sunshine, the good company, the Upper Pano and the Upper Mishaulli...
Busy is the Operative Word for Rivers in Ecuador
Paddlers often feel more comfortable on a new run when they have something to compare it to--a river they are familiar with. When asked about the rivers in Ecuador, it can be hard to come up with similar runs back home. If river in Ecuador could be summed up in one...
Part Shaman, Hostess, Quichua, Doña Cleo Is Part of Team ERA
One of the main components to international kayaking trips is the community relations. And ensuring that members of the international community we spend time in feel like they are part of our "team" always make our trips run better. How fortunate we are to have Doña...
Wall Shots and Kayaking in Costa Rica
Wall shots: a river feature created when downstream current runs directly into the downstream wall. Doing so creates a pillow alongside the wall, and a compression eddy line where the pillow and the downstream running current meet. There is nothing intuitive about...
Rocks and Rolls on the River
You watch the rain, read about the damage, feel the pain for residents hurt in the floods; but it is coming back to familiar rivers and personally viewing changes that brings home how powerful water is. Our final trip of the season here in Costa Rica loaded up under...
The Power of Water
Our Class IV boaters had a front row seat this week to the incredible power of water. The week started out with two gorgeous sunny days here in Costa Rica, giving us a chance to warm up and then enjoy the Lower Pacuare (a must for any level trip) before what seemed...
Class III Kayaking Fun in Costa Rica
This past week was one of our favorite itineraries: the Class III trip that begins at the beach. And with the veteran crew of ERA participants that joined us this week, it was blue skies, great water, and big smiles all week!!! Check out our photo gallery for a...
Our Team of International Guides
While the reputation of great boating is what attracts boaters to Costa Rica and Ecuador, it is the reputation of the Endless River Adventures' guides that brings people to us--and back again so many times. In the words of a repeat guest/friend, "Friendly help,...
Where are all the animals in the rainforest?
When you hear rainforest you think monkeys and birds and iguanas and snakes (yikes!) and butterflies and more birds.....and they are all there. They are just difficult to spot because of their innate ability to stay out of sight of their predators. But there are...
Stout Class IV, Costa Rica scenery and a good group of friends = a great week of paddling here in Costa Rica
What makes paddling in a rain forest environment like Costa Rica or Ecuador so interesting is the potential for rivers to change character from one day to the next depending on water levels. Just ask our first group of merry paddling pranksters from Colorado and...
One Hundred and Twenty Gallons of Gas: the Hunt for Peacock Bass
by Ken Kastorff One hundred twenty gallons of gas, how in the world are we going to transport that much fuel? That was just one of many questions that were running through my mind this March as I started putting together an expedition to head down into the Ecuadorian...