Reviews of Western River Expeditions (Travel Agency)

Mike Savas

This is one of the best experiences I have had of my life. Personally, I have been to 75 countries and been on countless trips...Western is top notch and could not recommend them enough. 5 stars across the board and well worth the money...I would have paid triple for the experience I received!

Sean Moroney

THIS is activity NOT to be missed!!! We did the longer Colorado trip, worth every minute. The staff were informative, helpful, went beyond expectations. The staff instructed the clients to areas that could never been seen from the rim outlooks. The canyon is totally different from the river views. Would absolutely recommend WRE. Their staff exceeded our expectations as to site and food prep, appreciation for the environment, safety and their ability to interact with all members, regardless of age or ability. Do not miss this opportunity, memories to last a lifetime.

Deborah Caldwell

This is like a cruise with camping under the stars. We went on the Utah trip with young kids. The guides were clean cut, entertaining and well suited for the energetic young kids but equally comfortable with the mellow adults. The food was cruise ship quality in regards to variety and flavor. Hiking, swimming and rafting make the days go by fast. Nights under the stars are unforgettable. Everything you need is provided, just bring the clothes, an adventurous attitude and a camera.

Josh Norton

Jeff and shad are awesome and the rapid trip is even better than expected

Tracie Petersen

My husband and I did the Grand Canyon trip from Lee's Ferry to Lava Falls a few years back and the experience was nothing short of amazing! The guides were top-notch: very experienced and tons of personality. The food was exceptional, especially being on those remote beaches in such a beautiful place. We will definitely be taking our little girl on this same trip someday! Highly recommended for anyone (even if you don't consider yourself "outdoorsy"), since Western Rivers makes the experience accessible and comfortable.

Rick Moir

What an unbelievable experience. Would HIGHLY recommend Western Rivers!!! Great service, great guides and an unbelievable value for the money!!! Yes, Yes,yes go with Western Rivers for any trip.

Sean Thompson

Trip of a lifetime. Amazing in many respects. Western is the one to go with. They have the best boats, incredible guides, great food, and do an amazing job organizing everything. Truly top notch.

jim calhoun

What an incredible experience!! Everything was done in a first class way and we couldn't have been more pleased with this adventure. Like with most things, people make the difference and in this case our guides Ronnie and Jeff were terrific. Very knowledgable about the canyon but also very entertaining and fun to be with. As for the trip itself, the views were wonderful, great hikes, and the rapids provided some great adreneline kicks. At night, we ate gourmet food prepared by our guides and enjoyed great company under the stars. Bottom line - if you have a bucket list, put this trip at the top!

Rusty Willis

What an amazing experience! We did the longer Grand Canyon trip and it's the one vacation I can't wait to do again. "Raft trip" doesn't begin to describe the week. Not only are there rapid adventures but also side canyon exploring, sleeping under the stars, history & geology lessons, wildlife (who knew there were beavers living in the Grand Canyon), a helicopter ride, and great food complete with ice cream! Everything Western River did was top-notch and the value far exceeded the cost. Grab everyone you know and book a trip... you won't regret it!

Craig Earnshaw

This is a bucket list trip, everyone must do it, nothing else like it. And there is no better outfitter than Western River Expeditions to take you. Stunning scenery, beautiful days, pulse-pounding rapids, pleasant evenings, delicious food, good times throughout.

Courtney Wright

Best river guiding company in the West! Top notch service, top notch guides and top notch preparation. I was left wanting nothing during the entire time. I was comfortable, ate very well and had such a great time with the guides!

Qilly Parker

This was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. Western River by far exceeded all expectations. Our guides Ben, Steph, Makay and Mark were nothing short of wonderful. Their knowledge on the history of the grand canyon mixed with their personal stories were a daily delight. This was a life changing experience. I would HIGHLY recommend Western River Expeditions to anyone looking for an adventure like none other.

Scott Abajian

I had no idea what to expect (I didn't want to watch the rafting videos - I wanted it to be all new) and it far exceeded my expectations! The Grand Canyon was incredible, but the experience that Western River provides makes it a trip of a lifetime! The guides are professional with tons of knowledge about the Grand Canyon, the history, and were great at describing all the different layers as you go deeper into the Grand Canyon. They handled the boat so well that you always felt safe - as long as you held on! Shad and Keifer truly were exceptional leaders - great personalities, confidence, and fabulous cooks. I have never been camping, but Western River does a great job of preparing you for the trip. They make sure you pack the proper clothing and equipment to keep you comfortable. Your eyes will be wide open as you round each turn, with exceptional beauty around every bend in the river. And sleeping under a sky full of stars next to the Colorado river is one of the best parts of the trip. I highly recommend you cross this one off your bucket list!

Jason Bowley

AMAZING experience!

Emily Bates

Going down the Grand Canyon with Western Rivers was one of the best experiences I have had in the U.S. The landscape was stunning. The guides were fun and knowledgeable. I learned all sorts of geological tidbits. And the cooking was fabulous. Every meal was amazing. They even surprised us with ice cream one night. It was a week I'll remember for my whole life.

Jack Mallory

I've been to four continents, nearly 20 countries, in over 70 years. Six days on the Grand Canyon with Western Rivers was an experience of a lifetime. Ronnie and Jeff Haymond created an expedition that fulfilled all my expectations, and more. Not to mention my fellow travelers! Food, flora, fauna, geology, history, photography--every aspect of the trip was a treat. Ronnie and Jeff prepped three meals a day of fine meat, fresh veggies and fruits, plus the occasional candy bars and other treats. If we hadn't gotten so much exercise on the rapids, hiking the canyons, and around camp we would have gotten fat! I came especially interested in the photography (see pix at the photo-share page). I got pictures of stunning landscapes, striking skies (day and night) and battling Big Horn sheep. Some comments, for other photo folks: You'll want a good camera, with long lens capability if you want shots of the critters along the way. But as the Western Rivers photo web page suggests, you will stress your equipment to the max. There is a danger of water damage and, more certainly, problems from the fine sand/dust that is everywhere. I took my backup camera, a Sony RX10 III, and a waterproof Olympus TG5. The Sony (kept most of the time in a Pelican case) came back with the sand all over it and in it; every time I turn a dial I hear grating. It produced GREAT pix of the Big Horns and other animals, close-up details of distant geological features. But I'm glad it's my backup camera, because I'm not sure it survived the trip. The Olympus was terrific for landscape photos that didn't need any kind of close-up, pix around camp, and action shots in the rapids. It held up much better, being thoroughly soaked in the rapids numerous times which seems only to have washed the sand away; it performed perfectly the whole trip. Once Jeff and Ronnie realized my interest (obsession?) with photography, they were very helpful in keeping an eye out for critters along the way, suggestions of likely perspectives for landscape shots, warnings of upcoming rapids, etc. I brought a portable battery charger to make sure I had plenty of charge for the hundreds of photos, as well as 126 meg camera cards for each camera. I brought a brush/blower for cleaning dust off the cameras, but it's like trying to soak up the ocean with a sponge. Do bring rain gear, and figure that even with it you'll be wet much of the time. At 100+ degrees, that's a good thing even though the water temp is more like 50. Sometimes you'll be too warm, sometimes too cold; live with it. Dry footwear and socks at the end of the day are a huge relief to feet which have been wet and gritty all day. But even though this is "camping," it's pretty damned comfortable camping! I think most of us slept under the stars most nights, even if we set up our tents on the just-in-case. You will be exhausted at the end of every day, but you will sleep well! I"m telling friends and family that this is a must-do experience. Thanks again, Western Rivers, Ronnie and Jeff!

susan clark

Trip was spectacular. Guides were amazing.

Leigh Atkins

So informative!! Can't wait to get out of Kansas City and on the river!!!

Martin Post

Our family had the time of our lives. The trip down the Canyon has super and our guides were the best. We will never forget this trip!!

Bruce Helms

We could not have asked for a better experience. WRE and it's staff made this adventure hassle free, comfortable and amazing. From the plane trip to Bar-10 Ranch, the helicopter ride down into the canyon and the awesome river guides, Joe and Parker, we felt everything was managed flawlessly. The J-Rig raft, the food, the scenery, camping under the stars was an experience of a lifetime. Our guides Joe and Parker shared historical stories of some that came before and pointed out many geological wonders of the canyon. They are true masters of their domain.

Irv Clifton

To begin with, I wish I would of selected the six day trip. Three days was not enough. Not enough of rapids, not enough of hiking, not enough of seeing the wonders of the Grand Canyon, not enough of learning the history of the Grand Canyon from our wonderful guides, not enough of gazing at the stars, not enough of being awakened by the bright moon at night, not enough of listening to the river as we lay in our cots, not enough of the great food prepared by our super guides and finally not enough of the daily experience of traveling down the Colorado River. This trip was all that I thought it would be. From the flight from Boulder, the helicopter ride into the Canyon and loading up on our rafts was just a wonderful experience. Our guides were super and really made the trip. I can't think of one negative thing concerning this trip. I would highly recommend Western River Expeditions because of their professionalism they displayed in all aspects concerning the planning for our adventure.

Sydney Holmes

Took a week-long rafting trip down Desolation Canyon. Easily one of the best weeks of my life! If you are looking for a unique trip that you are guaranteed to have a good time, this is what you need! Flew in our own little plane over indian reservations, flew right by wild horses, landed on top of a plato, hiked down to the river, saw some of the most amazing stars and artifacts, got treated like royalty the entire time and made the most unforgettable memories. Can't wait to go back!

Sandra Wozniak

We filled two rafts with friends and family and set off on the 3 day Grand Canyon trip. Las Vegas, flying into the ranch, quads at the rim, helicopter in, rapids, banquets, unbelievable sites at every turn. No matter the age we were all kids on this trip. Non-stop fun.

Steve Greer

We had an amazing time in our 3 day river rafting trip down the Colorado River. The guides were top notch. The food was excellent. The scenery was awesome. I highly recommend!

Brenda Harder

My family and I took the 7 day rafting trip on the Colorado last summer and it was fantastic. The weather was perfect, warm and clear. The stars at night filled the sky. The guides were great cooks and extremely knowledgeable about the canyon's age and historical facts. If you like the outdoors and want to see something different this is it.

barb hall

Awesome 6 day Grand Canyon trip, should be on everyones bucket list

Jake Davis

Awesome adventure with the best guides and experience!

Sunshine Wiebold

I wasn't looking forward to this family vacation as I wanted to go to Costa Rica, HOWEVER, it ended up being one of the best vacations in my life! So grateful that I experienced 200 miles IN the Grand Canyon. The tour is organized and as safe or exciting as you want it to be! The food is ridiculously good and Cash, our tour guide, was fun & a wealth of knowledge. Only advice I can give is schedule a spa appointment upon return as the elements do a number on your skin!

David Altman

I enjoyed the 4 day trip down the first portion of the Grand Canyon so much I returned to do the 7 day and see the rest. And what a wonderful group at Western River, there great staff really help make a perfect trip even better.

Eric Shapiro

Just the most spectacular whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Four really wonderful guides, amazing meals, camping out under the stars, waterfall hikes, and mostly terrific fellow travelers.

Lindsay Laird

Vacation of a lifetime! Best guides, incredible service, amazing trip. You won't regret it.

Marilyn Peterson

Our guides Lat, Lutke, Joe and Steph were phenomenal. They were so knowledgeable, so kind, and made the entire trip so enjoyable I can't even find the words. It was an exciting, exhilarating, reverent and spiritual time with loads of laughter and camaraderie amongst the guests on our boat with Lutke, and Joe. Of course the beauty and grandeur of the Canyon was beyond words. This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. The entire process, the staff, the professionalism of everyone involved was outstanding. I can't wait to book with Western again, they are the best. Would you choose us for a future trip?: Yes

Garrett Roads

I did the Cataract Canyon 4-Day trip with my brother and my dad. I could not over recommend this trip, I had the time of my life. The guides went over the top with their care, enthusiasm and attitude. The boat was so cool. The food blew me away. Even though we had some of the worst weather I have ever experienced, it was one of the best weeks of my life. Anyone considering should know that they will feel safe the entire time they are with Western and also pay extra attention to the packing guides.

Gerald Thompson

I have traveled to over 70 countries on six continents and the Western River rafting trip through the Grand Canyon rates in my top five. The exquisite beauty of the canyon combined with an occasional adrenalin rush made for an unforgettable experience. Add the extensive experience and knowledge of the guides and the exceptional "camp food" for an adventure like no other. By the way, it's difficult to classify pork chops for breakfast and warm chocolate cake with ice cream on day seven as camp food. I have recommended this trip to others who also had the same excellent experience.

Jan a

WOW!!!...words and pictures do not do the EXPERIENCE justice!....You just have to have the experience yourself to really understand the amazing feeling of being there and soaking it all in......This Company is TOP OF THE LINE...it couldn't have been better...Did a 6 day trip down the Colorado River....would do it again and may with my 2 adult sons....can't wait..:)