The 10 best places to do rafting and kayaking in Mexico

Mexico has ideal natural conditions for the practice of extreme sports. Places for all kinds of adventures and walks, loaded with a lot of adrenaline and fun.

We invite you to know in this article the 10 best places to kayak and raft in Mexico.

1. Jacomulco, Veracruz

Let’s start with a place with the most suitable rapids to start rafting: Jacomulco, Veracruz.

In the beautiful state of Veracruz is Jacomulco, one of the best places to practice rafting, a municipality just an hour’s drive from the city of Xalapa with excellent places to live extreme adventures of different intensities.

In the Antigua River you will have level I and II rapids, the most suitable for beginners and tourist tours. While in the Pescados river waters await you for levels III and IV. There are no limitations for the descents at any time of the year.

Here is a video that shows what the rafting experience in Jacomulco is like:

2. Micos River, San Luis Potosi

There are two Micos rivers belonging to the state of San Luis Potosí, an area of the Huasteca region with a pleasant warm climate and beautiful vegetation, perfect for kayaking.

In Tampaón and Santa María you can move inside a limestone canyon surrounded by attractive rock formations, in level III rapids.

In addition to the descent, you will discover a bridge of natural rocks that unexpectedly interrupts the passage of the river, causing the water to move through the subsoil, reappearing later between the stones. The place is known as Puente de Dios de Santiaguillo.

Watch this video of people rafting on the Tampaón River below:

3. Amacuzac River, Morelos

It is the closest location to the capital to practice rafting in Mexico, a charming place full of vegetation and practically virgin landscapes.

The Amacuzac River is 30 minutes by road from Lake Tequesquitengo, with level III and IV rapids in some sections of its 12.5 kilometer route, where you can also practice kayaking.

In addition to the descents along the river, you will have the opportunity to spot animals from the wide fauna of the place, such as hawks, pumas, otters, and raccoons.

See in the following video several images showing rafting on this river:

4. Punta Mita, Nayarit

Located in an exclusive and privileged place in the waters of the Pacific Ocean is the peninsula of Punta Mita, in the state of Nayarit.

Its crystalline turquoise waters invite you to explore them in a kayak to enjoy the seascape. If it is a seasonal day and you are lucky, you may be able to spot a whale or a pod of dolphins.

There are many places in Punta Mita where you can go kayaking. Some are the Los Muertos, Carricitos, Escondida, Punta Sayulita beaches and other more secret sandbanks and coves to the south.

You can also paddle north to Malpaso or to San Pancho.

5. Oaxaca

The Huatulco region is located in the state of Oaxaca, a privileged area due to its extensive natural wealth and excellent settings for practicing extreme sports.

The Copalita River offers you the opportunity to practice rafting in Mexico in its various specialties; It is even possible to do family rafting that includes bird watching and other components of the fauna of the area.

You can choose routes with rapids of levels I and II, to make descents in rapid zones with levels III and IV.

If you like, you can take 2-day expeditions spending the night in tents on the banks of the river, enjoying the landscape, the stars, the current and of course, the company of friends around a campfire.

Enjoy this video that shows the rafting experience in Oaxaca:

6. Chiapas

The state of Chiapas is home to the Blue Forests Biosphere Reserve through which the Lacanjá River passes, perfect for rafting.

The area is full of unforgettable places such as the Lost City of Lacanjá and the Bonampak Archaeological Zone, both with guides who narrate the events that occurred in these places.

The vegetation, in addition to giving a wonderful color, is a place of life and development of a wide diversity of fauna and birds.

Watch this first-person video below that makes you see rafting in Chiapas much more closely:

7. Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur

The Sea of Cortez is one of the top places in the world for kayaking.

Also known as the Gulf of California, it offers everything you need to live unique and unforgettable experiences, while visiting paradisiacal and virgin beaches, remote and unknown islands and amazing cliffs.

Its blue waters invite you to explore them to learn about its diversity of fauna such as colored fish, sea lions, dolphins and whales.

You can start the tour and visit different places of spectacular beaches, where you can camp and enjoy shallow and transparent waters. You can dive and see sea birds such as pelicans, seagulls, booby birds and the inevitable colonies of sea lions.

8. Filo Bobos River, Veracruz

Another place to practice rafting in the state of Veracruz suitable for the whole family, including children from 6 years old. A place in the exotic and tropical jungle full of magic with a fauna that you will hardly find anywhere else.

On the descent of the Filo Bobos River you will come across unique and interesting places such as the Archaeological Zone of Cuajilote and Vega de la Peña.

The experience is unforgettable because in addition to the descent through the rapids known as “Frijolares”, you will find waterfalls such as El Encanto and beautiful places such as the La Palmilla suspension bridge.

See in the following video incredible images of the rafting experience on this river:

9. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

The beaches and the sea in Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, are unmatched for kayaking.

It is possible to rent equipment in all the hotels to take tours in the waters, while observing dolphins, large turtles and other marine life animals. If you go in the right season (December to March), you could also see whales.

With a kayak ride in Puerto Vallarta you can sunbathe, exercise and of course, enjoy the dream beaches that the area bathed by the Pacific Ocean offers.

10. Bacalar, Quintana Roo

Bacalar is in the state of Quintana Roo, in the southern part of the country. In the area is the Bacalar Lagoon with great attractions for tourism.

It is a very good destination for kayaking because you can walk and explore the banks of this body of water, appreciating its majesty in an ecological and fun way.

Here is a video with aerial images of this river where you can go rafting:

Rivers of the Mexican Republic

If it is about rafting in Mexico and even kayaking, you need to know which are the rivers of the Aztec region to practice these sports. They are the following:

raft river
Bravo River
Panuco River

Lerma River
Yaqui River
Nazas River

strong river
Agunaval River
Carmen River

Usumacinta River
Papaloapan River

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