At 9am my head was still foggy from the previous day’s cycle through the vineyards and too many misguided attempts to abuse the bodegas’ good will by feigning interest in purchasing their wares. It was also the precise moment that the punctual-by-Argentine-standards Rafting Expeditions van rang the doorbell of my hostel, ready to take us out into the Andes for immersion into both the Río Mendoza and the joys of white-water rafting.
Thus began an hour long trip, tightly squeezed alongside my fellow travellers – a motley crew of mostly Europeans, Australians and North Americans. Shortly after Mendoza’s flatlands gave way to the rocky Andes foothills, we arrived at Argentina Rafting Expeditions’ base camp. Here lay in wait an attractive café with outdoor seating situated on the bank of the river along with thoroughly modern facilities, including hot showers and changing rooms, all of which attempted to court our purse-strings as the day wore on.
We waited over a coffee for half an hour or so while clients from other hotels and hostels filtered in. Eventually, the rafting group was convened. After a quick brief from the extroverted instructors, the group was trussed up like turkeys in wet suit, jacket, life-vest and helmet before being bundled into another bus for what mercifully turned out to be a much shorter ride.
Not For the Faint-Hearted
Heading deeper into the mountains, we arrived at the starting point for the session’s white water rafting. While the boats hovered tantalisingly in the – at this stage – gentle currents, the group was submitted to a lengthy safety talk, informing us of the likelihood of falling off the boat. The realisation swiftly dawned on me that this would be no pleasant boat ride. Thoughts of cruise ships, yacht parties, lake pedalos and all the more pleasant forms of engaging with water flitted through my head as I stepped gingerly into what resembled an oversized dinghy.
It took a glance at my fellow travellers to dispell my initial fears. Many were middle-aged, most relatively unathletic looking and none struck as extreme sports fiends. Breathing a sigh of relief, we swopped comforting notes on previous rafting experiences, anchored our feet firmly under the seats of the raft and paddled off downstream.
The rafts were in groups of four, five or six, each of which was presided over by a member of the Expeditions team who barked the commands ‘forwards’, ‘back’ and ‘stop’ in order to dictate the pace and direction of our paddling. Our guide, Lucio, was a sternly charismatic blond who, like the rest of the team, recalled every surf, ski or kayak instructor I have ever encountered. I felt in good hands as he demonstrated his intimate acquaintance with the quirks of the river.
That’s not to say that my heart wasn’t in my mouth as we were pushed into the intimidating swirls of brownish-grey water. To set us at ease we spent a few minutes practising paddling in a calmer area before heading straight down into the first of a series of short rapids, characterised by menacing monikers such as ‘the labyrinth’. Each period of speeding over white water waves was followed by a rest in which to recuperate and gather the group together before heading off onto the next. It was these all-too-brief three or four swells of bouncing around wild waves and dodging rocks formed the climax of our rafting experience.
Born To be Mild
Before I knew it, we were at the end of the route – and my resounding emotion was something of an ‘is this it ?’ moment. Despite the hype I found rafting a little underwhelming, and all initial apprehension was very much dispelled by the experience. As a novice I can’t compare it to other rafting experiences, but we were informed that the river was a Grade IV out of a maximum of V (although I have since learned that there exists the spine-tingling prospect of a grade VI in which an outcome other than death or serious injury is considered the result of luck or extreme skill).
That’s not to say there weren’t a fair few thrills and spills, but even the mere exhilarating illusion of danger was absent from our waterbound foray. Despite the extensive safety guidelines, nobody on the trip fell in accidentally and there were only one or two moments when I considered it a possibility – the most exciting the excursion got.
Rafting is an expensive day out and highly time-consuming for the short period actually spent on water (which, for the record, felt like far less than an hour). We were collected from our hostel at 9am and didn’t arrive back until 4pm. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect was the unnecessary portion of this time spent loitering round the base camp being inveigled into purchasing an overpriced, poor quality cantine lunch. Lesson learnt: bring sandwiches.
Nevertheless, although serious thrill-seekers will find it a tad disappointing, the scenic surroundings are an adrenaline rush in themselves. Equally, as the level of physical exertion is minimal, an organised rafting expedition is ideal for those uncertain of their level of fitness but looking to enjoy a milder introduction into extreme sports. And really, what’s so bad about taking things easy ? It gives you all the more excuse to savour another glass of Malbec guilt-free the night before.
Our excursion was a half-day rafting trip with Argentina Rafting Expeditions, which costs $100 plus $30 for the return bus trip. A variety of other mountain-based activities are also available, such as trekking, horse-riding, kayaking and similar, some of which can be combined with the half-day rafting trip to form a full day’s activity schedule. See www.raftingexpeditions.com.ar for further information.
Mendoza For Beginners
How We Travelled – a fourteen hour coach trip in cama ejecutiva class – the most comfortable – with Rapido Argentina. A variety of other companies offer the same route in differently priced classes. See www.plataforma10.com.ar or head to the Estación de Autobuses in Retiro.
Where We Ate – Molokai, Av. Belgrano. A brand new family-run restaurant with surprisingly gourmet offerings for the ridiculously low prices and service treading the line between charming and sycophantic without falling into the second category. Truly excellent.
Where We Stayed – Tierra Mendocina, Av. Belgrano 1194. Small and unassuming with polite staff and a mixture of privates and dorms. Competitively priced privates include tastefully decorated bathrooms.
Sounds like a typical raft trip just about anywhere. Very much like the military — hurry up and wait.
The best thing about rafting is that the perceived danger is much higher (normally, there ARE companies offering truly extreme raft trips that should not be attempted by out-of-shape middle agers) than the actual danger. On the other hand, any time you are on moving water — of any classification — there is ALWAYS the possibility of catastrophe.
I had a customer once tell me that he ‘wanted to be taken to the precipice of death and pulled back’. Sorry, no river guide needs to TRY and do that. Like I said, river are very forgiving — until they aren’t. . . No need to flirt with catastrophe.
I’d rather just have that extra glass of Malbec the night before and chill.