white-water rafting in PERU.
Peru’s many rivers boast world-class rafting on either side of the Andes.
Trips range from a few hours to multi-day epics in pristine wilderness.
Includes classifications of the rivers run and maps.
Overview
With countless waterways descending from the mighty Andes mountains towards the Pacific coast, or into the Amazon basin, Peru has a multitude of options for white-water rafting which, in the words of Donald Trump, are 'very, very tremendous. Really tremendous'.
Below are some of the better known, going roughly from North to South, all of which can be arranged by PeruNorth:
River Grades
River Classification
Otherwise known as the International Scale of River Difficulty, below are the six classes (or grades) of difficulty in white water rafting. They range from the simple to the very dangerous:
Which class of rapid is this?
Class I – Easy: Moving water, small waves, and clear routes, almost totally unobstructed.
Class II – Rookie: Rapids with wide, clear channels, evident without scouting. The waves, rocks and other obstacles are easily spotted.
Class III – Intermediate: Rapids with higher, irregular and constant waves, capable of immersing a raft. Narrow channels that often require complex manoeuvring against the rapids and good control of the raft.
Class IV – Advanced: Quick, powerful, but predictable rapids that require precise boat-handling in turbulent water.
Class V – Expert: Very large, powerful, bumpy rapids. A high level of training is required.
Class VI – Extreme: These rapids are strong, unpredictable and potentially life-threatening. For teams of experts only.