Guide To Best River Rafting In Goa: Monsoon Thrills

Goa is currently one of the best tourist destinations in India. It’s beautiful, serene, and clean beaches, rivers, backwaters, etc. make it the most fun place to spend time. Adventure water sports activities are loved by all the tourists and many visit Goa especially to experience the thrill and adrenaline rush in executing these activities. A visit to Goa isn’t complete if you haven’t tried at least one of the water sport activities like river rafting, surfing, skiing, parasailing, etc.   

Monsoon season also sees a large number of tourists visiting Goa and chilling in places like Calangute, Baga, and Candolim. If you love rains, then you must visit Goa during this season. With the rivers at full flow during the monsoons, water sports like rafting become hot activities in Goa. There are many river rafting packages that you can choose from as per your requirement. Rafting generally takes place in Mhadei River that enters Goa from Valpoi Sattari and Uttar Kannada, located near to Castle Rock. During its course, the river sees many twists and turns that make it perfect for rafting. 

Monsoon Activities in Goa

Tourist influx in Goa continues even during the monsoon period. Due to this reason, water sports activities are available from June to October as well. Some of the activities that you can enjoy during monsoon are:

1. Flyboarding in Chapora river.
2. River rafting in Mhadei river.
3. Trekking to Tambdi Surla Waterfall.
4. Water sports package.
5. Adventure boat cruise in Mandovi river.

All these activities are executed under the guidance of an instructor and extremely safe to do. Tourists from far of places come to enjoy the adrenaline rush these activities bring in. These are once in a lifetime experiences that will rejuvenate you from the stressful city life.

Monsoon River Rafting in Goa

River rafting is an adventure activity which is loved by adrenaline junkies and water lovers. In this watersports, you will sit on an inflatable raft and navigate the raft through the river’s course. During the monsoon season, the river water isn’t calm and hence you get to experience the rapids as the speed of water creates turbulence. An oar is used for maneuvering the raft and you will have an instructor on board who will help you in the entire rafting journey. Even if you are not an experienced swimmer, rafting is a highly-safe activity. You don’t have to worry about anything, especially if you are a first timer.

The whitewater rafting takes place in Mhadei River which is located in Northern Goa. This river passes through the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and hence has a lot of rapids in its course. This makes it ideal for experiencing rafting during the monsoon season due to rapid water flow. Some of the helpful points for rafting are:

1. Wear light clothes as you will get wet during the rafting course.
2. Carry another set of dry clothes to change from the wet ones.
3. Wear sports shoes as they provide a better grip while walking or running.
4. Avoid wearing sneakers, flip-flops, sandals, rubber shoes, etc. for the rafting adventure.
5. Carry a towel to wipe water from yourself.
6. Carry your ID proof also.

Trip Cost and Time 

The rafting activity is time-bound and most of the trips begin at 8 in the morning and end at 5 in the evening. During this time, you will spend about two hours hurtling down the waters of the river Mhadei. The monsoon season that starts in June and extends till October is the best time to enjoy rafting in the waters of Goa.

The cost of the river rafting starts from INR 2199 per person (Monsoon 2019). This package includes the following:

1. Pick-up and drop from your hotel in an AC vehicle.
2. Drive to the meeting point of the rafting group where you will meet the instructor.
3. Necessary training required for rafting.
4. 10 km river rafting experience.
5. All the necessary gear and equipment required for rafting.
6. Trip to Harvalem, post rafting to view the gorgeous waterfalls and the Pandava Caves. 
7. Food is not included in the package. You will have to arrange it for yourself.

Things to be cautious about rafting activity are:

1. Children below 12 years of age are not allowed on the raft.
2. Heart patients and pregnant women are not allowed on the raft.
3. Cancellation is only allowed 7 to 10 days prior to the activity day.

You can even get further discounts on bulk bookings for larger groups. Just keep these few pointers in mind while planning your trip to Goa and it will be a great once in a lifetime experience for you and your family.

Rafting in Goa (Video)

How to Book rafting in Goa? 

Once you have finalized the rafting service provider that you plan to take in Goa, then the booking procedure is straight forward. You can follow the below steps for booking:

1. Visit tripraja.com and click on the “Book Online” icon on its webpage.
2. After clicking the icon, the webpage will show the availability of the slots based on dates. You can pick the day is the most convenient option for you.
3. Now select the count of adults in your group and fill the details of all the passengers.
4. Once all this information is completed you can pay for the trip by using multiple payment options like net banking, credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, etc. based on the options available on the portal.
5. The booking confirmation email will be generated post the successful completion of the transaction.
6. Or you can Chat with them on +91 7447700052 and make the payment.

It is good to book the rafting activity online as the slots fill very fast during the monsoon season. Finding a slot at the last minute is difficult due to a large number of tourists visiting Goa. You can also call the service provider and book your slot on the raft. Make sure that you have done your booking prior to your visit.

Conclusion

Monsoon is the best time to visit Goa if you are an adventure sports lover. It is the most ideal season to enjoy some of the watersports activities like rafting, skiing, parasailing, etc. The adrenaline rush that you get during the rafting activity is something you never get to experience in your daily life. So just go ahead and book your river rafting slot in Goa. This experience would be worth the money you spend on this activity. Once you have experienced river rafting in Goa then you will definitely be the first to refer it to your friends and extended family.