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    Hydra River Guides

    743 Reviews
    #2 of 47 Outdoor Activities in Banff
    Tours, Outdoor Activities, Boat Tours & Water Sports, More
    Closed Now: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
    211 Bear Street | Shop 104, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1E4, Canada
    Open today: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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    Tours from Hydra River Guides tend to sell out - travellers recommend booking in advance!
    Calgary Flames Hockey Tours
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    Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting
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    Kicking Horse River Rafting Family Adventure Including BBQ Lunch
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    Certificate of Excellence
    Traveller Overview
    5.0743 reviews
    • Excellent91%
    • Very good6%
    • Average1%
    • Poor1%
    • Terrible1%
    Travellers talk about
    “bbq lunch”(44 reviews)
    “white water rafting”(77 reviews)
    “safety talk”(37 reviews)
    About
    Rafting on the Kicking Horse is a MUST DO activity during your vacation to the Canadian Rockies. Let Hydra River Guides introduce you to the water we call home. We offer rafting trips to suit all budgets and abilities, starting at only $55. 180,000...more
    Closed Now
    Hours Today: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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    Contact
    211 Bear Street | Shop 104, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1E4, Canada
    Website
    +1 800-644-8888
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    Ways to Experience Hydra River Guides
    Calgary Flames Hockey Tours
    from US$96.69
    More Info
    Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting
    50 Reviews
    from US$123.50
    More Info
    Kicking Horse River Rafting Family Adventure...
    16 Reviews
    from US$63.40
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    Double-Whitewater Adventure on Kicking Horse...
    from US$139.70
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    Most Helpful Positive Review
    Reviewed July 24, 2014
    Awesome! Must do!!!

    just returned from Banff and this was absolutely our highlight. Did this Tuesday morning and it is a great value. Our guide Dave was awesome, everyone seemed to love their guide. Thorough safety talk to start with some great humor to ease the nerves. Trip...More

    3  Thank njd003
    Most Helpful Critical Review
    Reviewed September 12, 2015
    Very disappointed!!!

    Found the directions misleading!! It was 1hour 45 away from Banff. We were led to believe it was 20 mins resulting in my autistic son losing his money and they wouldn't even reschedule... Terrible service wouldn't use them again!!! And very rude!!!More

    2  Thank amanda_pepper70
    HydraBanff, Manager at Hydra River Guides, responded to this reviewResponded September 17, 2015

    Hi Amanda, We are sorry to hear you had a bad experience. The river base is located 1 hour and 15 minutes west of Banff. Our brochure lists the directions / distance as does our website and the booking confirmation that you received upon booking....More

    Reviews (743)
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    Show reviews that mention
    All reviews bbq lunch white water rafting safety talk classic trip safety briefing class rapids splash jackets potato salad rafting trip wet suits these guys great fun adrenaline rush awesome experience rafting companies great guide a lot of fun
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    1 - 10 of 723 reviews
    Reviewed October 5, 2018
    Superb, a must do if on holiday in Canada.
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    Excellent experience, friendly and funny guides. All kit provided. Great to meet other people. Hard to fault our experience.

    Thank Tim B
    Reviewed October 4, 2018
    Absolutely fantastic family excursion
    Review of: 1.5-Hour Banff National Park Canoe Tour

    This trip was so well organized, so well presented and so interesting. The guide we had, named Mick, was charismatic, funny and had loads of great information to keep you engaged the entire time. I brought my 3 and 6 year-old sons on the trip...More

    1  Thank Sealegs13
    Reviewed September 24, 2018
    Awesome experience & great fun!
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    The safety talk was informative, thorough & yet hilarious at the same time! All staff were friendly & helpful, Ricky our guide was awesome, he put everyone at ease, was informative about the area and had us laughing all afternoon! Overall great fun, an amazing...More

    Thank Steveandjulie H
    Reviewed September 20, 2018 via mobile
    Well guided, Exhilarating raft!

    Superb bbq to start off our afternoon rafting. All rafting guides are brilliant; we always felt safe, they’re highly knowledgeable and very friendly. Great fun rafting with exquisite views from the river!More

    Thank Ellie P
    Tanya P, General Manager at Hydra River Guides, responded to this reviewResponded September 21, 2018

    Hello Ellie P. Thank you for your positive review. We always enjoy the BBQ during the Kicking Horse Classic rafting trip. As safety is a priority of the Hydra River Guides team, it is nice to hear that you felt as though your group was...More

    Reviewed September 14, 2018
    Sooo FUN!
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    What a great day! We arrived in time for a sumptuous lunch fresh off the grill. We then had a very informative safety demo and received our gear. The weather was blue skies and warm - perfect! Our guide, David E, was so knowledgeable and...More

    Thank CandaceW811
    Reviewed September 10, 2018 via mobile
    Great raft!
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    Great afternoon rafting on the river after a yummi burger! Staff very nice and funny. Although the safety speech can get scary, don’t let it get you! 😉

    Thank EliR918
    Reviewed September 3, 2018 via mobile
    Great Day on the water
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    The team at Hydra are great! from the moment we arrived everything was easy going and organized. This time of year the rapids aren't as big so if you are after bigger rapids I qpuld go earlier in the season . However we still had...More

    1  Thank Emma G
    Reviewed September 3, 2018 via mobile
    Awesome trip!

    My kids loved this. We did the mild because we have a 9 year old, so the only complaint I got from my older kids is that they wanted to do more rapids. Our guide was great, provided some history on the Kicking Horse River,...More

    Thank jlafranca1
    Tanya P, General Manager at Hydra River Guides, responded to this reviewResponded September 5, 2018

    Hello jlafranca1. The Mild Trip is perfect for guests with young children. We're happy that the whole family had a good time with Hydra on the Kicking Horse River! Hopefully next time you can come visit us and take part in the Kicking Horse Classic...More

    Reviewed September 1, 2018 via mobile
    Much Too Much Fun!!!!
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    What an amazing experience with Hydra River Guides rafting on Kicking Horse River!!!!! We were greeted with a friendly group of staff on our visit, food was good, facilities were clean, the safety meeting was informative. Our guide, Dave E was a hoot!!!!😂😂 He knew...More

    Thank Kimchomyk1982
    Tanya P, General Manager at Hydra River Guides, responded to this reviewResponded September 5, 2018

    Hello Kimchomyk1982, Thank you for reviewing the Kicking Horse Classic rafting trip with Hydra! Our staff do an excellent job of welcoming people to the river base. We're happy that they made you feel excited to raft. Dave E is one of our most experienced...More

    Reviewed August 30, 2018 via mobile
    So much fun!
    Review of: Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting

    Had an excellent time white water rafting. Our guide Jose was very experienced and knowledgeable and despite the river being low we still had a fun time. Well organised and so glad we tried this- we want to do it again!

    Thank Tracey1232013
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    Questions & Answers
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    zuhy
    September 28, 2016|
    AnswerShow all 2 answers
    Response from Bernard E | Reviewed this property |
    I would contact them directly, they are friendly and helpful and I am sure they can let you know how late into the season they run.
    0
    Votes
    luvseabrook
    July 25, 2016|
    AnswerShow all 4 answers
    Response from HydraBanff | Property representative |
    Hello Thanks for your interest in Hydra. The river base is about 2.5- 3 hours drive from Calgary. We raft until mid September but as it's a glacier fed river the water levels drop as the season progresses. It is still a... More
    0
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    bull4titans
    April 22, 2016|
    Answer
    Response from sassyscameron | Reviewed this property |
    They have a mild trip that they recommend for children aged 6-11 years and have to weigh more than 50 lbs. If you google "Hydra river guides" then once you are on their webpage, click on "Rafting trips" you will find this... More
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