Big Bend River Tours

A friend and I went on a tour the other day. We went on the trip with another couple on vacation. It was a mild autumn day in November. The water level was high enough on this part of the Rio Grande that the rapids weren't that bad. Our tour guide La (sp?) was great. She was very knowledgeable of the animals and plant life to tell us about it as we passed by them. She was also able to maneuver around some of the rapids very smoothly. It was one of the best river trips I have been to. If I came back, I would definitely come back around September/October, when the water level is higher. And try to go for the 2-day tour. Definitely recommend La as a tour guide. She was really sweet and friendly. I felt like we could become friends!

Lunch was not just merely sandwiches. It was a table with all the fixins so you could make your own sandwich the way you want it. There was 3 types of meat, 2 types of cheeses, 2 types of pickles, chips and salsa, peanut butter and jelly, oranges, apples, and mixes for the water. You won't be disappointed by the amount of food and you shouldn't go hungry unless you hate ice water. (You shouldn't hate ice water if you have been outside sweating all morning)

Some extra notes for you to consider:
- They will take 2 people on the trip, even if it's the only two on the trip.
- They were very good about our postponing the trip for a day since an emergency came up and we had to be delayed.
- You don't actually do the rafting, which was not what I expected. It was actually better I didn't have to row all that way down the river. It was quite a challenge even for our guide.

Definitely recommend, and if you ever take the time to drive out there, it is worth it! I will be making sure La is my guide the next time I visit! (Even though I'm from California, you never know!)

Really fun trip cruising 19miles down the Santa Elena canyon. Our trip was only confirmed a day prior because this particular trip has water dependency, since the water had been low so they couldn't tell if we were able to do it. But there was a heavy rain two days before our trip so we were very lucky to be able to do this.
The booking is very easy, receptionist always returns your call. And our tour guy is so funny and kept us entertained all day. We didn't have to do anything just sit back and enjoy the view, he does all the work for us. There are small rapids but nothing would rock the boat. Highly recommend this route since you are cruising through international river and one side is Mexico one side of the canyon is America. It's just amazing to see the canyon from the water and with changing scenery throughout the whole trip.

Just finished our canoe trip down the Rio Grande with our guide Therese - she was very professional, knowledgeable and a joy to have as our guide. Great afternoon float, river was low but very enjoyable.

I was in Big Bend a couple months ago, and used this company for kayak rentals - or so we thought. I understand river conditions have to be monitored, but I booked two kayaks weeks in advance and when arriving to their facility, only then was I told that kayaks weren't available. I was told on the spot, my only option for that day was to be on a group paddle boat tour with 6-8 other people. I booked this weeks before, so they had ample time to call or inform me that day that what I rented wasn't available.

Please keep in mind the rental facility is not near the river, it's not a long drive but there is a drive involved. They will shuttle you from their facility down to the river in large vans. After the 30 to 40 minute drive where the driver and guide spent almost the entire drive complaining about other people, vacation rentals, and when asking where the fellow renters in my van were from, the guides response was "I'm sorry." It was just odd and very rude! When we arrived to the river, it was pretty straightforward getting everyone in the water.

The views were cool, but I definitely wouldn't use this company. If you're going to be in the area, I would suggest finding another rental company. I didn't find their staff at all professional or kind, and I'd never rent from here again.

Recent flooding scrubbed my boomerang kayak tour, for which I had dragged a kayak some 6000 miles. I saw these guys driving through Big Bend and gave them a call. Even being an hour after their office closed, on a Saturday, they did get back to me and were able to accomadate me for a day trip.

Ernesto was a fantastic guide and their whole crew put in a grade A effort, making for a wonderful trip. They showed us some spectacular places I would not have ever seen on my own. And to add to it, their prices were fantastic.

I would highly recommend using them for their river guiding services if you're looking to take a trip down the Rio Grande. A one-to-two day trip is a must if you are coming down to Big Bend.

Big Bend River Tours was awesome! We met up at their headquarters in Study Butte before taking a bus for about 1.5 hours to the canoe launch point. Our guides Tanner and Thomas were knowledgeable, laid back, and interesting--they did a great job of leading us through the Rio Grande. After about 3 miles of calm paddling, we stopped for lunch, a soak in the hot spring, and swimming in the Rio Grande that made for a really fun break. The second half of the tour had some small rapids and amazing canyon views. While we were on the river the bugs weren't a problem at all but on the riverbank they were REALLY bad so be prepared for that.

If you're visiting Big Bend a canoe tour of the Rio Grande is a must, and I highly recommend Big Bend River Tours to do it.

Bucket list float trip

This was an AMAZING experience!
As an older couple who were inexperienced canoers we did have some trepidations.
Our guide Tanner put us at ease with the reminder that his job was to keep us safe.
That he did, by getting us through a few times when our novice caused embarrassing moments of being stuck. Regardless, Tanner was encouraging and professional.

The result was allowing us to relish in the beauty of the Rio Grande as it can only be viewed from the water line. The majesty of the canyons and the peace of the river was awesome. This was a bucket list item now crossed off.

We'd be remiss to not to thank Lea with BBRT for retrieving our water bottle as it floated down stream.

Our highest of praises to Tanner and Lea.

Regards JP & JP

This post is extremely late but I just found these pictures! We went down to Big Bend for my birthday back in September 2020. Big Bend River Tours was by far our favorite part- we even bought t shirts afterwards! It is such an incredible feeling to say you're kayaking between Texas and Mexico!!! Especially during covid when you can't cross the border

We ended up doing a tandem kayak because I was a little scared lol. It was SO much fun. We had one stop where we took pictures and can BYOB! The rapids were exhilarating and we survived 3/4 rapids together. I feel terrible forgetting our guide's name (I'm sure my fiancé remembers) but he was AMAZING! (I took a picture of them together below and it should totally be their marketing picture!) I felt safe and knew to lift my feet if and when we flipped on the rapids. He knew so many interesting facts and details. He was also hilarious!

I have to mention, I loved that it was an intimate group. There were only two others with us, that actually took a different tour the day prior with too many people. They loved this one so much more! 10/10 will be back!!!

My husband and I did the half day canoe trip down Dark Canyon with the tour guide Rob. He was super knowledgeable about Terlingua as a whole as well as the geology and history of the surrounding areas. The canoeing itself was so much, we would definitely recommend.

We did the full day raft trip today. Our guide was Ernesto. The man is a treasure; full of information on geography, history, wildlife, plant life. We stopped for short hikes and for lunch. Jim was the guide in the other boat. Very personable and energetic. We'd definitely book with BBRT again.

My hubby and I did a three day paddle from Rio Grande Village to La Linda through Boquillas Canyon and we used these guys to shuttle us and our sea kayaks back to our start point in Big Bend.

First off, our driver Doug was fantastic. He offered us snacks and drinks when we boarded, entertained us with river stories, helped load and unload the kayaks and showed up an hour early to our meeting point (which was awesome since we showed up 2 hours early).

That said, the boat trailer he brought along left a bit to be desired. It was metal, rusty, without pads of any kind and the attached rubber bungee cords were worn and did not look secure. Doug joked that him and the other guides wouldn't put their own boats on there. Hahaha -- NOT!

Doug was able to dig up some better straps from the van and I had brought some loading straps, too, so between the two of us we were able to avoid the questionable bungees. Padding was tougher. We ended up repurposing two bilge sponges and a camp pillow I had for my boat. My hubby's fiberglass boat ended up going bare on the metal and there was an audible and cringe-inducing crack when we cranked down on the loading straps.

Knowledgeable, friendly, and punctual service but because the shuttle service was the very service we were paying for, the state of that trailer really marred our experience.

If you plan on using these guys for shuttle services, I'd recommend bringing your own loading straps and pads. We never used their guide services but if Doug is an typical example of one of their guides, I bet their tours are fantastic.