River’s End Rafting & Adventure Company

This experience was awesome! We went on on Monday which made all of the options cheaper. There were 8 of us and we all chose to do the Master Blaster. It’s 2 hours down the river, break for a lunch in the deli and then another 2 hours down the same stretch. All of that on a Monday cost $ 65 instead of the regular $ 80.
The water was higher than usual and the rapids were a blast. You even get the chance to swim and float down some of the Rapids outside of the boat of you want.
The second round through it was just our group so our guide let us stop and swim, hang out and ever use a rope swing off a bank. (If you can request, Tommy was the best guide by far– he was willing to have fun and go the extra mile to make sure that happened)

Had a Blast… First time river rafter and am already wanting to go again. The river is up this year due to a good amount of snow pack in the Sierras which makes for a good couple of hours on the Kern River. This rafting expedition operates on a small stretch of the Kern River starting near the mouth of the canyon and ends around the corner from Lake Ming. Plenty of time and water to get your feet wet, literally. The staff was fantastic, everybody from check-​in, the bus driver, and the river guides. Be prepared for some bad jokes on the bus ride back to your car. Cant wait to do this again and then maybe try my hand at the rapids above Kernville for an even more extreme adventure…

Had a great time! The water levels were perfect and I really enjoyed the free swimming time.

Went river rafting this past weekend and although there wasn’t very much water: (we still had a good time. Our guide was Bri and she was great! The entire staff there was a lot of fun and easy going. Even though there wasn’t a whole lot of water, many of the tour guides made the experience itself worth while. I’d love to go back and try the kayaking at some point. This was a great summer experience!

This is my 2^nd time river rafting at River’s End, and as always had a blast!
The 5 of us got the «Master Blaster» 2-​hour rafting trip for the 4^th of July weekend for $ 55 per person, and it includes:
— 2 2-​hour river rafting sessions
— lunch (sandwich, chips, and drink)
Sarah from River’s End Rafting (RER) booked the rafting trip for our group, and she was friendly, accommodating and easy to work with. The transaction was smooth sailing.
When we arrived, they gave us instructions for our rafting trip and the river, and helped us put on our life-​jackets. And then we all boarded the bus for a 10-​minute bus ride to the river to start our rafting excursion. After we got off the bus, they gave us further instructions, for our personal safety. And then, we boarded the rafts.
Our rafting guide had worked with RER for 15 years, so he knew all the ins and outs, and everything there is to know about the river. He was totally chill, and very knowledgeable and while we floated down the river, he provided with precise step-​by-​step rafting instructions for us to make it through the river safely.
Halfway down the river, we stopped at a spot where all the groups had a chance to swim off of the white water currents. It was a fun little stop that gave everyone a chance to jump into the river and get wet.
Our guide also played a little game with us, which I still don’t get, but all I know was that it lasted about 2 seconds, and our raft flipped over and we were all in the waters. Shortest game of my life which I don’t get, but hey, our raft flipped and we were all wet so it made the rafting trip fun. lol
Overall, it was a fun experience as always, and the people at RER were fun and great to work with. Thanks RER for a great weekend!

I really enjoyed the rafting trip I took my 3 daughters to on a Monday at 10:00 am. We checked in at their recently new facility and met up down at their shed for life jackets. We were assigned Tommy as our tour guide. After loading on the bus, Joseph (I think was his name) gave us a safety talk. The bus driver took us down the road through a ranch that didn’t look like there was anything like a river down below.
Upon arriving, we met under a tree for another safety talk and paddle instructions. Tommy had us get into the raft as he pushed us out and hopped in. He briefly gave us an introduction on paddling and reinforced the importance of us paddling in synch. We paddled in the lead and faced our first rapid… that was exciting. For the water level being at it’s low, it was still a fun rapid. We came across a few more rapids and were able to paddle ourselves out from getting stuck on the rocks. Tommy talked to us about the river and ave us the «cheesy» joke of the day… lol. Towards the end, we played some games, swam and did slip n’ slide off the raft they rigged up for us. And oh, when we flipped over the raft during our games, it came back down and bonked me on the head… it was funny but still hurt a bit.
Overall, it was a great first time rafting trip for us. All the tour guides seemed really good with people and had a sense of humor. I also liked having our photos taken during the little adventure and actually purchased them on the jump drive. We were all really happy with the service and the adventure. I am glad the river had plenty to look at while rafting. I am looking forward to coming back next summer when the water level is higher with more family members.

RAFTING at the END of the RIVER
OMG…What an AWESOME DAY! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to go water RAFTING! I’ve been going since I was a kid and I LOVE IT! I’m a fish in water so this activity is ALWAYS right up my alley!
California has best of both worlds! Snow capped mountains and sandy beaches. Snow as you know snow comes from rain, which we have had little to NONE of in the past few years because, «It never rains in southern California…».
PLEAZZZEEE OH PLEAZZZEEEE tell me somebody remembers that song from Tony, Toni, Tone? HELLO! Anyway no rain or little rain creates a HUGE problem when it comes to water RAFTING cause there are LITTLE to NO RAPIDS and the RIVER is too low!
So when we were getting some rain I saw this Groupon/​Living Social for a water RAFTING trip that was NOT too, too far so I bought it! I actually bought 2 and decided to take the mon-​n-​ator because I knew she would LOVE to go! Dad is ALWAYS more interested working on the house or playing in the garage.
So we head out at the BUTT crack of dawn! The Most UNNATURAL time of day, but we STOP for donuts and coffee, which make it NOT SOOOO BAD but STILL PAINFUL! The ride up was LONG like ride a donkey with an engine! I don’t know how Jesus and the Disciples did it! I was saddle sore, meaning my azz hurt, by the time we got there and I COULD NOT WAIT to spring from my metal donkey cage!
You could feel the ENERGY in the air! It was a WARM, HOT day PERFECT for water RAFTING! We checked in and the mom-​n-​ator was being on her BEST behavior! We got our vest and put them on and waited to be put in our group.
Soon our names were called by our guide for the day and we all introduced ourselves to the rest of the group and got on the bus to head up to the starting point! Once we got there the guides began to put the rafts into the water and the teams began to climb in each raft.
Next it was our turn. We climbed in and were given a short instruction on how to paddle, lean, and RAFTING calls. We were set and EXCITED and started…
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river,
Doo wop,
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do
It was SOOOO MUCH FUN! The water was FRICKIN FREEZIN but it was a HOT day so it felt GREAT! Then it happened and we got stuck on a rock and in getting off the RAFT flipped and down the rapids I went with the mon-​n-​ator trying to stand on my shoulders so she would NOT drown with a life vest on! Where is the LOVE? I lost my hat and sunglasses but IT WAS STILL A BLAST!
We floated down the river and soon were able to get back on the RAFT! Let us off to float down the RIVER at another point which was AWESOME! SO MUCH FUN! They also have kayak RAFTING too which I certainly would like to try! It looks like FUN!
This company mainly does day trips but you can do a two-​day which is the same trip twice for a two-​day trip. You would just need to stay nearby.
Should we EVA get some decent rain I will TOTALLY do this trip again! It’s close by and I DON’T have to drive to Sacramento so it makes for NICE DAY TRIPPIN’ in SoCal. SWEET! Bring a lunch so you can chow on the way back home! You’ll NEED IT!
The staff is really GREAT and you can buy a thumb drive of ALL the pics they take of your RAFT! It’s even shaped like a little RAFT! SUPER COOL and worth the EVERY PENNY! I think I got about 20 pics or so and they were all GREAT!
Lookin’ for a little summer fun go here and you be…“Rollin with the homies…” Clueless… The party scene with Britney Murphy remember? GEZZZ get your head out your butt for Pete Sake! It’s a 90’s cult classic!

I went here with a couple of friends and had such a great time
some tips
— Try to find a Groupon because it will be so much worth it!
— Bring a waterproof camera, I didn’t think about getting one and totally regretted it
— Wear some type of shoes that you can strap on because I almost lost my sandals a couple of time: p
— Sunscreen and water are important
Keep in mind that the river does get dry in different seasons. So when you get to the place, you basically wait for the bus to take you to the river. Once you get to the river, they assign you rafts and tour guide leaders. The rafts generally stay together to help each other. In the beginning there were a lot of bumps and rocks we had to go through so it was pretty exciting. After that though it was more subdued and more calm. Our tour guide leader did an awesome job in directing us because at times it can get pretty hectic. We passed by some nice houses along the river. Around halfway there’s an area where people can jump in and cool off. I chose not to but I know my boyfriend and his friends had fun swimming around. After that, we rafted a little longer where the bus picked us up. Overall I did enjoy the experience, I did wish that we moved at a faster pace because we did stop a lot and we didn’t really move as fast as we could but all in all it was a really fun activity to do and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves rafting :). Oh and on our raft we had a 6 year old so it is definitely something kids can experience as well.

This became a fun day trip for me and a few friends. Is it an intense rafting experience? No. They said the water levels weren’t that high, which makes sense since there hasn’t been much rain in the past year. So although we encountered a few spots that had rapids we could paddle through, it was mostly calm waters we sometimes could get out of the raft and wade through.
The process is pretty painless. Check in and wait for the buses. The buses then take you five minutes away to the water you will be rafting in. Seeing as I didn’t really have to raft too much, my attention many times turned to the houses whose backyard we were technically in. Yes, apparently, we were in people’s backyards. Interesting thought.
Thank goodness the guide we had was entertaining, and even shared some games we could play in the calm water. Good experience, and little kids could probably do it too. Now I’m ready for more challenging rafting. This experience was worth the Groupon deal.

Thanks River’s End for a fun weekend adventure.
I have to start off by saying thanks to Darron (owner of this company) for being flexible with this recent rafting trip. I purchased a Groupon last year for 2 people, but was not able to use it last summer due to timing conflicts and lack of dates/​availability as the summer drew to a close.
As such, I asked Darron whether it’s possible for us to use our Groupon voucher for this summer and he gladly accepted. We booked our adventure for this past Memorial Day holiday.
This was probably my 4^th time white-​water rafting and given that I’ve been on category IV-​V rivers before — this trip along the Kern River was definitely more of a level I-​II. They set our expectations though when we booked our reservation by indicating that there was a lack of good currents /​water conditions were poor because no snow in the mts. earlier this winter. :(With that being said, we probably only encountered 2 – 3 fun dips along the entire trip. I was a bit disappointed, but my husband enjoyed his time. It was his first time there and he was having a blast. :)
We got stuck on rocks at least 3 – 4 times, but our guide was a super star — he was able to get us off the rocks in the river and we proceeded on our way. If only there was more water in the river! Then, we wouldn’t get stuck on rocks so much, haha…
All in all — the trip was well planned and organized, everyone had fun and experienced a bit of excitement. :) Good way to end the Memorial Day weekend…
Tip: if you’re looking for a rather safe & fun adventure for kids, then this is a good bet for you…
If you’re looking for category III, IV, or V conditions — this is NOT the river for you (at least for this season!)

Our first whitewater rafting trip was such a blast! I even bought a waterproof camera so I could capture fun moments in pics. During the bus rides to and from the river, the tour guides tell really silly jokes and are extremely entertaining! :-D We enjoyed rafting down the river with our tour guide Adam and the lively bunch of people who were on our raft.
The tide wasn’t very high so we hit quite a few bumpy rocks. One of our raftmates was very petite and ending up flying out of the raft and floating down the river a bit, but we eventually got her back into the raft. There’s an area where you can get out of the raft and swim/​float down the river with ease. It’s surprising how shallow the water is throughout most of the route. The view is beautiful and it’s fun to see other people in inner tubes and floaties hanging out on the river. Rowing gets easier throughout the tour and you almost feel like a pro by the end of the trip.
Get more bang for your buck with the $ 20 Groupon for the 2-​hour adventure rafting tour. Whitewater rafting is definitely an experience that everyone should try at least once! Can’t wait to do it again!

Great experience from start to finish. Everyone was cheerful, helpful, and creative. The games are fun. Even though the water was the lowest it had been all year (sad) the games kept us super entertained and the river was beautiful, calming, cool. Great way to relax.
Remember to tip the guides. They work hard and I’m sure they don’t get paid a lot.

More fun than an amusement park rapids ride! Not exactly thrilling, given that the river was slow and lazy enough that you can float down stream on your back.
There was a section of the river where they encourage you to jump overboard and cool off in the water. Still, the rapids were jolting enough to get your adrenaline pumping.
The office staff is difficult to reach. Be prepared to do a bit of phone tag as you try to reserve your spot but it will be worth it.

An adventure indeed!!!
I got talked into coming here by a friend for MY birthday. Didn’t really know what to expect and I was nervous. I can swim but I respect water and mother nature. After driving for over an hour and getting lost twice we finally find the place.
Our guide was Leo. I asked Leo what the chances of me falling in the water were and he said that the day before two people on his raft fell in. I asked him to make sure that didn’t happen to me. He laughed, of course and assured me we would be ok. What happened next was an adventure INDEED!
My friend and I ended up in a raft with four other people which I feel did not really understand English that well so we were not in sync with the rowing. Everything was great for awhile… me laughing and screaming like a freak, thinking the raft was safe and would never flip over or get stuck.
And what happens??? We hit a ROCK and get STUCK. Water is pinning us against the raft which is pinned against the rock. STUCK!!! And when they always say don’t panic… What do we or better I do??? I PANIC! Not only because we are stuck but the chick next to me is on my foot and holding on to me for dear life. One by one we let go of the raft and get swallowed by the river. As I became one with the river and start bobbing down as a «California beach chair,» I hit rocks and god knows what else AND the water was cold.
Shaken we all get into the other rafts and move forward. The rest of the ride was great. Our new guide was Bri and she was great. They do a couple games, make the raft spin and people can also jump out and swim for a bit.
Overall I have to say this was a really great experience. One that I can laugh at now. I do have to say I feel bad for panicking and freaking out Leo while he tried his hardest to keep us all calm and to get the raft off the rock. Good job Leo!
The staff is amazing. Each one has an awesome personality and do their best to make everyone have an amazing experience. Props to the girl on the bus telling us all the duck jokes while we drove back.
FYI…they offer adventure passes that are cheaper so you can come back and do it all over again. (I bought two).

I had a blast. thank you groupon for such a wonderful deal and jimmy our amazing guide. He was hilarious!!!
We came in a group of 17 so we had to be divided into 3 different rafts. I’m so glad we had Jimmy as our guide. Not only was he hilarious, but he was a veteran and a native to Bakersfield. Doubly Awesome. He really took care of us and kept us from crashing into the trees on the side of the river. I felt very very safe, as did the rest of the people on my raft.
A couple of tips:
— Wear water shoes if you can. If you fall off the water you won’t lose them. Plus, we were able to jump of the rafts and swim downstream for a good mile or two. There are rocks and pebbles on the floor. The water shoes will protect your feet.
— You do not need to know how to swim to do this. The life jacket will keep you afloat.
— You can wear a hat or sunglasses. I wish I had. Although if you fall off, so might your sunglasses and hat. Bring the cheap pair.
— Put on plenty of sunscreen. Its a two or four hour ride out in the sun. It gets really hot.
— Bring a water proof camera. There are plenty of picture opportunities. I’m really upset that I didn’t think of that. I was afraid I would have lost it, but the rapids are not too bad.
— Ladies, wear shorts over your bikini bottom. There’s a lot of bouncing and sliding. You really don’t want your bottom to move around then OPPS you just flashed your cooch to your guide and fellow raft mates. (I am not speaking from experience. I promise!)
— Last tip, Just have fun and don’t be nervous. Its really fun!

I am really an adventurous person and loved how much effort the team puts into ensuring that we’re having fun. I LOVE the enthusiasm this group of river leaders are. And I LOVE GROUPON for offering this one :)
Heres the rundown:
+Check in is smooth
+Bus rides to and from the Kern River are filled with the team telling corny jokes :) That is so cute.
+The current is strong but not life threateningly strong.
+We got a chance to jump in and just swim with the current.
+Loved jumping off the tree during our break.
I think the only thing that caught me offguard was that I thought the rapids would be much stronger but it was ok. I wished it was crazier but we can’t control the water right? If you have a waterproof camera like me and really have a strong hand with it, you’ll be ok. In the beginning, they kept urging us not bring it because it might get knocked out… which really it might but you’ll be fine if you’re careful.
Just didn’t want to pay for the pictures they took and there weren’t great ones of me anyway: P

SO MUCH FUN! It was our first time river rafting and it’s great for beginners! Our group got the Groupon for the Master Blaster which takes you down the river TWICE!
We went on 09÷10÷11 and it was the LAST day of the season so it wasn’t too crazy. They say the best time to go is around July-​August so we’ll keep that in mind next time!
Honestly, I was sooooo nervous thinking about river rafting but it wasn’t scary at all! I searched YouTube of a video of what to expect and all I found were CRAZY white water rafting videos so… I created my own and you’ll hear and see how much fun we had!
The lunch wasn’t bad at all… just your typical sub, pasta or potato salad, cookie & a drink. Wasn’t much time between lunch and then having to go on the river again though… I wouldn’t advice eating the whole meal or getting super full cuz you might feel sick lol.
Portable potty was SUPER clean so hooray for that… there was an area to rinse off your legs or feet so that was also nice. I didn’t even bother going into the changing area after our two trips down the river cuz there were too many people… changed in the car! :)
Pictures were well worth the price! BUY THEM ALL rather than buying just one… and it’s so convenient that they put it on a USB thumb drive for you!
If you’re sceptic about going… don’t think twice and just do it! And if you’ve done this before and want crazier rapids… ask them about the class IV-​V that they can also take you on :)
This video pretty much sums up our two trips down the river with our super guide Sara… enjoy!
If there’s one solid advice I can give… BRING A WATERPROOF CAMERA! :) (or a GoPro video cam that’s strapped onto you to capture every moment)

Went rafting for the first time in June, courtesy of the $ 17 for two-​hours Groupon deal.
What to bring:
–sunblock
–extra change of clothes (they have stalls where you can change afterwards)
–water shoes (I wore sneakers, and boy those things got destroyed!)
–cheap sunglasses (we ended up stopping at the Target off the fwy to pick some up)
The place was pretty easy to find, as long as you follow the instructions on their website. No need to arrive super early for your schedule time. Just show up when they tell you to, or else you’ll just be sitting out in the sun with nothing to do. There’s plenty of parking once you arrive. Check in. Turn in your form. Once you have on your life jackets, you’ll be bused to the river, which is about a 5~10 minute ride. OH! And skip the safety helmet. You wont need it. The river is not that bad =) Not to mention, you’ll look silly and end up with helmet hair: P
We were all given instructions at the river and were split up and assigned to rafts. Our guide was great! He told jokes along the way. Real friendly. Knew the river well and he definitely knew what he was doing. We swam, play games, paddled hard, drifted down the river, did the slip and slide… They will also have a photographer placed along a section of the river to take your photos for souvenir. So make sure you paddle hard and put on a tough rafting face for the camera!
The actual time spent on the river itself was probably 45 minutes, which is pretty good in my opinion. If it went too long, I think it would be too strenuous and leave a bad first impression of white water rafting.
I had a fantastic time. Without a doubt, this is the company you want to go with if it’s your first time rafting. I can’t wait to go rafting again!

We did the Master Blaster (Groupon deal) and it was a LOT of fun!
Our guide «Bean» kept it entertaining with his jokes :)
Best part was jumping out of the boat and floating down the river. Great time!

This was my first time and I really had a great time, but as others have mentioned the trip was very short… We were never informed it might be a short trip and always expected it to be 2 hours long. We live in the Valley and drove 2 hours there just for a 45 minute (at most) rafting trip. Then made the 2 hour haul back home… It was a lot of driving for only 45 minutes of rafting.
I wish we were told more about the chance for a shorter ride, especially since this was our first time. My boyfriend and I used the Groupon but my friend paid full price… that’s almost a dollar a minute!
Overall, our guide was great and made us feel safe but the shortness of the trip really left me unsatisfied…
It was never addressed once the entire time we were there…