Hot Springs + Rafting Combo

No. On this tour we raft class II-III, considered suitable for beginners with no previous experience. The Mendoza River in this area has fun but safe rapids. The operators are licensed, the guides are certified, and the gear (life jacket, helmet, wetsuit) is mandatory and high quality. It's the safest adventure activity in Mendoza.

Yes, being able to swim is a safety requirement. Although you wear a life jacket and the chance of falling in is low, if you do fall in you need to be able to stay afloat and move around until the guide picks you up. You don't need to be a strong swimmer, just able to float and swim the basics.

The Mendoza River is born from Andean snowmelt, so the water is cold all year round (8°C to 14°C depending on the season). That's why a wetsuit is mandatory. Once you're on the river with your gear on, you don't feel the cold except when water splashes your face, which is part of the fun.

The river run lasts between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the flow and the group. Before that there are 30 minutes of briefing and gear-up, and afterwards 30 minutes to change and rest. Total rafting activity: about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Because that's how the body works: first you spend energy rafting, then you use the hot springs to recover. It's also about timing: rafting is in the morning, when it's less hot and the river flow is steady. The hot springs in the afternoon let you rest afterwards and head back to the city relaxed.

Rafting has a minimum age of 12 for safety. The hot springs are suitable for the whole family. If you're traveling with children under 12, you're better off doing only the Cacheuta Full Day Spa (no rafting) and leaving rafting for another day with the adults.

We don't recommend taking your phone rafting. The operators have lockers at the camp where you leave all your belongings before the activity. If you want photos of the rafting, the operators usually have a photographer at key spots and sell you the photos at the end.

Rafting runs all year, but the best conditions are between October and April, when snowmelt makes the river flow higher. In winter the flow drops, the rapids are gentler but the water is colder. The air temperature is most pleasant in spring and autumn.

Half-Day Rafting is only rafting, no hot springs. It ends at 2:00 pm and leaves you the whole afternoon free. The Hot Springs + Rafting Combo adds the hot springs in the afternoon, so it's a full day, but you come back relaxed and rested. Both are suitable for beginners.

The full tour lasts 10 hours. We leave Mendoza at 9:00 am, reach the rafting camp at 10:15 am, do the activity until 12:30 pm, have lunch, cross over to the hot springs at 2:30 pm and enjoy them until 5:30 pm. We get back to Mendoza around 7:00 pm.