Adventures for the strong in spirit. 5 best places in Russia for rafting

Adventures for the strong-hearted. 5 best places in Russia for rafting

Routes for beginners and professionals.

President of Pro-Vision, author of Vinogradov.story community

Rafting is one of the most popular types of active summer vacation on the water and a great option for those who find saps boring and surfing too complicated. With rafting everything is easier: even beginners are allowed on classic routes of the first and second category, and for “continuing” rafters there are specialized sports schools in many popular locations. Where to go rafting in Russia, I tell you below.

Shuya, Karelia

Rafting on the Shuya River is ideal for families with children: the terrain in Karelia is not too relief, the river is dominated by plains, but you will have to overcome a couple of interesting rapids and rolls. For the first time it is better to raft in a group and with an instructor to learn basic commands and competent load distribution. And the rafting itself can be combined with visiting Karelian sights – Ruskeala, Ladoga skerries or waterfalls.

Shuya

Katun, Altai

Routes along the Katun vary in duration and category of complexity. You can find both variants for beginners for a couple of hours in the lower part of the river, and pass the whole Katun in a multi-day rafting with access to the mountains and overcoming the rapids Teldekpen, Ilgumen, Kadrinskaya pipe and Shabash. Turquoise water, stunning mountain scenery and overnight stays at the most picturesque and hard-to-reach campsites are a bonus.

Katun

Mzymta, Krasnodar Territory

Mzymta means “mad river”, which illustrates its exuberant temper and changeable mood. In the Akh-Tsu gorge there is even a waterfall of the sixth category of complexity. But in general the Mzymta is very friendly to newcomers: teams for amateur rafting are recruited mainly from among those vacationing on the Black Sea coast. The program of such rafting excursions often includes tasting of Caucasian cuisine, including trout from local farms.

Mzymta

Belaya and Chusovaya rivers, the Urals

Rafting competitions are often held on the Ural rivers: the terrain allows competing in both sprint and slalom. Professionals should choose the upper reaches of the rivers, where there are a lot of backslides, squeezes and chiwers. The complexity of the Belaya and Chusovaya rivers is reinforced by their “detachment” from civilization: many sections of the routes pass through the terrain where it is impossible to drive a car. This is such a severe Ural rafting.

Chusovaya

Chulman, Yakutia

The length of the Chulman River in Yakutia exceeds 100 km, and throughout its entire length you can not only go rafting, but also fishing. Many locals willingly take advantage of this and pass the river at their own comfortable pace, combining rafting with fishing and mushroom picking, and sometimes with hunting. The Chulman is suitable for leisurely contemplative rafting – not so much for sport as for pleasure – during which you look for hunters’ winter camps and fantasize about the bizarre shape of rocks overhanging the water.

Chulman