Kern River Tours

So this trip was definitely a spontaneous one - we planned it on Monday to go Saturday (today) and I am saying "spontaneous" because its the summer time and usually these kind of activities are full. Well that was the case for many of these tours. However, I stumbled across Kern River Tours and decided to give them a call. Luckily, they had open spots for us and even gave us a discount for being a first timer! We all saved almost $10!!!The lady over the phone for reservations was super friendly and nice. Since it was our first time, I had a lot, I mean A LOT of questions and she was just so helpful and patient throughout the whole reservation process. It was a quick over the phone reservation and the confirmation email came right away after I booked it. The email is very detailed with the trip and my order but also a list of items I should bring to the trip. It was very informative!Now to the activity. We came and we were instantly greeted by the friendly staff and even if we were a group of 7, after determining that it was safe for all of us on one raft, they let us all be in one which was awesome! Our leader Matt was very experienced and provided us the most smooth yet exciting experience during our II & III Express trip. We had a few fun splashes and Matt did a phenomenal job leading the group. They also had soft drinks ready for us at the bus and also watermelons at the shop upon our return! Awesome customer service! We definitely remembered to tip our team leader. And the best part was that I did not feel pressured to do so which a-lot of these activity places do - pressure you to tip but Kern River Tour did not. That was also awesome. I also bought the pictures during the trip which is pretty cool since you can't really take a selfie when you're on the raft paddling away! They were $50 plus tax - a little over $53 total for 25 images. It may seem overpriced but also who can stand and take all these action photos for you while you paddle away. Overall, the experience was great and I definitely recommend others to try!

We went on the Gusto trip on 8/4/18 and it was incredible. The staff here are the most down to earth people I've met in a long time. We were the first people to get to the meeting location that day and it was like we arrived at a friends house. Everyone is super friendly, helpful, and your safety and rafting experience are their #1 priority. We did not get one negative vide the entire day. Kyle, our guide definitely was a huge part of why we all had a fantastic day, #SendIt. He was incredibly patient and calm throughout the day. He was always reassuring in what to do to get through each rapid. The directions given were very clear to all the rafters, but never over pressuring. All around a perfect summer day, we will 100% be back and with more people. Thank you again Kern River Tours!!!!

One of the best trips I have done with my daughter (age 11) and friends. From the first person I spoke with to everyone in between, the customer service was excellent. Super helpful and down to earth. They worked with me on excellent pricing for our large group (15). And made sure everyone in our party felt safe and happy with their experience. Our guide Sheldon made our trip exciting and fun. He was great with the three kids on our boat, building their confidence and pushing them out of their comfort zone, all while making them feel safe and secure. He was knowledgeable of the river and the stories of the area. We were so lucky to get matched with him!!!!Thank you Sheldon and the entire staff at Kern River Tours. Shout out to Geneva and J as well. They helped with booking and things to do in the area.

I had a great experience here. I had a group of 6, a full boat on a lower kern full day trip. We had a level four trip. My river guide was Scott. I highly recommend him and suggest you ask for him by name. He had a great knowledge of the river, raised on the Kern, and he was great with people. He was able to have fun and went entertain us, but most importantly, he was a great leader and was able to get us to work together as a team and have fun. Be sure to ask about the water flows for the upper and lower kern. It varies in the temperature and water flows being released from the dam. I would high recommend this group!

Great day! The Kern River is running the best it's been in 10 years! They operate in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (Sequoia Forest) and Bureau of Land Management.Our River Guide, Mark, really knows the river well. His professionalism, foresight, and emphasis on safety was ever present! The entire crew had our safety and enjoyment in mind. (Especially Mark, Susie Q., and a big shout out to "Flip Drill".)If you raft the Kern; "Kern River Tours" are the outfit to go with!!

Went on the gusto all day tour.our guide was Jimmy I think, he was awesome super down to earth me & my mom were late but they drove us to the first stop to meet up with our group.We had a blast it was definitely an adventure during our tour we did flip and all of our group went under which is really scary but everyone survived so it just made the rest of the day more fun to stay in the raft during a rapid. Our lunch was in our raft and we flipped before lunch but they sealed & tied everything so that nothing got wet and we had a pretty tasty lunch. The one day was perfect I personally am glad we didn't do a two day because my entire body hurt the next day, probably because it was a all day workout & partly because of being thrown in the water because the flip I would definitely do another tour with this company they were very nice& friendly & the experience was worth the price

My 15 year old son and I just completed an overnight on the Lower Kern, where on day one you go through Class II & III rapids, and on day 2 it's Class III & IV rapids. This was our second year doing this; last year was our first time doing white water river rafting so we elected to go with the one day Class II & III. At the end, we had had so much fun, we wished we had gone with the overnight, so that's what we decided to do this year. It was honestly one of the best times I have ever had. Each time, we have gone with some friends of ours: a dad with two boys ages 15 and 13, and it's just been fantastic. One of the things that makes Kern River Tours so great is they put in at a higher location so you get more time on the river; additionally, the camp is perfectly located, farther downstream and right after an adventure swim, which for us is one of the best parts. You can hike up a short distance and do the adventure swim over and over while the guides prepare appetizers and dinner. The next morning, they make breakfast. The food was delicious; and a word about our guides: we had Jeff and Scooter. They were absolutely fantastic. Extremely knowledgeable, experienced, encouraging and fun. They seriously could not have been better. Bottom line is I would highly recommend this to anyone. Excellent value for the money - it seems odd but I cannot think of any one thing they could do differently to improve the experience. My son and I will certainly be back next year!

7-1-2018 My wife and I had a great time. The staff was well organized, a lot of fun and could not have been nicer. The trip was a lot of fun. We floated between lazy river and white water for a couple of hours then they pulled the boats out and made a great buffet lunch of cold cuts, lemonade, water, and cookies. Then we did another couple of hours with a stop-off for a swim in the river and jumping off a diving rock. Photo opps along the way so be sure to look up with the pics are being taken. All in All an awesome day!

I was part of a large group that went for a friend's birthday and we went on a Class 2-3. It was fun, exhilirating, relaxing, a great workout!They have loaner water shoes for those who don't have any. Of course those things were used by others before so use at your own risk but at least youwon't be barefoot over rocks.Our guide was cool. He kept sticking his oar in at whitewater spots in order to turn our raft randomly to give us extra workouts and extra thrills. He was awesome.* The trip was VERY affordable. * Kern River is only about 2 hours from Los Angeles.* Great bachelor or bachelorette party alternative.* They have half day and full day events at variouss kill levels.* Snack was provided at our half day trip.

Legit. If you're thinking of rafting the Kern these guys should be your absolute go to. The two day trip breaks down as follows: the first day on the water was pretty uneventful. However, when you get to camp its about as first class as it gets - the food is amazing and included hand churned ice cream topping dutch oven brownies. The camp site is clean and safe and really well kept. Day two is FAR more exciting so get ready for that. That being said, I never felt like I was in any undue danger and safety is by far their greatest concern. Pack light - you really only need 1-2 shirts, a bathing suit, toiletries and a camera. Noone had cell service and that's just fine. You wont want it!