The Start

Your day will start off with your Trip Leader picking you up from your hotel, home or where ever. Traveling into the Rio Grande River Valley toward New Mexico River Adventures’ Headquarters, where we will begin the half day river rafting adventure. Upon arrival at New Mexico River Adventure’s Headquarters, you will meet your guides who will outfit you with all the gear necessary for the morning on the river. At the Headquarters, you’ll find clean restrooms, changing rooms, shaded picnic tables on our patio rooms and any last minute items you might have forgotten including sunscreen, water shoes, hats and much more. Then it’s off to the river to challenge the Rio Grande’s most popular section of whitewater, The Racecourse.

The Trip

The Rio Grande Racecourse is the perfect trip for first timers or those whitewater enthusiasts who only have a limited amount of time available. It is class II-III (IV at high water) and absolutely perfect for everyone. When the water levels are especially high (usually in late May and June), we do raise the minimum age as this section grows into an extremely fun and continuous section of class III and IV whitewater. Please call if you have any questions about water levels or our minimum ages for any of our trips. We’ll tackle rapids with names like The Maze, Eye of the Needle, Big Rock and the infamous Souse Hole. The Racecourse is a great trip and it’s located a mere mile away from our headquarters. If you are looking for a memorable addition to your vacation in Northern New Mexico, stop by our headquarters or reserve your space for this wonderful whitewater rafting experience.

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. Many have experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe. I know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do and they will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible.

The Wine

After your half-day river adventure, at our Headquarters, you will have a little time to change and freshen up. Then off we go for a wonderful lunch and  wine tasting experience at some of New Mexico’s wonderful wineries in New Mexico’s wine country! Relax in comfort, during a delightful afternoon of wine tasting, as we take you for a fun-filled scenic tour of local wineries & attractions. We’ll visit 2-3 wineries, where you will have the opportunity to taste & purchase wines. Along the way, we just might stop at a scenic vista or out of the way attraction so our guests can enjoy the natural beauty of New Mexico. After our visits to the local wineries, you will be returned to your hotel in time for dinner reservations.

Details

Morning trip pick-up will depart from Santa Fe & all surrounding resorts at 7:15 AM.  Trips starting in and close to Taos will pick up and depart at 7:45 AM.  Taos Ski Valley pick-up time is 7:15 AM.

The rafting trip usually wraps up between 11:15 and 11:45 am then off to wine tasting and lunch.
(We welcome groups up to 13 people per van at this time. With advance notice larger groups up to 26 passengers.)

What is included

• Door to door service!
• Rafting trip including a full photo package of your rafting trip
• All Transportation, pick up/drop off in Taos or Santa Fe, and all surrounding resorts (Buffalo Thunder, Bishops Lodge, Taos Ski Valley, etc.)
• A delicious lunch will be served at one of the wineries and chilled bottled water to drink. We will also provide a preselected bottle of wine with your lunch. You are welcome to purchase a different selection if you would like.
• All Wine Tasting Fees
• World-class Guides

Not included

• Gratuity for your Trip Leader (15-20% Recommended)
• Any wine purchases beyond the scheduled tasting

Reservations for this trip are only available on a custom basis and prices vary depending on group size.  Please call us for more information 505-983-7756. You must be 21 and have ID to taste wine!

Join us on the Rio Chama for the most scenic multiple day river trip in New Mexico. The Rio Chama, a major tributary of the Rio Grande, in Northern New Mexico, flows through a multi-colored sandstone canyon whose walls grow to 1,500 feet. This trip is a unique and amazing way to experience the world famous Rio Chama, experience remarkable artisan meals featuring food and wine from the Northern New Mexico region, and support local farming. The river runs through areas that are designated as wilderness or as wilderness study areas.

We begin the 33 mile river trip outside of the alpine town of Chama, NM and float down into a stunning and colorful sandstone and limestone canyon finishing up near the renowned artist village of Abiquiu. The upper reaches of the river are well known for the fantastic trout fishing and gorgeous pine trees lining the banks of the river. This stretch of river hides many treasures within the high reaching walls from hot springs to homesteads to ancient dinosaur tracks. We will spend two nights at camps that are right on the river’s edge and backed up by excellent opportunities for hiking and the exploration of numerous side canyons and vistas.

Each night we will experience a gourmet 4-course meal prepared by the one and only, Chef Jerry Dakan of Santa Fe .  Chef Dakan is an acclaimed chef with experience in some of the most well known culinary destinations in the country.  He now calls Santa Fe his home where is the lead faculty at the Santa Fe Community College Culinary School. The dinners will be paired with the wines of Vivac Winery. In November of 1998 Jesse and Chris embarked on a new mission “to make the best wine possible and have a good time doing it!” This meant professionally crafted, world-ranked, dry red wines, a first for New Mexico and are now the Highest Rated Reds in New Mexico’s History (Wine Enthusiast Magazine ratings)! Focused on complex reds, the Professional at Vivac Winery have a commitment to excellence. Using only French oak barriques and state of the art stainless steel tanks, brothers Chris and Jesse Padberg lovingly create their wines. Fresh and Young, edgy and sophisticated, Vivac offers you something out of the ordinary!

The trip includes:

• World-Class guides leading trips around the globe
• All river equipment
• All camping gear (including ultra-comfortable, inflatable sleeping pads)
• A rare peak into the beautiful canyon’s Georgia O’Keefe made famous years ago
• All meals beginning with lunch on day one and ending with lunch on day 3, including gourmet 4-course Farm to Fork dinners prepared by Chef Jerry Dakan
• Wine pairings from Northern New Mexico’s award winning Vivac Winery