We had a great first experience. We arrived at 830, they start checking people in at 900. Clean restroom available and got to the river launch at 1000 and in the water at 1030. Be sure to bring... 1. Reusable drinking containers, no disposables allowed(cans, plastic water bottles). 2. Sealed plasticware, or reusable bags for food and snacks. No ziplocs allowed. 3. Cover for your legs or lots of sunscreen. Its 2.5 - 4 hours down the river. 4. No alcohol. They have a sniffer and check your bottles. Theres's a lemonade stand 2/3rds of the way down in someones backyard. Many people were talking about it. We finished in 2.5 hours,but would probably go a little slower next time. The river is beautiful, not cold, and is very relaxing. Next time we will go upriver to the springs, then down to the end. The last 30 minutes is a little bit of work as you meet the wider section of river and the wind can work against you. There's a restaurant, Swampy's, you can pull over and tie up to eat and drink. Its 30 minutes form there to the pull-out. This was our first kayak trip in FL. This was a very nice day. read more

This was our second time with this company and it was super easy hassle free. Totally recommend.

The river was amazing, and the equipment was fine. The disappointing part was the communication. When our kayaks were picked up while we were at Swampy's, no one contacted us even though the company had our reservation information, which caused unnecessary stress. Later, when I called about our belongings, the initial customer service was unexpectedly rude. They did return most of our items, and I appreciate that, but better communication and a more courteous approach would have made this an easy five-star experience. We rented from someone else the next day for tubing and had a much better experience. read more

We had the most amazing experience kayaking with Rainbow River Kayak Adventures at Rainbow Springs State Park. This was our first Florida springs adventure and we absolutely loved it. We chose the 4-hour kayaking trip and were blown away by the beauty of the river. The water was crystal clear, and we saw so much wildlife along the way - turtles, exotic birds and beautiful natural scenery everywhere we looked. It truly felt like a hidden paradise. Our friends visiting from the UK joined us, and they loved every minute of it as well. It was such a special way to experience Florida together. From the friendly drivers to the quality of the kayaks and the stunning river itself, everything was exceptional. The entire experience was smooth and easy from start to finish. We highly recommend Rainbow River Kayak Adventures and would absolutely do it again read more

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This was our family's 1st time on the Rainbow River. The staff here were super nice, knowledgeable of the area and the River. The River was extremely fun to float down. The water was so clear and blue. New to the area, visiting the central Florida area, this is a wonderful family activity. ​ read more

Great equipment great location great people working there. The whole trip was great. We lost a wallet and car keys and the staff promptly went to work to find them for us. They saved the day. read more

We will not be coming back due to your fake "volunteer" Karen's, so to anyone who reads this do not go there! We read the rules no where on there did it say anything, about anchors or anything, regarding eating food on the water in kayaks out of plastic reusable Tupperware. we are not coming back. read more

Went on a Friday at 11:00. On rainbow river by 11:30. People were nice. Beautiful river. Highly recommend. read more

We all had a great time. Everyone there was friendly and laid back. We were there on a Sunday and it felt like we had the river to ourselves. We didn't feel rushed at all. read more

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Great crew , fast and organized!! Great day!! We accidentally booked the wrong day, we had no problems the day we arrived with , they didnt miss a beat!! read more

The day was wonderful. The ease of booking was good. The staff at the outpost were friendly. The driver was great in getting our kayaks unloaded and into the water. read more

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Great company. Parking is odd, but it's behind what looks like a mini dealership. Yes, you're probably in the right spot. They are very strict on what you can bring on the river. Only reusable bottles, containers, and such. Nothing that you have to throw away. Tube rental was $15 per person. We rented one cooler tube to put our stuff in for $15. We just all put our stuff on and it in. Sadly you only now get 2 hours to get down the river. Hardly leaves time to stop and eat along the way or stop and take a picture. So much fun still! read more

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

9 of us women ventured down to Florida from Illinois in February to kayak. we had an awesome time on the Rainbow River. The outfitters were wonderful and professional and answered all our questions about the river. i highly suggest this company for your kayaking equipment needs for the Rainbow River! read more

Easy to find and easy to get from the takeout. Unfortunately, we left the shop 20 minutes late as a group who was supposed to travel with us showed up at departure time and had to check-in, get kayaks, get them loaded, etc. Sat in our car for 30 minutes as we were EARLY for our trip. The second group should have been left behind and taken on the next trip that runs every half hour. read more

We had an amazing experience using their services! We arrived and were checked in quickly, then loaded and transported to starting point, then we kayaked down the beautiful and crystal clear rainbow river to the depart point and picked up very quickly to be taken back to the car! All of the staff that we dealt with answered every question we could possibly think of and them some!! The entire staff was friendly and very helpful!!! My husband, myself, and our kids had a blast!! Definitely recommend and we will be a return customer!!! read more

Buyer beware. Check the weather. Ask questions. Try to get a kayak that will function against the wind, which could have gusts up to 20MPh. We had to paddle in inferior craft against the wind for 7 miles. No options to take out except that. I learned the hard way. Winter 2023. read more

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures - 20MPH wind - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures was amazing! They are extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, WOW! Coming from out of town, we were looking for an easy way to go kayaking on the river and RRKA made it flawless; they do everything for you. Highly recommend, specially if you are visiting the area and are looking to make the most out of your time. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and service! THANK YOU RAINBOW RIVER KAYAK ADVENTURES! read more

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They are helpful and awesome. Started the day getting there and fixing our reservation our bad kinda. Note for anyone interested in rainbow you can't bring your own tube you have to use theirs. I brought my own paddle board. They did check bags at the beginning of KP hole to make sure there were no plastic disposable items. It was relaxing and so very glad at the end of the day they came and picked us back took us back to the car. read more

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Had a great time, and the crew were extremely friendly and accommodating. I had mistakenly made the reservation for Saturday, and we showed up Friday. They were able to move it with no issues. We rented a single and double kayak for a half day. They provided all of the equipment we would need. There was room for a smaller cooler we brought for water which was great. They put in at KP Hole park. We had no issues there, paid our $7/person and went on our way. They make it quite clear NOT to bring anything in disposable containers. We moved our sandwiches into tupperware and used Yeti/Hydroflask/Tervis type containers for our water. While it might seem like an inconvenience, the river was pretty clean, so I appreciate the rule. There are homes scattered down the banks of the river, but still plenty of "real Florida" nature to be seen. It had been raining quite a bit, so the river was up, clear, and refreshing to swim in during the hot weather. We did not experience any biting bugs, but there were various young Dragonfly's flying around and landing on the Kayaks. My daughter got a little frustrated with them, but they don't bite. I enjoyed seeing them and some of the different colors. No horse flies or mosquitoes on our trip. There are a few sandy areas to stop along the way if you have kids that want to swim. You may have to convince them to not mind the river grass on the bottom, or get them "water shoes". We stopped at the CVS across the street from them, and they sold water shoes in there (I think they were around $14 at the time of this writing and the largest size I saw was men's 12). They also sell a few other items, towels, hats, and waterproof cell phone holders for instance if you forget something. Our trip took us between 2.5 and 3.5 hours. If you plan to swim more or stop at Swampys towards the end, you might want to rent a whole day. We only stopped twice (swim and packed lunch/swim) and the half day was plenty for us, but YMMV. Overall it was a great trip and would recommend them for Kayak rental! read more

Awesome awesome place to rent kayaks Affordable but the customer service was great. Will definitely be back. My wife myself and our 2 kids went and had a blast. We seen otters turtles and plenty of wildlife. read more

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures - Otter! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Staff was super friendly and made sure we were set up to have a really good day! we didn't have to wait more than a few minutes to get picked up once we arrived at the docks. Theh gave us a pin to the address so we made it to the correct location, but it actually was really easy to find. The river was beautiful we snorkeled and saw a lot of fish. My family will definitely be coming back. read more

We were a group of 10.This company is very efficient and were very pleased with the kayaks.We did find the ending spot a bit further than we thought yet all in all a great afternoon read more

I have taken two trips through this place and both times have been smooth sailing. My friends and I reserved kayaks for a trip down the river. They were quick to get us on the River and off. Friendly staff and helpful. Made our reservation online, which made the process even better. read more

We loved our trip! It was our gift to my brother for his 50th Birthday. The staff was friendly, kind, and informative. We'd use this company again. read more

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The rainbow river kayak adventure were very friendly and kindly. We have kayak and paddle board yesterday. The river is Clear and quiet. Definitely come back. read more

Wonderful place. everybody that we dealt with were pleasant and professional. Price of tubing was well within other places that I have tubed. read more

I'm only giving this a 2 star rating because of the river being nice and the equipment from this facility working. I personally have not been to the Rainbow River since 2021. In 2021 at a different facility, we were allowed to bring our own tubes. We decided to give this business a try since this was the facility we wanted to go to last time. We decided to bring our own tubes and make a reservation on the website for a person in our group to paddle-board. When we get there, we are informed that they do not allow you to bring your own tubes anymore and they said it was not their rule, it was the county rule. It doesn't say that ANYWHERE on the website. If it said this on the website, we would have just made the reservation and been fine with paying for what we did (I'm making this point due to what I'm about to bring up with the manager). Because we were unaware of the new rule, we were forced to pay for the SINGLE kayak and TWO tubes. I was speaking with the lady in the office (I should have gotten her name) and she was explaining the price difference to me saying that there would be a price difference of $35. I asked her is this the price instead of the $46 for the paddle-boarding? She said yes. We move to the front to pay and another staff member (I won't list his name, he was nice with us) tells me it's $48. I accepted to pay because I was assuming this was the new price I would be paying instead of the $46 because of tax. We'll come to find out, they charged me $94.15!!!! I called the facility to talk to a manager to to ask if we could please have a small refund for the miscommunication. I wasn't asking for the refund for the entire thing, just a small portion because of the miscommunication. The manager Bob pretty much told me he would not be refunding any money because if I had made a reservation for the tubes and kayak to begin with, I would have saw the price there. How was I supposed to know that they don't allow your own tubes if it's not on the website? Why would you not put on your website new county laws that businesses and customers have to go by? The website shows a single kayak for $35 and each tube being $20. This will be listed in the images. That should have been around $75 with tax!!! But instead, I was charged "for the difference from the paddle-boat reservation to the kayak and tubes." Bob told me a different price being $45 for the Kayak with $20.00 tubes over the phone (this does not show on the website!!! Image shown!!) and I'm just realizing nobody is having proper communication with me at this point and they're just adamant on keeping my money and not willing to work with me. This was my first time at this facility and I feel cheated out of my $94.15. Unlike the other reviews, Bob was not welcoming. He showed no compassion or empathy to understand in our phone conversation and he did not even apologize for the miscommunication. Bob was also aware that they do not have that rule on the website because "it's not his rule" that being his words. That is why I'm writing this review, is my experience with Bob. You would think as a manager of a facility, you'd want to make any customer (especially a first-time customer) experience better and try to help. Very disappointing and this was not a good first time with them. CALL AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING BEFORE MAKING A RESERVATION AT THIS FACILITY. And make sure you QUESTION the website. You shouldn't have to do that, but at this place you will! We will not be returning. I hope it was worth the fight of keeping all of my money. read more

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures - Explained in the review - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Not as advertised. I chose the outfitter because their website clearly states the drop off point is Blue Run. This is not accurate. read more

Rainbow River Kayak Adventures - FAQ stating Blue Run is the drop off. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Dunnellon, Florida

Once again the trip was great. Thanks Driver's are informative and helpful getting in the kayak.

A great experience with Rainbow River Kayak. The staff gave us a warm welcome when we arrived for our trip, made us feel welcomed! Once checked in our shuttle driver loaded and unloaded our kayak for us. Once we completed our 2 1/2 hour paddle we called the office for our pick-up and we were picked up within 5 minutes. This business values their clients!!! read more

The employee called me to cancel the booking due to thunderstorms in the area and promised a total refund, stated that he left a note for office for refund, then I got terrible attitude from their employee when I call back who refuse to refund the cancellation. Keep the money Karen u will use it when the gators r biting read more

This is a beautiful river but service is way overpriced. We did a private tour that was totally disappointing. In hindsight, we should have just rented the kayaks and toured on our own. read more

I actually made reservations at the wrong kayak rental, went to where I thought I was renting and discovered I'd made my reservation at Rainbow River Kayak Adventures. WHAT A FANTASTIC ERROR! These folks were so nice, helpful and accommodating! They are now going to be our regular company in use! I'd highly recommend them! read more

We had a great time at the river. kayak rental was easy. the staff was friendly and helpful when we called to make changes. Easy pickup after we were done. We were a little late to arrive (got lost) but I appreciated how patient the guy was. overall, great service. I would rent from them again! read more

This company was wonderful... super easy to set up and pay, awesome and friendly staff, and everyone is super helpful. Would absolutely use them again. Top notch!! read more

We were a bit confused and so writing this review to hopefully help others. Our family really wanted to tube down the river, on this website you will see people in tubes that appear to be floating down the river, however if you rent a tube you also have to rent a kayak, it wasn't sure why, I tried to call to clarify and know what we were doing but the call goes to a call center and I'm not quite sure the call center knows everything that is going on at the river. Anyway, I made reservations for 6 people. 3 double kayaks and 6 tubes. When we got to the location we were told that we would have to tow tubers. So really you have to do 3 single kayaks and 3 tubes and take turns towing people..... well, that wasn't going to work for our family so we ended up just doing the kayaks and no tubes...... :( I wish there would've been more info on the website to explain this. read more

Booking with this outfitter is an excellent way to enjoy exploring the Rainbow River. My group made reservations online about a week in advance for a Sunday kayak trip. Somehow I booked mine for Saturday but when I realized my mistake and called to correct, the representative was very understanding and adjusted my reservation as needed. We arrived in plenty of time to check in, use the facilities and slather on sunscreen. Then we were shuttled to a drop off site and away we went. Everything went smoothly and we were happily paddling along in no time. Equipment was all up to par and the information provided about the river gave us a good orientation. We really enjoyed the ease of paddling. The rules about what is not allowed on the trip are quite clear and emphasized in writing as well as verbally. No plastic bags or disposable bottles. Apparently trash that finds its way into the water has been a problem but we found the river quite clutter-free during our visit so that means the restrictions must be working. Just bring along a water bottle similar to one you would take to a gym and a plastic container with a lid to keep your food dry. Staying hydrated is advisable and having a snack is certainly enjoyable. After about three hours we were ready to exit our sit-on-top kayaks and make our way to the spot designated for us to come aground. Within minutes after calling, our ride for the return trip to the provider's location arrived. Lots of fun, lots of sun and lots of natural beauty plus the company of birds, turtles, fish and otters made this a great outdoor excursion and Rainbow River Kayak Adventures made it a great experience. read more

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I took my sister in law who was visiting from Michigan kayaking yesterday. I selected Rainbow River Kayak Adventures and made the reservation. I couldn't have been more please with this company and more importantly it's team of professionals. From the time we arrived everything was ready for us. We were treated with respect and fully informed where to kayak to see the headwaters, downriver and how to locate their take out point. Their drivers and polite, courteous and helpful in so much as I brought my own kayak.. It was almost as if they knew we would be arriving at the take out as the driver and kayak trailer were pulling into the lot when we arrived. Similar to the previous driver this gentleman from Massachusetts was helpful and friendly. Yes, I would recommend Rainbow River Kayak to anyone wanting to enjoy the beauty of the Rainbow River. read more

Another commenter said we need a map with us. I agree. Would be nice if they photo copied something and gave to customers. And I don't love paying 7 dollars a piece to put in at KP and not look back. Don't mind paying something much lower. Both those things said...these folks are wonderful! So kind, helpful and efficient. I called them at the end of my journey and they came straight away. I recommend this business 100% read more

Kayaking on Rainbow River is as peaceful and serene as one could imagine. The guys were helpful, friendly, the equipment is nicely maintained. 5 stars all around, exceptional service. read more