What a fun bunch of people having a blast doing what they love. Emily (who is absolutely amazing) and the other guides put us at ease, engaged our girls and totally made their day. We had a blast (even though most of our 2 hour float was pretty tame) the end was amazing. We had time to learn about the guides, share our story, and learn about the area. The joy and camaraderie of this crew was infectious and really set the time for a fun afternoon. Afterwards, head to Serious Texas BBQ for an amazing meal to cap off your experience. read more

Trip was great!! Staff very knowledgeable!! Lawrence our guide was awesome!! Next time we're doing the 4 hour trip!! read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Our guide Lawrence and everyone else on our raft!! Great times!! Can't wait for next time!! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

This was an amazing experience down the Animas. This summer in particular has a lot of water moving down the river and the guides were very experienced and kept us safe while having a good time. They even took the time to save a competitors rafters that fell overboard. The whole day was a highlite of our trip, thanks Chewy! Oh, and the lunch was totally legit read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Great trip! Captain David was enjoyable and competent. Took the whole family, lots of fun!

We came all the way from the Arkansas Valley to get new rubber. These guys were amazing! From the purchase to pick up they were knowledgeable and super helpful, with excellent communication . Thank you! #durangoraftandjeep read more

Awesome experience for the whole family. Had a large group with lots of kids. Ben Young is an amazing guide and was great with the kids. We did the 4 hour trip and was a blast. Lunch included at Serious Texas BBQ restaurant right on the river. Nothing bad to say about this company everyone had an amazing experience and highly recommend. read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Hello! This was by far the best white water rafting experience we have had! My mother and my 2 children who are 8 and 11 year old girls went on this trip with me. Our guide Ben was so professional and made our trip a blast. Ben was full of knowledge and experience which made us feel so safe on this trip since Durango had a ton of rain days before. Ben and the Southwest Raft and Jeep family reassured us that this was a great time to go white water rafting as this way a lot of the rocks and debris in the river are now covered with water and they have different routes to take to ensure safety of my mom and my young daughters. I would recommend them over and over and again BEN our guide was amazing! read more

This is a great group- excellent awareness from the people working the desk, to the drivers, to the guides. Really good energy. It's difficult to balance safety & preparedness with whitewater fun & customer service but I felt like this company excels at that more than most. read more

We had a great time on the river this evening during our 4-hr trip. Clayton was our guide. He was down-to-earth and clear with directions as we navigated the rocky waters. He found time to tell us some corny jokes and point out some interesting sights. This was a great beginner trip for our teens who had never rafted. The river was mostly easy navigating, with the rapids at White Water Park being the most challenging. There were a couple other companies on the river at the same time and there were many instances of bumping into each other and passing each other; overall, it seemed like Southwest was the most laid back and the guides the most trained of them all. We were in a smaller raft and able to navigate through parts that the bigger rafts got stuck in. There are a couple of advantages to booking the 4-hour tour with Southwest over the 2-hour tour. One, we got to stop at Seriously Texas BBQ and eat a delicious sandwich, while other companies only offer water bottles and cheese sticks. And two, after the traffic jam of rafts all over the river of the first two hours, we saw no one else but the other Southwest raft doing the 4-hour tour the last half of the trip. It made for a quieter, more peaceful end of the trip. Apparently, we were on the first evening 4-hour tour Southwest has ever done (they only started offering the 2:00 pm 4-hour tour this season). I recommend it since the evening light and the quiet waters at the end were a great way to wrap up the fun trip. Finally, our bus driver was lovely. We learned she has driven buses for over 50 years, has been with this company for 18, and treats all the guides like her children. I am thoroughly impressed with her skills. If we're in Durango in the future, we'll be sure to raft with Southwest again! read more

Had a great experience buying my rooftop tent from these guys. I ordered a 23Zero Walkabout from them last April and they helped me through it from start to finish! I must've called Troy 10 different times leading up to my arrival in Durango and every time he was knowledgeable, and patient with all my dumb questions. He also helped me pick out the right rack system to support the tent on my car, and performed the installation. I've used the tent numerous times now over the course of a 1,000 mile road trip to CA and have nothing but good things to say about the product and install. I can only speak to their knowledge of camping and outdoor accessories, but I'm sure all other aspects of their business are on point based on my experience. If you're wondering where to go for upgrades on your next adventure this is the place! Thanks again SW Raft & Jeep. read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

We had such a great rafting trip with Mac as our guild. The entire staff at SW Raft and Jeep were very friendly and knowledgeable. The complimentary lunch was such a nice touch and absolutely delicious. This is a privately owned company and the owners are hands on working side by side with all of the employees. If you want a great rafting experience be sure to book with SW Raft! read more

My extended family of 15 people ranging from 4 to 84 years old had a wonderful time rafting with Southwest. The river was beautiful, the rapids were exciting but not terrifying, and we felt like we were in good hands with our guides Lawrence and Christian read more

Everyone was professional, nice, and efficient from the desk to the bus driver to the guides. They were well organized.

We booked a 2-hr trip with SWRJ so my son and his girlfriend (from Austin, TX) could experience the Animas River for the first time. Two summers ago I used another local rafting company, but gonna stick with SWRJ from now on! DAVID was our raft guide and was AWESOME, as was Ben, Chad, Chuy, Christian, and Olivia!! Can't tell you how much we appreciated you being open on July 4th...and thanks so much for the amazing pics! Grateful, ~Cheryl from Durango read more

Small business with great customer service! What else do you want? Good communication with us before our trip. Friendly professional staff from start to finish. I appreciated we got to paddle and participate in the rafting. I didn't want to be a passive participant. River was high but the guides clearly knew how to handle. Fun ride! read more

Had a great time lots of fun. Claire was very sweet and knowledgeable about the surrounding area. The lunch was great at Serious Texas BBQ.

Very nice 2 hour float down the river. Be prepared to get wet and paddle. The staff is friendly and work hard to make sure you have a good time. read more

Jack was our raft guy. It was a first time for 6/7 on the trip, with 3 kiddos. The river was flowing at around 900cfs, rare for late July. It made for a fun, but not super challenging trip. Fun for the whole family! read more

Booked the 2 hour rafting package. Great experience. David Simpson was a fun and informative guide. Highly recommend for an inexpensive family get away. read more

My husband and I did our first rafting trip with Southwest and the services from start to finish was class act! All employees were amazing with your eat attitudes and fun personalities. Sam was out guide for the day and he was kind, courteous and very welcoming. We would highly recommend this company if your ever in Durango! We'll be back! read more

Had a 2 hour raft trip this morning with 7 family members. We had a ton of fun. Noah was our guide. Very knowledgeable. No issues at all. Would highly recommend this small business if looking to go white water rafting. read more

We had a great time staff was very friendly recommend if you're going to Whitewater Rafting. read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Great trip! Andy did a fantastic job as our guide! The water was refreshing, the lunch was awesome and the staff was fun and very helpful. We'll definitely want to go again!!! Highly recommended!!! read more

Professional and fun group of guides that gave us a great family rafting experience. We had all age groups from 7 to 70. Everyone enjoyed their time. Thanks! read more

Sean was a great guide and very knowledgeable of the city sites and history. He made the rafting experience all the more enjoyable. Unfortunately I could not give a five star rating as the staff at the counter could of displayed a more enthusiastic greeting upon our arrival. Felt like it was a bother to the lady behind the counter read more

Awesome experience!!! The crew is friendly, knowledgeable, and above all FUN. We took a group of 8 rafting and they accomodated fine for us and other small parties. Had Jack as a raft guide and he was truly great. We will be back to go kayaking next! read more

Booked a 2 hour raft trip for my 40th birthday and was not disappointed. Rick was an awesome guide and told lots of dad jokes which the dads in our raft loved. Thank you for making my 40th birthday an amazing one! read more

my mother and wife's first time they were pretty nervous but the comedy and smoothe demeanor of the crew made it an enjoyable safe and memorable experience. read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Prepping - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

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My girlfriends and I made a spur of the moment decision to go rafting while we were visiting Durango, and I'm unbelievably glad we chose this place! The river was low, but still gorgeous, and all of the guides were so friendly and knowledgeable and were able to make sure our group--consisting of people of all ages-- had the best time possible! I would totally recommend this place if you're looking for a really fun and beautiful trip! Extra shout out to Zach, our guide. If you manage to find yourself on a raft with him he'll take great care of you! read more

Such a fun time. Everyone was so nice when checking in, on the bus and on the raft. Chewy was a great guide, very knowledgeable and kept us all involved with the paddling. The 2 hour trip was a great time on the river. Would you definitely recommend to anyone looking for a little adventure. read more

A friend and I ran the Animas River on a 4 hour trip. The water level was very high, and we had originally planned to go down in the inflatable kayaks. We were told that was not safe at this water level, and ended up in a raft with a guide and several guides in training. We had lots of expertise in that raft, and we were glad of it. A nice group of folks work there who love what they do and operate in a professional manner. Things I'd recommend: Wear all synthetic clothing so your clothes dry out quickly. Wear suncreeen. Put a sunglass retaining strap on your glasses. Wear water shoes, not flip flops. Definitely consider the jackets or wetsuits they offer. The day we ran, the water was 47 degrees. read more

White water rafting with Ben was the highlight of our trip. Family of four with a 12 year old and 8 year old and we loved it. Ben was so kind and funny and made the experience that much better. We Felt safe the whole time. The lunch that is included in the 4 hour trip was just an extra perk that we enjoyed. read more

Our family booked a tour and were lucky enough to have Ben as our guide. He made the whole experience more fun, and full of laughter. Very happy with the experience. read more

Had a great time with my two, teen sons kayaking the animas! Max, Sean, and Jane were great guides and lots of fun. Pictures were taken by the company owner and came out fantastic as well. Even our shuttle driver was lovely and kind. Efficient, safe, and on time! Great company- thank you! read more

Definitely recommend booking with this rafting company! Our guides (Cam and Blake) were friendly and experienced- they challenged us but never made us feel unsafe. The owners, Troy and Tammy, were helpful and friendly and made us feel welcome. It was an overall great experience. read more

The guides are the friendliest on the river. The are conveniently located in town and they include all the gear that you need to have a great time. I would go with them again. read more

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Recommend the rafting for anyone in the city or just visiting. Nice store for water gear and other things. If you come out to go rafting the best commander is Anthony, but Dustin was also very good. Help this small business, they are very good and deserve to be more known. read more

It was my family's first time white water rafting and we had a blast! You take a short bus ride to the river and the guides debrief you and load everyone into rafts. Our guide was great, very funny and kind. My dad really didn't want to try rafting because he thought it wouldn't be fun, boy was he wrong! At the end he told us he was so glad he came :) The scenery is beautiful and the "rapids" part was great fun. Definitely recommend. read more

Southwest Raft and Jeep - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Durango, Colorado

Great trip- fab rafting so far. Guide max was skilled and great with our young kids. Loved this trip!!

CAUTION: as of July 9th this company was allowing very inexperienced rafters to travel through the Animas Waterpark. My girlfriend and I had no idea how dangerous this would prove to be until we went through with 4 guides and had Avery traumatic experience. 4 out of 6 people were immediately thrown from the raft after the initial drop on AND then the raft was completely flipped over dumping everyone into the freezing water. No way to sugar coat it...this company did not warn us nor offer a safe alternative. There were all very nice people but unfortunately for my girlfriend and I they read more