I found this travel agency on Reddit of all places! After seeing their great reviews on Yelp, their…read moreyears of experience, and that their US office was located in Chicago, my husband and I utilized their services to book our honeymoon. The booking process was very smooth. Andi was assigned to us and she took great care of us. I appreciated that she asked activities that we were interested in and planned our stays around that. The information provided to us was very detailed. The tours, hotels, and transportation were wonderful. The vans they had us in were super clean and drivers were friendly and bilingual. The transportation arrived at exact scheduled times for ALL of our tours and transfers. I also appreciated that they included what to pack for the different activities. I highly recommend this travel agency for your costa rica travel needs. PURA VIDA!

Shoutout to the good folks at Costa RIca Experts! Aaron and his team helped me plan a 7 day, 6…read morenight trip to beautiful Costa this past week. They really listened to all my inputs, from locations to types of activities. The final result turned out to be one incredibly detailed itinerary that also had room for flexibility and spontaneous exploration. I'm writing this review literally still on my second to last night here and am so grateful to have found them on Yelp!

Jeff is the nicest, chillest guy. He had our equipment ready and gave us great tips on how to…read moresuccessfully get through the course. We had an absolute blast and will be back!

Yak Shack is a great local paddling outfitter... very knowledgeable and they are willing to teach…read moreyou all you're willing to learn! Good selection of gear selection rentals as well as some used kayaks to help beginners get into kayaking on a budget. They have boats to fit everybody from kids to big guys!

This lakeside club is the gem of Highland Park! The cozy clubhouse on Lake Michigan with canoes,…read morekayaks, sailboats and friendly members of all ages is our favorite place to be in the summertime.

This place is a hidden gem that's underutilized. For less then $300 bucks, a beachfront clubhouse…read morewith a huge deck including grills, tables, kitchen, showers, equipment, storage, and free to use club equipment such as kayaks, paddle boards, windsurfers... I'm here almost everyday. I can't understand why this place isn't completely packed with members all summer.

Great experience and wonderful views. Very busy but also…read morevery professional. Staff was very helpful. Mark

From the minute we arrived til we left it was a great experience! 8 of us went for a float that…read moretook about three hours. Highly recommend!

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, VISIT THIRD COAST PADDLING!!!! We visited on 6/3. It's a beautiful area to…read moreexplore while being active as well! The equipment was in excellent condition and the staff are WONDERFUL. The young gentleman working on Wednesday June 3 around 2pm was very kind! He offered us some points of interest to look out for along the way and encouraged us to come back over the summer, which we plan to! We had a hiccup with the parking situation but the staff went above and beyond to help us remedy that quickly and efficiently, so THANK YOU to the Oliver for reaching out to us. Please share our gratitude with your entire team-- customer service like this keeps people coming back!!!!! Excellent excellent excellent!

We enjoyed our time. The rental comes with life jackets and the marsh is beautiful. I'm…read moreAn experienced kayaker but what concerns me is that on a busy Sunday only one high school kid was working, there was no instruction as to where to turn back, which way to go, what areas to stay out of, or what wildlife to keep a safe distance from. (And there were swans with babies there. I mean I know that they're one of the most aggressive shore birds that exist, but some city folk don't) The fine print on the confirmation tells you which way to go, but it's a compass direction, not a right or left. There are no signs stating which way to go. Ive lived here over 30 yrs, I don't think I could tell you which way was which. The kid working doesn't say anything, he just shoves you off. Also, there were storms rolling in about 4pm. Anyone working for an outfitter should always be aware of the weather and tell ppl, your reservation is for x mins long, but keep an eye on the sky, or maybe a white board posted with the forecast? I didn't know about having to pay for parking until I got there as it only shows this in fine print AFTER you get your confirmation. Also I arrived on time but they were backed up and being that there was only one person and there's no sign that says "kayakers must pay for parking" both myself and another group had to run back and do the parking stuff after we had waited 15 minutes for our turn. I was pretty frustrated thinking that surely they own their own parking spaces, but the city of new Buffalo as screwed me over once again. Again, I have kids, which means they can only handle paddling for an hour. This stupid parking Situation FORCES you to pay for 3 hrs regardless if you're there or not. I think that's ridiculous and they're doing it to rip off tourists. Well I'm not a tourist, I live 20 mins away. My family has been here since 1989. The only ppl This hurts is the hardworking locals. I think it's dumb that only the ppl living in the city of new buffalo are allowed to get a parking pass. Give me a break. I'm sure plenty of ppl would pay $100 per year for an annual parking pass. Because of this parking nonsense, I'll be investing in my own kayak and SUP and going elsewhere. This parking nonsense has to stop, it's freaking Michigan this is NOT the HAMPTONS. The city needs to get over itself. I'd give it 5 stars but parking plus lack of staff and lack of communication is why I only gave it 3.

First time kayaking. The staffs were very friendly. Explained the safety features in detail. Walked…read moreus thru the route. Gave tips as well on where are the best spots, which direction to go, how to manage the flow, how to avoid the boats. Happily took pictures for our group. The kayaks were in good condition and so was the life jackets. A must try and gotta to experience it with REI team!

Great experience today at REI rentals! My friend found out…read moreabout this place and we had to check it out! We went on a Friday and I recommend that day as the staff said Saturdays get busy. Staff Naomi walked us through techniques before getting in the kayak. They provide dry bags. Please note no lockers so I wouldn't bring a full size backpack. Tips: water shoes or shoeless, clothes that you don't mind getting wet, and a change of clothes. They helped us into the water but not getting out.

The water level and rapids was perfect today for my first time experiencing whitewater rafting…read more We arrived a little after 9am, we made reservations ahead of time and there was a couple of big groups checking in ahead of us. The process was quick, check in, sign waiver forms, get your paddle, life vest and helmet and you're ready to go. Before we got in the water we got some instructions how to go down the main rapids: Wildcat Falls, Lone Star Dam and the Narrows. The Wildcat falls, go towards the right of the river, aim center of the two giant boulders and go down left. Most people went way right down it and got stuck at the bottom boulder and some fell in the water. We manage to go down successfully after watching a few rafters. The Lone Star Dam, stay close to the right side to go down it. The rest of the dam has a under tow that can be really dangerous and can pin you down specially if you go down sideways. The Narrows, make sure to hit it straight on and just ride the rapids. That was my favorite section. Yes, this can be dangerous. Just follow the instructions, ask a lot of questions and know your ability. Their is no guide on the raft with you. Tips before going. -Make sure to watch the safety video first, link provided on their website. -Make sure to check the water level and speed at the US coastguard link provided on their website as well. -Lastly know your ability or skills/experience paddling/kayaking/rafting. -I also watched a few YouTube videos to have an idea of the areas mentioned above. -They only accept cash or check. Today, 6/8/19, the water level was 8 feet deep and flowrate of 1500. Classified as Class 3. There was a huge group of boys scouts out the same time we did it and everyone got through it safely and had fun.

I went white water rafting yesterday and it is seriously beautiful! So much wildlife, nature and…read morethe path is very nice you can even see a waterfall at the end, it is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or go alone but go in a group and research before you do this activity you will be fine. It is kind of sad that there is garbage every now and then left on land, people ruining the nature but still beautiful for the most part. As other reviews state, avoid the dam area , paddle to the right.

This is a wonderful crew team in the heart of Chicago. I had my best Masters Rowing experience…read morehere, and I love their emphasis on accessibility. They offer learn to row classes, and you can get scholarships to row in their competitive team.

The Lincoln Park Boat Club is completely member run by passionate folks who love boating -…read morespecifically rowing and paddling. I was into stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) so I was considered a paddler. SUP in Chicago can be hard. Lake Michigan is unfriendly to beginners so the lagoon used by the Lincoln Park Boat Club is perfect. The water is smooth, shallow and dirty enough to motivate you to keep your balance! The equipment at the LPBC is great too. There are a variety of SUP boards ranging from foam beasts that would never tip over to slender racing boards. Most of the storage was taken up by other boats. Some vessels were owned by members and others were owned by the club and could be used by anybody. Since the LPBC is completely run by volunteers, everybody has a lot of responsibility and autonomy. A lot of it is run on the honor system. For example, keeping the dock clean of goose poop and locking the garage was everyone's responsibility. To my knowledge, there was no cleaning or maintenance crew. There are no bells and whistles. The LPBC members I met were friendly. The SUP folks were competitive. It just wasn't my scene. I wanted a place to relax, skim across the water, and be outdoors. The other people I met were perfecting their techniques, getting stronger and racing. I ended up going only about four or five times, or about $100/visit. I'd remain a member if I could pay less than the competitive, more dedicated people. I asked if there could be a modified membership or a pay-per-visit deal but (as of this review) those aren't options.

I celebrated my brother's birthday on 8/15/26!!! We had a…read moreblast Thanks Sophia for beautiful smile and great bartending service!!!! To bad we can't add pictures of the fun time. Rose and Juan 2026

Captain Blue Beard was fantastic. Fun, welcoming, and made sure everyone was having a great time…read morefrom the moment we got on board. The entire staff was awesome. Friendly, attentive, and clearly knew how to keep the energy going without making anything feel forced. The boat was great, the drinks were flowing, the music and atmosphere were perfect, and the whole experience was just a ton of fun. It was exactly what you want from a party boat. Great people, great vibes, plenty of laughs, and a memorable few hours on the water. Our entire group had a fantastic time. Captain Blue Beard and the crew get an easy 5 stars from us. Would absolutely book Island Party Boat again!

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down