O.A.R.S.

Overview - Trip: 3 days, ended up rafting 2 with a layover day in the middle Groups size: 21 people, adults only Guides: Dakota, Justin, Kas, Chris, Jeff, Rich, Becca, and Todd This was by far on of the best vacations I have ever been on!!! I decided to take a solo trip to check this off my bucket list and I was not disappointed. I did a lot of research on what company to choose, and then picked a trip based on drive distance and dates available. I chose then didn't really look into the specifics of this trip besides the recommended packing list. And I am so glad I did. I was blown away by the food options, the organization and skill of all of the guides and the beauty of the location. As a solo traveler, it was awesome that the guides AND the other guests in the group welcomed me as one of their own. And for the guides specifically, it was great to have such a relaxed, fun atmosphere but still feel completely safe at all times. Think surfer chill atmosphere but with military grade organization and precision :) It was AWESOME. I think the things I liked the most about this trip were that we didn't see anyone outside of our group the whole time. We also had a bit of a let down since we couldn't raft the middle day but the guides rallied us and made everyone really happy we ended up with a down day! Lastly, we didn't have to spend all of our time in the group. In that I booked this as a solo trip, it was nice to take a bit of time to myself to sit away from the group and the crew was relaxed enough to trip us like the adults that we are to adventure a bit. Recommendations: - I loved rafting in June because it was warm enough to wear shorts and a tee, but not feel cold when wet all day. - pack less cloths than you think you need. I really only had two sets of cloths, one for the day and one for night for dry cloths - don't worry about the food - there was SOO much of it. I had packed some bars just in case and didn't end up eating any of them. - pack carabiners - for easy access, just hook your water bottle onto the raft rings! - sunscreen, make sure to put it on like 20 minutes before getting into a boat. I kept getting wet right after putting it on and spent more time than necessary worrying it was washing off when I didn't have time to put more on. Shoutout to: Jeff (my board guide, joke master extraordinaire, and for teaching me to "drive") Dakota (you know someone is passionate when they actively seek feedback for improvement) Rich (teaching card games and answering ALL of my rafting questions) Becca (hands up to girls who flip boats! thanks for teaching me! ) This is who I spent the most time with! All of the other guides were also amazing in the time that I spent with them! I just didn't spend as much time so I'll leave it to others to give you more specific praise of their work :)

Dana was our guide for the Tuolumne 2 day trip. She went out of her way to make sure everyone was having a good time and handled every rapid with grace and ease. The other guides on the trip were also fantastic (Gordon, Jack). A great trip and amazing crew!

I had an amazing time white water rafting the Merced river outside of Yosemite with Oars. It was my first time white water rafting. My guide was very knowledgeable and made the day so much fun. I can’t wait to come back.

WOW. Websites, phone/email support, equipment, food and guides. WOW. It was quickly evident compared to the other rafting companies on the same river, how much BETTER OARS was. You could see the longing in the other non-OARS guides eyes as they saw their guide counterparts having so much fun and getting much better food and gear. :D The website and pre-trip information was so detailed and so professional. Our guides were so competent and yet so fun! Teal, son of the famous Eric Hertz (Futaleufu in Chile) was our trip leader and was so serving, and so professional! And great at serving wine! The other guides worked so well together. And Mike was our raft Guide and really made the trip! The 6 of us guys (all husbands and fathers) were so at home between relaxing with delicious food and screaming our heads off on the rapids. It was a blast - and we had a fantastic time! I will definitely be going with OARS again to other places, and definitely recommend THIS trip and THIS company. What a wonderful experience!

We spend a great day on toulumne river in August 2023. Jack (or Jacob) did an excellent job. During our 3-weeks-trip through california this was definately a highlight. Its a pure adventure in an awesome countryside. No "traffic" on the river. @OARS Team: Thank you! Christian (Daniel, Markus and Patrick)