Paddle along the Colorado River and look out for local wildlife at the same time on this kayaking adventure from Willow Beach. No need to worry about getting lost, as a guide leads the way and reveals the history of the Black Canyon. The highlight is the Emerald Cave—and you can paddle inside it, and stop for a photo break too.

No need to bring kit with you—a kayak, paddle, and rudders are provided
Look out for local wildlife—such as bald eagles and bighorn sheep
A safe experience with a life vest included and a guide to lead the way
See a natural wonder that would be hard to get to otherwise—Emerald Cave

What's Included

Performance Kayaks with Rudders
Paddle and Life Vest
Snacks
Bottled water

Gratuities
Park Entrance Fees - $25
Transportation is not included. Guests meet at Willow Beach.

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

V89P+3P Willow Beach
V89P+3PH Willow Beach, AZ, USA
You will meet us at the Personal Watercraft Beach. Continue straight, the Personal Watercraft Beach is on your left hand side as you enter into the Willow Beach area. Entrance Fee into the park is $25 per vehicle. If you have an Annual National Park Pass, that will allow access as well.

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Willow Beach Marina

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Emerald Cave

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Willow Beach Marina

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

This is a self-driving tour. We do not offer hotel pickup and drop off. Prepare yourself for travel time, it is an hour to 1 1/2 hour from Las Vegas. It is important that your group is on time. There is no cell service to alert your driver if you are late. There are no refunds if you are a no show or arrive after the guide has left.
THIS IS A SELF DRIVING TOUR. RIDESHARE IS NOT RECOMMENDED AS THERE IS NO CELL SERVICE AT WILLOW BEACH.
Tour is not confirmed until a Reservation Specialist has called to finalize details of the trip. Please be available to take a call from Desert Adventures to confirm your booking.
The Willow Beach Marina is at 25804 North Willow Beach - Willow Beach, AZ 86445.
Please refer to Viator's cancellation policy.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Stacie_D

Neal our guide was terrific! He was a knowledgeable resource! We would definitely recommend! Five stars!

Reviews

5.0

42 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 42 reviews

Kayaking to the Emerald Cave

Stuart_P, Jul 2023

Such a fantastic experience kayaking to the Emerald Cave from Willow Beach. Our guide, Holmes was friendly and knowledgeable and added to this once in a lifetime experience for us. Would recommend this to anyone!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you for your review! We hope you can come back again and join us for another adventure!

A great time on the water

Jeffrey_M, May 2023

All the history and beautiful sights Gianni was very informative and a lot of fun to hang out with thanks for a great time

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi Jeffrey, We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your tour. We hope to see you back soon for another adventure!

Had an awesome time, Gabe...

Ambrosia_M, May 2022

Had an awesome time, Gabe our guide was amazing. There were some self-guided tours where people were being rowdy and disrespectful and not following rules and it just made me feel at ease to have a calm knowledgeable guide who knew all the rules with us.

Response from Host, May 2022

Hi Ambrosia! We're so glad you had a great time on the water with Gabe! We hope you can join us again soon and maybe next time you can try our full day tour, with even more to see and experience!

Our guide who was the...

Vinay_R, May 2022

Our guide who was the best! As well as the beautiful scenery the water was absolutely breathtaking and our tour guide was the most friendly and knowledgeable guide ever

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you for the review. We are glad you had a great time and we are agree our guides are the best!

The highlight of my trip

Jacqueline_O, Aug 2021

We did our tour with Luke and he made sure we were hidrated at all times . Explain what we were gonna do and gave us introductions for beginners that help us even though we had done it in Hawaii two months ago . Luke made our trip fun and I learned so much about the Colorado River history . The view and picture were amazing. I love how they do small groups so you get the attention from your instructor and makes the trip more personal .

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Hi Jackie, We're so glad you enjoyed your trip. We hope to see you again for your next adventure!

Relaxing Adventure

Timika_G, Jul 2021

Our first time kayaking and it was amazing. So relaxing and beautiful. We would do it again. Neil and Luke was outstanding. Enjoyed learning about the history.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

HI Timika, We are so happy that you enjoyed your day and great job trying something new. We hope to see you again for another adventure sometime!

Wonderful scenery

Courtney_G, Jul 2021

Was a peaceful and relaxing trip down the river. Our tour guy was very sweet. Wish the Emerald Cove was more like the pictures. Wasn't what I expected.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Hi Courtney, Thank you for the review. We are glad you had a good time on your tour. We are sorry that it wasn't exactly as you expected, but we get it. Sometimes Emerald Cave is more brilliant than others. We hope to see you again for another adventure on the beautiful Colorado River!

great kayaking trip

Sandy_E, Jul 2021

It was My sister and I, first time kayaking, we used a double kayak, i do recommend if it's your first time kayaking, use a single kayak and go solo, we struggled a little but our guide Neil came to the rescue and showed a few pointers. Neil was great and the cave was very cool.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Hi Sandy, We're so glad you had a great time. We hope you can join us again in the future!

Recommend for a beginner!

Linda_M, Jul 2021

We had a wonderful experience. Our tour guide was so helpful and patient with me. We would go again with the same tour guide. Sorry I don’t remember her name.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Hi Linda, We're so glad you had a great time! We hope you can join us again soon!

Fun, easy paddle.

Bri, Jul 2021

The view from the homestead was epic. We also saw 4 bighorn sheep; two were fairly young. I’m definitely going this trip again sometime.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Hi Bri, Yay! We are happy that you are happy. Please do come see us again.

Beautiful scenery- more impressive than the cave

Melanie_G, Jun 2021

The scenery was beautiful and amazing! The trip was at a pace that anyone could enjoy this adventure! Our guide Neal was informative and helpful. I gave this trip a 4 star rating versus a 5 because we had to help unload the kayaks and get everything set up. All the other tours had 3 to 4 people helping the customers get ready for their trip. I don’t mind helping but it wasn’t expected and was very obvious that we were the only ones doing this.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

HI Melanie, Thank you for the feedback. We are glad you had a good time and enjoyed the scenery. We will keep your comments in mind as we strive to give our guests the best possible time!

Had a blast!

Erica_L, Jun 2021

The absolute best experience ever. The guides were so great and helpful. This is definitely a must excursion.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Hi Erica, We are thrilled that you had a good time. Thank you for letting us know and pass it on!

Amazing

Adriana_M, Jun 2021

Great Experience!! Our Guide Melissa was very informative about the trip and other offers her company offers! She was very Easy to talk to! Will definitely be asking for her on our next trips

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Hi Adriana, We are so happy to hear that you had an amazing adventure with Melissa! We would love to have to come back and try another one of our fun tours. Thank you for your review.

No Green cave

Andrea_D, Jun 2021

Things to know: views are beautiful on the trip! Water is 50degrees so don’t tip or 15min til hypothermia… However you will kayak to a cave that is tiny & doesn’t even show green unless it’s the perfect time of day (in afternoon) with perfect blue sky & it’s so small when u r crammed in there with your entire group even if it were green there wouldn’t be much room to see. Huge let down since it’s the name of the tour & picture advertised… even guide says 80% of time no green. Then the ENTIRE second half of the trip is strong paddling against the current against the wind the entire way back upstream where you had just came from. Be prepared to be exhausted & sore afterwards! Btw afternoon is windiest according to the guide. We had morning and could not imagine paddling back if it were more windy & our group were athletic teenagers!

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Hi there, Thank you for your review. We are sorry that your trip did not meet your expectations. Sometimes, Mother Nature does not give us wind in the direction that we would like or shine the sun at the time we would like. We feel that that is part of the adventure, but understand that not everyone agrees.

Cool kayak experience!

John_I, May 2021

Amazing time with Randy! Very knowledgeable about the history of the Colorado River. Took great pics of our group. Just all around great experience!

Response from Host, May 2021

Hi John, We're so glad you enjoyed the trip! We hope you join us again for another adventure!

Great experience!

Mike_G, May 2021

Fantastic guide. Fantastic views. Beautiful weather. The information shared by our guide was great and we really enjoyed the trip

Response from Host, May 2021

Hi Mike, We are so glad that it was such a great day for you! Come see us again soon for another adventure.

DennisS_V, May 2021

Kevin was a pleasant and knowledged host. Very helpful and enjoyable. Very beautiful and peaceful scenes.

Response from Host, May 2021

Hi Dennis, We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the day. Come see us again for another adventure!

Fantastic trip

Wendy_B, May 2021

We had a fantastic time on the kayaking trip to Emerald cave. Our guide, Antonio provided information about the canyon on our trip and gave us adequate time at the stops to dip in the water and have a snack. He was very personable and made our trip a great experience. We would highly recommend this trip if you want to leave the Vegas strip and take in the beauty of the canyon.

Response from Host, May 2021

Hi Wendy! We're so glad you enjoyed the trip and we hope you join us again for another adventure!

The Natural Beauty of Las Vegas

Valerie_S, Apr 2021

What a fabulous and awe inspiring trip down the Colorado River. 9am launch time provided the perfect temperature. David was a great guide- knowledgeable and personable. Was another highlight of our trip outside of the hustle and bustle of the Vegas Strip.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Hi Valerie, Thank you for your kind words! We are so glad you enjoyed your tour and hope that you come see us again the next time you are in town.

I recommend a kayak trip

Bobby_R, Apr 2021

The tour group personnel had a medical emergency prior to the start of the tour. This caused a two hour delay (understandable). The tour group replaced their injured member, then rushed us through the tour. There was little instruction, improper gear was issued to my kids (causing injuries, and a displeasure with the activity), and no breaks (a break with snacks and a short hike was part of package). The lack of breaks caused discomfort for the older members of my group who needed to stand up and stretch out their back. Improper gear and lack of breaks made what should have been a wonderful experience into a lackluster time on the water. The tour itself is beautiful, the guides knowledge of the area was excellent. The medical emergency was unfortunate and the delay understandable. The problem was what occurred after. We just felt like cattle being herded upstream. The tour ended only 45 mins later than planned which means our 4 hour planed trip lasted 2 hours and 45 mins. It wasn't a question of daylight either. I would book another trip but this one felt like work and was not enjoyable.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Hi Bobby, Thank you for your comments, we appreciate your feedback. Thank you for being flexible in the face of a true emergency with one of our staff. We did the best we could to replace them and get you on your tour. While I am sure there was an expedient nature to getting your group out as it was running so late we did not want to make your tour feel rushed or like herded cattle. This tour is, however, a 3 hour tour, not a 4 hour tour and definitely not one of our most leisurely ones. At any rate, I will be sure to follow up with your guides to find out about the improper gear that you have reported as we take great care in providing well fitted gear and snacks for our guests. I invite you to call and talk to me personally (Joyce 702-293-5026) about any additional concerns. Guest satisfaction is of highest priority. Again, thank you for your feedback.