Posts Tagged ‘activities’

How Good is Raft Biking?

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

raftingbike15Well, naturally we know the answer to that one.

It really is a great day out and we have worked very hard over the years to make it as enjoyable as possible.  For participants the day is exciting and different yet it is very relaxing and fun too.

But why take our word for it?

Here are some recent quotes about Bike Rafting in Tenerife taken from around the web:

From Bike Rafting – A ‘Must Do’ Tenerife Activity in Tenerife Tattle

The pace is easy and relaxed. For most of the time brakes are applied to keep behind the guide but now and then there is a steep downhill slope followed by an uphill surge where all brakes are off and you pelt down hell-for leather in order to maintain the momentum to get you back up the rise without pedalling. It is totally exhilarating.

While the bike riding is the main event there is more to the day than that alone. Owner Mauricio and guide Thomas have the route so carefully planned that they have interesting stories to tell on each stop.  They also play off each other like an old comedy team and you have to keep a careful eye on Mauricio to know when he is pulling your leg. On the rare occasion when  the group of bikers is required to cross lanes of traffic Mauricio positioned his van and trailer across the road like a mother hen  spreading her wings  while her chicks scampered to safety on the other side.

The scenery was not restricted to the rural lansdscape either. We flew though the villages where the locals waved and bid us “Buenas Dias!” and then on down to just past La Escalona where we stopped for a drink and traditional Spanish nibbles. From there it was small sideroads all the way down to the highway into Los Cristianos and the day finish with a gallop along the beachfront and an explosive surprise from Mauricio.

From Mary Beresford on Canary Forum

Bike rafting
We have just returned from a week in Tenerife where we went bike rafting.
Now, I dont like exercise but this was a free wheel ride from about 2500m above sea level down to the sea. Took us about 2 and half hours. Hardly any pedalling just alot of braking.
The guys picked us up from our hotel and then drove us all the way to the edge of the crater. Then we got sorted with bike helmets and reflective jackets. We had a lead cyclist and a back up vehicle.
After a few tips on road rules and what the team do to allow passing vehicles, we were off
There were 14 of us – dutch, english, german and russian.
We had a couple of drinks stops and the guys gave us some tapas half way down.
Great day out and easy enough for all abilities.
Cost for 3 was 120 euros.

If you have been Bike Rafting recently, please leave a comment to let others know about your day. We’d love to hear about it.

Raft Biking in the Snow

Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Bike Rafting in the snow

In all our years of taking bike rafters down the mountainside we have experienced very few days like this one. The photograph was taken on 6th January 2006.

Snow is common enough on Teide in colder weather but it is unusual for it to be laying like this on the roadside.  On the pictured day we gave the riders the choice to back out and cycle another day but all insisted on doing the trip – even one brave rafter who was wearing only open-toed sandals over his bare feet.

raftingbike-3At Rafting Bike we like to think we are more or less prepared for anything. In the support van we carry jackets, leggings, gloves and even earmuffs but until this day – no socks!

On our first stop we shod our brave bare-foot rafter with a pair of gloves which might have looked funny but were enough to let him happily continue the trip and reach the end.

On those occasions where there is snow at 7,000 feet by the time you reach 4,000 feet the usual mild Canarian weather prevails and by the time you reach Los Cristianos you can even sunbathe or go for a swim in the sea.