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Rivers of my life

The packraft routes that have changed my life. Photo by Carlos Izquierdo

By Packrafting.cat

May 18^th, 2025

Original blog post in Spanish

TL/TR Too much text to read? In short: Collaborate in the project!

Become a Patron!

Captura de la web del proyecto: https://vkm.is/rutaspackraft

“There is no point in being the first or discovering and exploring new places if this knowledge is not shared”.

I am Sergi Tur Badenas, alias acacha and for me the book is a new challenge, especially for me who has never written a book. And I would like to be able to say that I am a great writer and that I have that something that some people have, that just by reading a few lines of their writings, you know that there is talent there.

In fact, not only am I not very clear about my talent in writing, but I even sometimes find it very difficult to express my ideas in black on white.

But there is something I've always had, constancy, not to say obstinacy or compulsive obsession...

When something gets into my head, it doesn't just go away. And there are several things that have stuck in my head:

What is it about packraft that got me so hooked? Or at least that's what has happened to me, maybe it has caught me at a time when I needed (or need) a change in my life and I have been pleasantly surprised by the great people I have met and the places it has allowed me to visit.
I need to thank and contribute something to this world that has given me so much, I have enjoyed so much the routes I have done that I need to share it, talk about it, remember it and surely (re)enjoy it by sharing it with others.
Complete the list (see the quote) and be able to die peacefully, since I have two children already and every day I plant a good pine tree 💩.

"There are three things every person should do in their lifetime: plant a tree, write a book and have a child."

I may not be a great writer of novels, but I've always been good at logistics, setting up trips and above all documenting. As I think I've already made clear, I'm not a writer, but I can be very exhaustive in compiling information and one of the main objectives of the book is to provide as much information as possible to help others to approach the wonderful world of packraft.

So here I am, off on a new adventure 🤠.

I think that's the main reason for all this mess 😄. I'm enjoying the Packrafter/Kayaker scene so much that I want other people who need it as much or more than I do to have the opportunity to join.

There, I've come clean! So much talk to sum it all up in one cheesy sentence 😚.

I hope that together we can improve a community that already exists, but to which I only intend to add my grain of sand.

Share, share, share and when there is nothing left to share, share again...

Join the Chat

We must take care and respect the existing community, we are not going to fool ourselves, although I don't know of a single case so far, and I'm sure we will find some unpresentable element on the way... But let's not spoil the party before its time.

The main idea of the book is to explain the routes that I have done myself, many of them done relatively recently and that, therefore, I still have very fresh.

In some (few) cases I will not have done the route myself and/or the information will come from a fellow adventurer. In fact, since I have the book in mind, I have thought of involving (Translator's note: making a mess of things ) friends that I have met thanks to Packraft and with whom I now have a strong bond: the aim is to meet local experts, remarkable people with an uncommon spirit of adventure that will help us to transmit the passion for "their" river or favourite route!

For each route there will be a section with all the technical information needed to do the river:

Blog entry dedicated to the route. An example, the blog post about the River Dee in Llangollen Wales. The routes are changing, we want to build community, to have comments from people who have done the route, fresh information that the book won't always be able to reflect.

💡Trick: URL easy to remember: https://go.packrafting.cat/[ROUTE].

Example: https://go.packrafting.cat/dee

📍Route location: where you will find it and how to get there.
Logistics: by car/cars, on foot, by bus, train or scooter? We explain how we have done the route.
Difficulty level of the river or route. With subjective information from my own and/or colleagues' assessment, but also based on other books, web resources, etc.
Assessment of the route taking into account values such as the landscape surrounding the route, the level of fun/adrenaline in whitewater...
Mapand entry and exit points, Wikiloc maps, Google Maps, coordinates and points to highlight.
Topoguide: the most interesting routes will have a topological guide, a visual image of what you will find on the route.
Photos: a picture is worth a thousand words.
Route description

Depending on the characteristics of each route you will also find information (if available as):

Information on kayaking apps and websites (RiverApp, RiverMap, whitewater guide, Eaux vives, Kayaking Spain, etc.).
If it is a river or a reservoir, information on recommended flow levels.
Technical details such as the gradient of the route.
Related bibliography.
Special security recommendations.
Youtube videos.
Blogs or websites with information about the route.
Guides or local companies or contact persons.
Recommended accommodation and/or Park4Night spots to sleep with your van.

I think it has already been made clear, I hope I am not repeating myself, but the sponsorship of this project makes it possible:

To cover the costs of the web services that allow the functioning of this community:
Ghost Pro for the website with the technical information about the rivers (300 € approx. per year).
Exposure to tell you the stories in this great blog format that you are reading right now (300 € approx. per year)
Google Workspace account for email and other Google tools (60 € per year)
Wikiloc pro: https://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/user.do?id=82727
Payment of the domain (30 € approx. per year)
Creation of the book, maps and all the material included.

packrafting.cat community 💪

And we can share all these tools! Do you want to participate in the blog? Contact me and we'll share(info@packrafting.cat)

Lista de ríos y rutas

Noguera Pallaresa in the Catalan Pyrenees, the jewel of whitewater in the Pyrenees.
The 7 sections of the Ésera river, with the classic section from Campo to Perarrúa and the Congosto de Ventamillo, Eseira and Olvena included.
Soca and Koritnica rivers in Slovenia, in the wonderful surroundings of the Triglav National Park.
Special packraft routes in the Congost de Montrebei, the congost of the Mu.
River Dee in Llangollen Wales in the UK, a unique river with a circular route (yes, on a river!), navigable canals, even passing tall aqueducts.
River Mijares or Riu Millars in Catalan, in the beautiful inland mountain setting of northern Castellón and southern Teruel. What's not to love about the Mijares? It's close by, it's a white water water park and don't miss places like the Chillapajaros strait or Montanejos.
Cabriel river on the border between Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha, one of the best preserved rivers in Europe.
Tara River in Montenegro: By the time the book is finished, I hope to be able to explain the route in first person experience 😠.
Voxnan River in Sweden: A river that combines fast and calm area up to more than 60 times! In a very special environment.
Ahansal River and its tributaries in the Moroccan Atlas. Undoubtedly the most spectacular canyon I have ever been to. An unusual and different land to which to add the experience of Morocco and its friendly Berbers.
Rivers in Oulanka National Park and the Karhunkierros route. Packraft territory in its purest form, right next to the Arctic Circle. A landscape that leaves no one indifferent and a luxury of free-use cabins. The river Koutajoki and Savinajoki, the river Oulankajoki upper part and Oulankajoki lower part, Kitkajoki upper part and Kitkajoki lower part and the river Kuusinkijoki.
Rivers of the French Alps: A whitewater paradise with rivers like La Durance, Séveraisse, Drac, La souloise and the Drac blanc all of which we usually do during the Mekong Packraft Festival.
Var riviere in the French Maritime Alps, an explosion of contrasting colours in a deep gorge.
Rivers in the south of France: the well-known gorges of the Tarn, the gorges of the Ardèche, the Orb river or the Herault river, as some of the most remarkable rivers. In the Pyrenees we have and also the river Nive.
Rivers in Galicia and the border area with León such as the Sil, the Deza, Burbia, Lor, Cabrera.
Rivers of the Balkans Vikos Gorge, Arachtnos, Aqueron Springs, Kalarritikos in Greece, the river Vjosa and the Osum Canyon in Albania.
And many other Pyrenean classics such as the Ara river, the Ésera, the Gállego river , Irati, Garona.
And routes in the mountain ranges of northern and central Spain, such as the Tajo, the Alberche river in the Gredos mountains, the Najerilla in La Rioja...
And of course, at last but not least, my backyard: the Ebro river and the sea kayak/packraft routes in Terres de l'Ebre (and even some packraft surfing).

In total there will be more than 100 routes!

We won't just talk about Packraft on each route, the top routes are in fact those that are in a unique environment, which would be worth a visit even if there was no water (whoops, what he said! 😂).

The list is not definitive, these and many other rivers and routes are already on the list and I promise to keep adding routes.

One book was not enough for a dynamic community.

Hopefully there will be many editions of the book, but don't worry, the idea is to keep us up to date with the next resources:

Packrafting community website
This blog about packrafting that you are reading
The resources for patrons:
Google Sheets spreadsheet with all the info about the routes and rivers of Packraft
Google Maps

Not yet a patron?

Collaborate

https://buymeacoffee.com/packrafting

This is a typical but no less necessary and important DISCLAIMER on safety and responsibility. Rivers and indeed all natural environments are environments that can change and can be dangerous. There is no such thing as zero risk, but always make sure you comply with appropriate safety standards: always wear the right safety equipment: lifejacket, helmet and/or other appropriate equipment for your safety and that of others, wear the right clothing and be informed about the route and the weather conditions.

And get training! It is always advisable to take courses or even do both: get a proper guide to train you and help you to do the routes safely.

Riu Millars. Tram de col·leccionista. De Monzona a Campos de Arenoso.
Kayak Packraft en el río Orb 32km de Packrafting en un río con diferentes ambientes.
KAYAK PACKRAFT EN GORGAS RÍO ARDÈCHE
El Ésera en Packraft. Observando puentes románicos desde la cresta de la ola
RÍO SOČA. LA MECA EUROPEA DEL KAYAK... y como no, del packraft 😉. ¡Un sueño cumplido!
RÍO NOGUERA RIBAGORZANA - CONGOST DE MONTREBEI - PACKRAFT. O como la tremenda sequía nos permite descubrir un río escondido por la actividad humana.
SOLO PACKRAFTING EN OSUM CANYON ALBANIA. Packraft + bicicleta en un río color chocolate blanco cuyas agua escarpan un hermoso cañón mediterráneo.
PACKRAFTING IN WALES. RIVER DEE. LLANGOLLEN Or a story of how, by chance, I've been in the right place at the right time
Packraft en el río Bergantes Un río que pocas veces se puede remar en un entorno típico "dels Ports"

If you have endured reading this far, first, thank you and then, allow me one last comment. The contact with nature and in my case, especially the contact with water, are helping me to deal with (I don't dare to use the word overcome 😞) a process of anxiety and depression in which I am involved for several reasons but, the main one, reasons of fatigue.

I want to dedicate this book to all the people who suffer or have suffered from mental health problems! Packrafting has been my escape route, my life support for the last few years! Let's get over the stigma and talk about it, even if it's in the last paragraph of a blog post.

Cheers everyone, see you all on the river. 🫂

The river is a living environment, changing and subject to permanent development. The publishers of the river sketches and the creators of this website cannot be held liable in any case of inaccuracy, omission or error in the river sketches. The topos editors and website creators disclaim all liability in case of any accident that may occur on the rivers described in this guide.