Paddling Adventures

Great staff, and tons of fun! Why 4 stars??? The return vans air conditioner did not seem to be working very well. Otherwise everyone one we encountered was great.

Worth every penny! The staff was very nice and helpful with everything from making the reservation to helping us in and out of the river. Words cannot describe how beautiful the nature is. My group was 3 girls and we all shared a canoe. None of us had much experience and we had a few laughs learning to navigate the river. We took advantage of some of the rope swings and jump trees. If you aren’t a good swimmer do not take the risk, but if you are it’s awesome. The rivers bottom is all white sand and beautiful. I would absolutely go again if I lived locally. We were able to see manatees and a turtle!

Really enjoyed this kayaking experience! I’d suggest it for any visitors to try it out! Nature at its best! Clear water, blue holes, manatees in natural environment, great for young and old! We have visited my father close by for many years but never knew about this beautiful river till I looked up on Florida’s great swimming holes! Worth the money for over 3 hour trip by kayak!

My husband and I made the last minute plan to visit Weeki Wachee River during our short visit in Clearwater! I have say — totally worth the trip. The scenery is breathtaking and OMG… the water is crystal clear and refreshing. It is nuts that we spent the whole 5 hours in the river since we enjoyed the water there so much! We were the last two folks to be picked up by the crew that day to the shuttle… so happy and fortunate that we encountered two manatees while kayaking — now I feel my trip is complete ;) I will recommend anybody to do kayaking on Weeki Wachee river if you love the mother nature!

Initially I wouldn’t recommend this place to someone else. The service sucks ! It was my first time. Weeki Wachee is a great place to go kayaking down. I would suggest using the kayak shack instead. On a positive note the guys at the very end that helped us get out and load us into the bus were very nice!

We wanted to do a kayaking tour but (unfortunately) didn’t plan far enough ahead. So they did not have any boats available as they had all been rented in the morning.
But the staff was very nice on the phone and told us it was at least possible that some boats might be returned sometime after noon. No promises but we were in the car already…
So we took a chance and decided to head up and see what might happen; and to just head into to the park and have some afternoon fun if it didn’t work out.
For a while we were thinking it wasn’t going to work out and were deciding whether to make a reservation for tomorrow. But it was out lucky day! A couple of kayaks were returned and we were ready to roll around 1pm.
Now the boats have to be returned by 5, but we figured 4 hours should be plenty.
It was closer than we thought it would be — because we were having a great time! We stopped several times to eat, play, and watch manatees! It was awesome.
We wound up having to go more quickly at the end, and that was a little exhausting.
But really that was our only complaint.
The staff was great, they help you get in, get out, and take you back to the parking area.
Next time the only thing I would change is to make a reservation and get there earlier to spend more time on the river.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Though a little pricey, the service was great! They carried the kayak out to the river for you and also made sure you were comfortable before sending you off on your own. The kayak was great and the river is beautiful!

Fantastic experience.
Got the two person kayak which I reserved ahead of time.
Good parking facilities and clothes changing rooms.
They give you a life vest which are optional to wear for adults but which you can sit on to make it more comfortable.
They help you push off after basic instructions.
There is a very gentle current and paddling is really only for steering making it easy to do.
Saw birds, lots of fish in the crystal clear water, large turtles, and a large snake.
At the end there was 2 manatee which was the highlight.
Then they help you out and there is a short drive back to the car.
The people were very nice.
The kayak remained mostly dry, I recommend a bathing suit.

This is by far one of my favorite places. I have rented from Paddlibg Adventures over 5 times. Everytime we have had excellent service and a wonderful experience. It was easy to reserve a kayak, easy to launch, easy to get back.
Advise: Listen to what the staff says, use common sense and read the signs on the river. Simple, and fun.

Gorgeous, peaceful, relaxing way to spend the day kayaking down the weeki wachee river. Paddling Adventures makes it very easy and convenient to rent and return equipment. Staff is kind and helpful.

This is our second time using this outfitter. The launch site is actually a public launch ramp that three other companies use. Last time it was well organized and great but we had some problems this time.
maybe because they were busy but, we had to repeatedly ask for help. with our private launch (even though we paid for a private launch) …then, we had a group of about 18 people but they MADE part of our group launch early (wouldn’t let them wait for us),.so we never even saw half of our group. .which after a 2hr drive, .was disappointing.

Paddling Adventure just locates next to the Weeki Wachee Nature Park and state park. We have to reserve early for summer paddling. The time slots get full easily. So reservations are important for traveling so far a adventure.
The people there are very courteous and they have plenty of workers that can help you immediately. They also have the restrooms with changing room after canoe and you can change the wet clothes.
The adventure center certainly wants you to sign your life away for using their equipment. Liability check is usually not provided. Each one of us is going to pick up the paddle and life vests. The life vest could use some cleaning before next person using it. There are sweat can be smell of the life vests from previous use. The aluminum paddle could be change to carbon fiber material that is not conductive during the lighting storm conditions.
The pickup point can use some shade while waiting for the bus. The bus just came less than 15 minutes. If you launch your own boat will require a launching $ 6 fees, and pickup $ 10 include your boat. If you rent the kayak is $ 34 per downstream trip. You need to reach the final destination by 5 pm or they will charge you over $ 50 per person for after hour pickup.
The price we paid is fair and the service is quick.

Paddling Adventures is quite an adventure to say the least. The staff was helpful, and reservations are easy to make. They do get quite busy, so walk-​ins may not be an option, unless maybe it is during the week. It is easier to call in advance. You get the kayak all day from the time you reserve it. Don’t be late with the return time. You will be charged $ 50/​hour. Sometimes it is hard to gauge time when you are in the river all comfy and calm, or you are busy crashing into trees ouch.
When you reserve your kayak, your kayak is either going to be a single or tandem (double). Those are $ 32 or $ 37 respectively. They also have kayaks with pedals. I’d like to try those next time. They steer and you use pedals to move instead of using paddles. You will also get a life vest that you pick. The life vests and paddles are all in one area after you check out.
When you are on the river, you will see it is very clear. You will see so much nature around you. There are areas where people can jump from trees or swing from ropes. You can turn into a monkey if you really want. The water in the river is 72 degrees all year long. I thought it would be cold, but it felt so nice, and for the most part really clear.
I haven’t kayaked in at least 5 years. It reminded me that when you paddle, think of your paddle as a spoon (the curvy part up). Also don’t paddle too fast, you will end up spinning in a circle. Also a single kayak would be easier to me on your first time kayaking. When tandem, people need to be in sync.
I love nature, and this is a great way to get up close and personal. Just watch out for the motorized vehicles that are there too. It is too small of a space for all of us.

It was wonderful to spend a summer Sunday kayaking with friends at the beautiful Wiki Watchee spring. The day was particularly busy. First, the parking lot was full. And there were so many people on the 5 miles river. Always had to watch the traffic while paddling. I felt like in the shopping mall during Christmas season. The staff at this boat renting shop were helpful and friendly. I liked the services. I just hope their life vests and equipment could be cleaner and newer.

Weeki wachi river is absolutely gorgeous. The best way to fully enjoy it is from a kayak. Book well in advance and take your chances with the weather. Staff mediocre. Was transferred and disconnected 3 times before a reservation was actually made. Launch staff appeared very pleasantly high. They provide you with life vests. Bring water or cooler. Waited on the bus to come back almost 30 minutes due to high volume on the river. No one gets in a hurry there that’s for sure. Kayaks are adequate for the river.

Wiki Watchee springs is by far the best place to kayak near the Tampa Bay Area although it’s a bit of a hike from Tampa at about 40min north of Tarpon Springs in Spring Hill area and 1.5 hours from Tampa. The water is crystal clear and there are 4 rope swings to swing off of. The river is 5.5 miles long and it will take you 2.5−3 hours to paddle it. You have to be careful though as climbing trees can be slippery and some of the ropes go close to other boaters. The staff is very strict on the rules. No alcohol, glass, or pets are allowed and they will search your bags although once we got out on the water, I’ve seen others drinking alcohol. No swimming is allowed before the state park ending sign although I have seen other people swimming before the sign. We didn’t see any manatees this time but did last time where the water gets deeper. I also saw lots of fish and turtles. There is huge parking lot with plenty of parking available onsite. Make sure to call ahead and reserve your kayak! They tell you to always go left. It took us 2 hours to go all the way through. We got pretty tired from kayaking. Single kayaks are $ 32.50 and tandem kayaks are $ 37.50. You have until 5pm to drop your kayak off at Roger park and board a bus back to your car. The bus was a lot cleaner this time than last time. Make sure to take some snacks with you because you will work up an appetite! Thanks! We will be back again! :)

I’ve been here on many occasions and am still amazed at the beauty of Florida’s Weeki Watchi River every time. The water is refreshingly cool, crystal clear, the surrounding woods are stunning and if you lift your paddle out of the water, sit still and breathe deeply, the pure silence and peace of the river will fill you with an unforgettable sense of calm and gratitude for the privilege of being part of this world. I highly, highly recommend going and taking the time to appreciate nature at it’s best.

Fantastic! I came here with a friend to celebrate my birthday. I had never been kayaking and didn’t know what to expect.
The trip itself was amazing! The water was crystal clear, shade everywhere, and the colors of the changing trees were breathtaking. We also got to see two manatees! I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time and the beauty was seriously comparable to a private island in the Caribbean.
The staff were awesome. To start with, the facilities are clean and organized. We had no issues with figuring out what to do or where to go. They were prompt and friendly when we arrived. When our trip was done, the staff were exactly where they said they would be and helped us out of the water right away. No confusion whatsoever.
Finally, John is my hero! My favorite sunglasses got ripped from my head when we accidentally kayaked into a tree (whoops) and John went out, found the sunglasses after searching for 30 minutes, and is shipping them back to me! That kind of customer service is hard to find these days, let alone that genuine kindness from a complete stranger. For this reason alone, I will be back and will recommend this company to everyone I know!

4 stars out of 5? Why?!
The only reason I wasn’t able to give it a 5 star is because of the staffs. I love going kayaking on Weeki Wachee and would recommend renting or undocking at Paddling Adventures. CRYSTAL CLEAR water! Their equipment isn’t the newest but it def works out since it’s rental. There’s also parking and once you reach the destination you get shuttle back, so you don’t have to kayak back up the stream.
I was able to see manatees, turtles, fishes and so much more. It’s a great place to visit and there are many places to just stop and swim around. It’s an all day activity and be sure to bring food and water to snack on.
My only issue with Paddling Adventure would have to be the staffs. They were not very informative at all. My first time visiting wasn’t bad because it was busy and I just followed the waves of people, but the second time I had brought back some new kayaking friends and Paddling Adventures did not explain to them at all how kayaking at Weeki Wachee worked.
Being my second time there I was def not a pro at kayaking at that specific river. They did not explain to my friends (first time kayaking) on how to exactly kayak in the water, where they should go and where we had to stop and swim around. We all felt there was some sort of attitude going on every time we tried to ask a question. Also the paper map certainly does not help. Both times the map have gotten wet, obviously because we are in the water kayaking. So in the end when we were trying to reach the last destination to get shuttle back we have gotten lost a few times.
Other then that, it’s a real adventure. Really fun!

These guys made visiting Weeki Wachi a lot easier!
For a very reasonable price, we had a place to park and an easier job of getting into the water. Their boat carts and close-​to-​the-​water take off made our trip considerably smoother. And after three hours of kayaking, they gave us a lift back to the car, so we could load the boats.
Aside from kayak-​related things, the wildlife was pretty cool too.