White Water Rafting Schwarzwald (8 offers)

Rafting tours in the Schwarzwald

The Schwarzwald (“black forest”) is a large mountain range in the south-west of Germany, just to the west of the beautiful Lake Constance. The western and southern borders of the Schwarzwald mark the beginning of the Rhine valley where you’ll find high and majestic mountains. The highest peak there is the Feldberg mountain (1493m) which is a renown skiing area.

The activities take place on the Rhine and on the Elz river and take between 2.5h and 3.5h to complete. The difficulty levels for each tour vary between easy and moderate difficulty. The minimum age for participants is 6 years. However, there are two tours without an age limit. In these cases, the only condition is for each child to be accompanied by at least one adult. But don’t worry, the-said tours are very easy and only include quite calm passages.

The Schwarzwald gets its name from its environment: There, hills and mountains are mainly covered by a thick forest of dark fir trees, hence the name “black forest”. At the western end of the Schwarzwald area, you’ll find two famous cities. First, there is Baden-Baden which has numerous casinos and spas where you can have fun, relax as well as enjoy the broad cultural offer. Freiburg im Breisgau will enchant you with its charming and historic city centre.

Rafting in the Schwarzwald takes place in the densely populated region of the tri-border area, the so-called Dreiländereck. Here, the borders of Germany, France and Switzerland meet. The biggest cities near the Dreiländereck are Basel, Mulhouse and Lörrach which are all definitely worth a visit!

The meeting points for tours on the Rhine are Istein, Weil am Rhein, Rheinfelden and Bad Bellingen. All these locations are at 2h from Strasbourg, at 1h from Freiburg and Zurich and at 1.5h from Bern. Most can be reached quite easily with public transport.

The meeting point for the canoe tour on the Elz river is Riegel am Kaiserstuhl which is a little village close to Freiburg im Breisgau.

The process is similar for all tours. First, you’ll gather at the meeting point where you’ll meet your group as well as your guide. There, the guide will give you a brief introduction, will give you a safety briefing and will also hand-out the equipment. After that, you’ll be ready for you rafting tour in the Schwarzwald! Once the activity is over, you’ll go back to the meeting point. Depending on the chosen tour, you’ll either come back through carpooling, with a shuttle bus or with public transport.

The best rafting providers in the Schwarzwald

Black Forest Magic Outdoorschule: This provider already has a long-standing experience in the field of outdoor activities. From their base in Bad Belling, they offer you canoe, kayak and rafting activities.

Rheinraft: At this base in Weil am Rhein, Rheinraft, which was founded in 2017, offers activities tailored to the needs of participants in which personal care is most important.

That's special about rafting in the Schwarzwald

Tours on the Rhine start in Bad Bellingen, whereas the canoe tour on the Elz river starts in Riegel am Kaiserstuhl. The minimum age for both tours is 6 years. While the Elz river tour only takes place in Germany, you’ll either be riding on the German-Swiss or on the German-French border while rafting on the Rhine.

Private rafting tours are also offered on the Rhine river. Here, you’ll have your own private boat and a private guide. 6 people can participate as the boat doesn’t have space for more people. This tour can take place on different parts of the river and therefore can also offer different difficulties. These tours take between 2.5h and 3.5h to complete.

In addition to rafting in the Schwarzwald, you can also do canoe and kayak activities. As the vehicles are smaller and agiler, the experience will be more demanding and more fun than conventional rafting experiences.