Happy 2026 to Everyone!
Start the Year with a Kayaking Trip to Ecuador

It’s been a great Ecuador season so far. November was extremely rainy (mostly in a good way) and December was dry (mostly in a good way). So far, January has been a mix of both with some rainy days and some sunny days—just the way we like it!  We’ve had super fun groups, great days of whitewater, some excellent bird watching, cultural excursions, and culinary adventures. You can check out the trip reports and the daily happenings on our instagram page.

Andres is still out with a wrist injury (soccer is dangerous!), but the other guides are stepping up nicely to fill his shoes. Andres did get to guide a dry land guest last week so it was great having him around again. We also have a few new additions to the guide team this year with Juanito, Alejo, and Pablo joining the team!

At SWA we aren’t that into New Year’s resolutions, but we do like the idea of setting the right tone for the year. We think that joining a trip in Ecuador this January or February is the perfect way to set a positive trajectory for the rest of the 2026. Or, if your goal is to paddle more this year, might as well come get 7 consecutive days in Ecuador right off the bat--it's a good foundation for the rest of the year. We still have room on a few trips this winter, so if you do want to come paddle in Ecuador, check out our schedule and see below.

For you last minute planners, on Jan. 17^th-24^th we have room on a Class IV Torrents trip AND on a III+/IV- shredder trip.

We also have room on the following:

Jan. 24^th-31^st III/III+ Winter Whitewater lite trip and on a Class IV Torrents trip

Feb. 7^th-15^th Torrents Class IV trip

Feb. 14^th-21^st Class III+/IV- trip

Feb. 21^st-28^th instructional Class IV+ advanced creeking trip

Grand Canyon

We also still have a few spaces on our Grand Canyon trip August 31^st to September 13^th of this year. If you want to spend 14 days kayaking through one of the most amazing places on earth, then this is the trip for you. 

The beta

Dates: August 31st-September 13th, 2026
Cost: $6020 per person
Deposit to secure your spot: $1264.25 per person
Charter: Small World Adventures charters the trip through AZRA. This means that AZRA raft guides carry all the food and gear on their rafts, they take care of meals and logistics, so all you have to do is show up and kayak!
Shuttle: The trip starts and finishes in Flagstaff, AZ so no shuttle necessary.
Who can come: It's a kayaker-specific trip, but rafters are welcome too!

In other news, thanks to everyone who supported American Whitewater in 2025. Anyone who became a new member or renewed their membership in 2025 is eligible to win a free week of kayaking in Ecuador with SWA. American Whitewater is waiting for all memberships to process from the last days of 2025 and then they will draw the winner which we will announce on social media, so stayed tuned.

Please contact Darcy if you want more information, if you have general questions, or want to sign up.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and we hope to see you on the river in the not too distant future--The Small World Adventures team.
 

If you have friends who might enjoy a kayaking adventure, please forward this email on to them.  Thanks!