Adventure River Tubing in Grenada

When the Balthazar Boys who run Adventure River Tubing, Grenada's most exciting tourist attraction, tell you to do up your helmet, buckle your lifejacket and put on your shoes…do it. The fun is real and so are the rocks. This river tubing experience is not for sissies, and not for children under eight, but it's perfect for anyone who likes adventure served straight up and natural. Like everything else in the Caribbean's least sophisticated but most charming island, there's an endearing simplicity about the way Adventure River Tubing works.

Built by the enterprising Balthazar Boys - a team of 10 young men who grew up in the nearby Balthazar district in the Parish of St. Andrews - Adventure River Tubing consists of a river, a bunch of rocks, the tubes, and the Boys who serve as guides, guardians and cheerleaders as you bump and swoosh your way through the thrilling course.

The river provides the impetus to move you downstream. In places, the water in the raging little river is so shallow that if your butt isn't up, spreading your weight as widely as possible, you and your big yellow tube will stick in the rocks tighter than gum to hot pavement. But no worries. A guide will soon be at your side to give you a good-natured shove and get you on your way again.

Halfway down the river, the rapids subside into a deep, quiet pool. The little oasis lies in the midst of several low cliffs perfect for an impromptu cannon-ball contest. It's like the best pool party you've ever been to, but better somehow because there's no concrete or chlorine.

Afterwards, it's back into the tubes to race through another stretch of bumpy rapids. Keep your head up, your hands in and your feet out. A bit of bash and splash and then suddenly the river flattens out, someone breaks out a jug of rum punc, and you sit on the warm rocks at the river's edge.

Part of the fun here is that you feel as if you're visiting old friends. The Balthazar Boys all live in the rainforest that surrounds their workplace. There are no cities nearby, no shopping malls, no video arcades. Instead, there are a few small villages, a lot of lush vegetation and an immense feeling of peace. Life is simple and serene and hasn't changed much for generations. It's a warmth that rivals the sunshine and it makes you want to go back and ride the rapids with the Boys again and again.