For people who have never done it, it may seem as though white water rafting and kayaking are essentially the same thing. Many people even go white water rafting while using a kayak! However, people who have done it know the difference. If you've never done it, but you're curious what the differences are, they're fairly easy to explain. Allow me to make the whitewater rafting vs kayaking comparison for you, so that you'll be able to figure out the difference for your vacation or tourist activity.
Kayaking involves the use of a kayak, which is a specialized type of boat. It's similar to a canoe, but thinner, and designed for the use of one person. The top is also enclosed, with a single hole to allow the kayaker to sit. The kayaker will then use a paddle to move themselves through rivers and lakes. You can certainly go whitewater rafting with a kayak, and in point of fact many people do. However, many people would rather take a slow, leisurely trip using a kayak. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing either. Kayaks, after all, are somewhat designed to allow people to take slow, leisurely trips in order to soak up the surroundings.
Whitewater rafting, by contrast, refers specifically to the kind of river you'll be moving down. The only times you'll be able to go slowly and soak up the surroundings when you're whitewater rafting is during the slow lulls in the action. Instead, the point of whitewater rafting is to hit the rapids.
The rapids are what occurs during the late spring and early summer, as the ice from higher up the mountains begins to melt. As the ice melts, it flows quickly into riverbeds. The extra water causes the river to rise, as well as causes the river to move more quickly. The quick, rushing water now pushes past a number of rocks and boulders that had previously been jutting high enough out of the water that you would have to go around them. In whitewater rafting, you do not go around these rocks. You go through and over them, because the rushing water pushes you quickly over and through said rocks.
As the water rushes over the tops of the rocks, it causes the water to foam and splash, creating a white color. This is where the name whitewater rafting comes from. You are essentially rafting over the white water.
If you've ever been uncertain of the whitewater rafting vs kayaking comparison, now you know. Kayaking refers to the kind of water vessel you're using, where as whitewater rafting refers more specifically to the type of river travel you'll be doing. You can go whitewater rafting with a kayak, but you can not whitewater raft without being on a particular type of river, going over particular types of rapids. So if you're attempting to plan a vacation or a trip in which you have a choice, make sure you know which one you'd rather do!
Kayaking involves the use of a kayak, which is a specialized type of boat. It's similar to a canoe, but thinner, and designed for the use of one person. The top is also enclosed, with a single hole to allow the kayaker to sit. The kayaker will then use a paddle to move themselves through rivers and lakes. You can certainly go whitewater rafting with a kayak, and in point of fact many people do. However, many people would rather take a slow, leisurely trip using a kayak. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing either. Kayaks, after all, are somewhat designed to allow people to take slow, leisurely trips in order to soak up the surroundings.
Whitewater rafting, by contrast, refers specifically to the kind of river you'll be moving down. The only times you'll be able to go slowly and soak up the surroundings when you're whitewater rafting is during the slow lulls in the action. Instead, the point of whitewater rafting is to hit the rapids.
The rapids are what occurs during the late spring and early summer, as the ice from higher up the mountains begins to melt. As the ice melts, it flows quickly into riverbeds. The extra water causes the river to rise, as well as causes the river to move more quickly. The quick, rushing water now pushes past a number of rocks and boulders that had previously been jutting high enough out of the water that you would have to go around them. In whitewater rafting, you do not go around these rocks. You go through and over them, because the rushing water pushes you quickly over and through said rocks.
As the water rushes over the tops of the rocks, it causes the water to foam and splash, creating a white color. This is where the name whitewater rafting comes from. You are essentially rafting over the white water.
If you've ever been uncertain of the whitewater rafting vs kayaking comparison, now you know. Kayaking refers to the kind of water vessel you're using, where as whitewater rafting refers more specifically to the type of river travel you'll be doing. You can go whitewater rafting with a kayak, but you can not whitewater raft without being on a particular type of river, going over particular types of rapids. So if you're attempting to plan a vacation or a trip in which you have a choice, make sure you know which one you'd rather do!
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