Yufugawa Gorge Packraft Tour (Operated by Yufuism)) — Local services in Yufu

This was an incredible experience and one of my highlights of my visit to Oita. I joined with my family (ranging from late twenties to retirement age). We're from California so the weather was pretty comfortable in May. Rui and Tabuki were great hosts; Rui was fluent in English which really helped us.

I'll leave some pointers since we learned a lot along the way.

#Directions#

Entering the address in Google Maps takes you 99.9% there. From the direction we were going from (route 2 from Yufuin on their website) it'll take you onto a short road next to the destination, but it's the back entrance. You'll need to continue past for like 30 seconds and take the steep sharp right turn up to the front of the school. There you will sign waivers, change, etc. By the time you head out, you are in a wetsuit bottom, water shoes, and gloves.

#Start of the trip#

You'll drive your car and follow the host for 5-10 min to get to the trail head. Here you will get set up with a helmet and the pack raft set. Before you start on the trail, you can leave most of your things (including gats, sunglasses).

You will hike down a fairly steep trail to the water. Some parts include chains for you to hold onto while you walk. This part takes 10-15 minutes.

#Start of the gorge tour#

At this point you inflate your rafts and go over basic instructions. You practice paddling and getting on/off the raft.

#The main tour#

At this point you will switch off from hopping into your raft and paddling, and walking with your raft and paddles. You'll need to climb some rocks, wade through water on rocks, and lift your raft from time to time. The guides point out interesting parts of the tour but you can appreciate the sights even without the background.

At some point they'll provide some snacks with a beautiful backdrop. They will also take photos along the way. At the time visited, the water was pretty much a perfect temperature, but your results may vary. By the end you will help deflate the rafts, repack, and hike back up to the car. They will provide sandals and towels. You'll drive back and change back at the school.

#Pointers#

You don't need to bring water shoes, a hat, sunglasses, gloves, a towel (unless you want extra), or water (unless you want your own; they provide a sports drink) You don't need to bring your own bug spray but you Can Bringing a waterproof phone holder is highly recommended No restrooms after you leave the school Bring a bathing suit of sort It's pretty shady so sunglasses not needed Big breakfast recommended Their photos are shared via email/Drive/Airdrop There will be animals/creatures...

As you research, do pay attention to earlier entry by Lawrence L: most informative and accurate . He helped me with "eat big breakfast"! Overall- untamed wilderness views in the gorge you'd never have a chance to see; sufficiently challenging that makes you feel proud and inspired after you have completed the tour! Wonderful tourist activity for YuFuin Beppu area ! Worth the money ! I supplement :

pre-requisite

This was absolutely the most wonderful adventure in my entire life! I'm not easily impressed by sights, because I have seen a lot in my life, but when I had the first look at the place, I needed a couple of seconds to make sure I'm not dreaming. Yufu River Valley is stunning and looks like taken straight out of a Ghibli movie! When it comes to the organisation of the tour, it was perfect! The base is located in the building of an old school and has some nostalgic feel about it. The organisers explained to me all the rules, handed me my gear and we headed to the canyon. My guide was Rui. She is super friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the local ecosystem. She also entertained me with some funny stories related to the canyon along the way. I had so much fun that I can't even put it into words! This is something you can't just talk about! This is something you need to experience first hand at least once in a lifetime (although I'll definitely be coming back in the future). Thank you Yufuism for the magic you're...