Do you want an activity that is great stress relief, an excellent workout and a beautiful way to explore nature at new travel destinations?
If you answered, YES – then kayaking is a MUST-DO on your next vacation.
Kayaking has been one of my favorite things to do when I go to new travel destinations.
Last year (2023), I was in Arkansas and my mother and I decided that we wanted to go kayaking in the Arkansas River.
We booked a 2-hour kayaking rental through Rock Town River Outfitters.
This is a kayaking rental you can do when you are in Little Rock, Arkansas.
We had a BLAST. We called the morning of, asked them if we could rent kayaks and they got us booked in for that same afternoon!
We went to downtown Little Rock, picked up bicycles from this storefront along the river and then rode them to the dock where the kayaks were!
The owner of the kayak rental company, Sam, was SO amazing, he has been doing this for years, very knowledgeable about kayaking and watersports in general and we felt very welcomed and extremely well-prepared.
This was my very first time kayaking. I had been canoeing before but about 15 years ago haha so getting in a kayak was definitely something NEW!
We didn’t take a guided tour, we simply got prepped by the owner and we hopped in our kayaks and off we went!
We first rowed in a quieter secluded area of the river where it was an excellent place to get practice and the hang of rowing, etc.
Then we ventured out into this stream type of area and started rowing fast, we were doing little races with each other, taking photos and videos of us in the kayaks and just having a blast in general.
Then we rowed out to the main stream of the Arkansas River and it was absolutely majestic because we were surrounded by nature, exquisite birds and then as we turned the corner we saw the Capitol building big, bold and beautiful.
It was quite a juxtaposition – seeing a monumental government building as we rowed amongst a river, birds and nature.
It reminded me that we were right near downtown of a city, whilst feeling like we were completely in a nature oasis.
The 2-hours definitely was the perfect time, at first I was worried it wouldn’t be long enough but with all the rowing, arm work, and being out in the afternoon Arkansas sun, two hours was the PERFECT amount of time for this beautiful excursion.
It’s also a great activity to pair with soaking in magnesium-enriched waters in bathhouses from the natural hot springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas. You can find specific bathhouses in Hot Springs in this article here!
There’s a reason why Arkansas is called The Natural State!
Email me directly ([email protected]) if you need help planning or brainstorming your next health and wellness trip.
Until next time,
much love.
Nikki xoxox
