About Boreal River Adventures
We are a small nature-based adventure tourism business operating river trips and river adventures in Canada and around the world. We have over 10 years of experience in planning, designing and leading trips that support sustainable, local and small-scale tourism. We are founded on the belief that rivers have the power to connect people with each other and to connect people with nature.
A trip with Boreal River connects you with nature, exposes you to new cultures, gives you time to rejuvenate, and takes you on an unforgettable adventure.
Danny Peled, founder
Our Values
Respect
We have deep respect for the land and waters on which we live, work and play, and for the people who have thrived on that land and who continue to thrive in relationship with it today. We follow guidance from the people on whose territories we travel and engage our participants in cultural and environmental education on every trip.
We bring respect into our relationships and on every river trip. We love that you want to try something new, and we are here to support you at every step of the way.
Safety
With years of practice, training, and river miles under their life jackets, our guides are experts in their field. Most of the Boreal River Adventures guides are also rescue instructors with Boreal River Rescue. Our guides set the standard for river safety in Canada.
Safety also means that we create environments for people to have empowering, relaxing and good experiences outdoors. We value and actively work towards reducing barriers to accessing the outdoors. For example, we organize free adventures for less-represented groups in the outdoors, we create outdoor adventures that can be accessed by public transit and active transportation, and we host used gear sales to recirculate gently-used equipment at an affordable price.
Relationships
Our river expeditions would not be possible without strong relationships with local businesses, farmers, communities, knowledge-holders, tourism operators, families and other service providers. We value community and relationship-building with every trip and adventure we plan, often bringing locals on free adventures so they can explore their own back yards and so we can learn from them about the places they love.
As a small business, we also value and uphold our relationships with every person that comes on our trips. We build a connection with you when you contact us for a trip and when we meet on the river, and we love to stay in touch beyond your adventure with us!
Nature
People who spend time in nature will want to protect and conserve it for future generations to come. We have dedicated programs for young people to spend time in nature and actively engage with students and youth leadership groups to support nature-based education.
Engaging in environmental conservation efforts is part of the work we do (read up on how we helped to protect the Muteshekau–shipu here and here) , in addition to providing financial and in-kind support for environmental organizations working on nature conservation.
Lastly, we source most of the food for our river trips from organic farmers markets and local food producers. This helps us uphold strong relationships with the land and with people, and deepens our relationship to our environment.
Our Story
Boreal River was established in the summer of 2008. That year, founders Danny Peled and Letha Henry paddled the Magpie on their own on a 9-day exploratory trip.
Danny and Letha saw multi-day trips on the Magpie as a way to combine the excitement and accessibility of rafting with the deeper connections, learning, and rejuvenation that you can get from a long expedition in nature. A couple of weeks later they ran their first commercial trip with support from nearby communities—it was a magical summer and the company was born.
Fast forward to today and we now have two divisions:
Boreal River Adventures, for river trips and adventures
Boreal River Rescue provides skills training and certification courses across Canada and internationally
From the initial Magpie trip grew many other river trips across Canada and the world. Danny’s experience living and working in Patagonia and in Costa Rica led to the development of some trips there, in addition to other river trips in remote regions in Canada.
In 2020, we took a leap towards urban and near-urban river adventures in an effort to make nature more accessible and to celebrate the opportunities for adventure that can be had in the heart of the city. We developed an urban kayarafting adventure, and in 2022, we launched an introduction to backcountry river trips on the Upper Gatineau river.
The Boreal River team is constantly growing, and our projects are as well!
