What I Learned from My First Family Rafting Trip – The Struma River Story

The Adventure Net base camp smelled like pine trees, early morning mist, and wet neoprene. There was something oddly calming about that mix. Our guide, Pablo, approached us with the calm confidence of someone who had clearly done this hundreds of times. His grin was easy. Reassuring, even.

He greeted the kids like old friends, handed out gear, and gave us the rundown—safety procedures, how to paddle, what to do if we fall out (this part made my youngest’s eyes go wide), and how to stay calm if the boat hits a bump.

And then, with almost no time to second-guess it, we were on the water.

Not easing in. We just… went.

There was silence at first. Not from fear. From wonder. From realizing we were actually doing this. My partner and I looked at each other—half-laughing, half-holding-our-breath—and then it came. A burst of laughter from one of the kids. Then another. And suddenly, the whole raft was giggling like we were in on a secret no one else knew.

“We did the rafting as a family of five with three kids... and it was incredibly fun.”

The River’s Rhythm

The Struma is deceptive. It starts slow, like a friendly nudge. But that doesn’t last. The moment we got comfortable, it twisted. Then it surged forward and dropped. At one point, the raft slid down a narrow gap between two rocks, and my daughter shrieked, “This is like a rollercoaster!”

She wasn’t wrong.

But unlike a rollercoaster, here you paddle. You don’t just sit and scream—you’re part of it. You brace, you move, you shout directions to each other. There’s splashing and shouting, and someone always manages to get more water in their face than necessary (it was usually me).

The rapids weren’t terrifying—they were just enough to keep your heart up and your focus sharp. The kind of adrenaline that feels earned.

Pablo kept us balanced, both literally and emotionally. He knew when to yell clear instructions, and when to crack a joke. He let the kids feel like heroes, which—honestly—they kind of were.

“We felt completely safe and had a great time. Pablo explained everything clearly and was super patient.”

Should You Bring Kids?

Short answer: yes. Definitely.

Longer answer: bring them if you want to see your kids shine in a way screens and theme parks can’t replicate.

Adventure Net offers a family-oriented rafting experience that doesn’t feel watered down. It’s thoughtfully adapted—not overly sanitized. The rapids are still very real, but manageable. And the reward? Confidence. Pure, giddy, river-soaked confidence.

My six-year-old was beaming by the end. My eight-year-old kept talking about the “waves that almost got us,” and my three-year-old declared that Pablo was her “new best friend.”

Muddy, Wet, and Glowing

Back at camp, we peeled off our soaked wetsuits, toweled off, and sipped juice from the little wooden bar. Some of the other families were huddled around the photo board, where snapshots from the day’s rides were already popping up.

In one of them, I looked absolutely wild-eyed mid-rapid—part terrified, part thrilled. The kids were all grinning like they'd just saved the world.

That night, as we flipped through the photos again, something clicked.

We hadn’t just had fun. We’d grown. As a family. As a team.

And we had a story now—a real one.

Final Thoughts

If you ever find yourself in Bulgaria, standing on the edge of maybe, trying to decide if rafting with your family is a terrible idea or a great one—lean into the maybe.

Let yourself say yes.

It might become the story your kids retell for years. The one where you all laughed, paddled, got soaked, maybe even screamed a little—and came out of it stronger, closer, and a whole lot braver.