Who Rafted First? A Short History of Rafting

People have used rafts to cross and travel down rivers for thousands of years, long before anyone thought of it as a sport. Whitewater rafting as we know it today is surprisingly young: the inflatable boats, helmets and guided trips that tourists enjoy appeared only in the twentieth century. Here are eight facts that tell the story.

From Transport to Adventure

1. Rafts began as transport

Log rafts carried people and goods on rivers around the world for centuries. They floated with the current and were steered with long poles, not paddles.

2. An early rubber raft in 1842

Rafting historians often point to 1842, when US Army officer John Frémont and inventor Horace Day used an inflatable rubber boat on the Platte River during an exploration trip.

3. Powell and the Colorado River

In 1869 John Wesley Powell led an expedition through the Grand Canyon. His team used wooden boats rather than rafts, but the journey made river running famous.

4. War-surplus rafts changed everything

After the Second World War, cheap surplus inflatable rafts became available. River runners discovered that these boats were stable, forgiving and ideal for rapids.

The Birth of a Modern Sport

5. Commercial rafting took off

From the 1960s and 1970s, companies in the United States began offering guided trips to the public, and the idea quickly spread to Europe, Asia and South America.

6. Whitewater at the Olympics

The 1972 Munich Olympics featured whitewater slalom on an artificial course. Rafting itself is not an Olympic sport, but the event boosted interest in whitewater.

7. An international federation

The International Rafting Federation was founded in 1997 and organises world championships in disciplines such as sprint, slalom and downriver racing.

Rafting in Türkiye

8. From Çoruh to Köprülü Canyon

In Türkiye, rafting grew rapidly from the 1990s onwards. Fast rivers such as the Çoruh in the northeast attract experienced paddlers, while the Köprüçay in Köprülü Canyon near Antalya became the country's most visited rafting river thanks to its easy rapids, clear water and long season.