Southwest Expeditions Rafting & Kayaking 2025

It is easy to book your river adventure with Southwest Expeditions!

The river season on the Rio will open up March 14th, 2024.

We handle river rentals of tubes and kayaks by phone appointment. 

You must have at least a minimum of 4 persons in your group to reserve the date/time you would like for your river adventure.

When you call us, we will check the requested date/time for availability.

On this page, you can read about the different tube floats and kayak paddles we offer in our area.

1.You select the type of tour you would like and then call us for the availability check.

 If that time slot is already taken, we can suggest the next closet time/date slot. 

2.When you read about each activity, please note the skill level, minimum age, miles and other information posted about each tour that you need to make sure you are paddling /floating within you AND your guest's skill set.

3.Unless noted on the specific tour, all tours are self-paddling/floating, a guide is not with you on the river.

 We provide all equipment, boats, tubes, life jackets, paddles.

We also provide shuttle service, (Van), from where your vehicle is parked, up to put in, assist in putting your group in, and wait for you at the end of your paddle/float next to your vehicles when you finish.

Our River Tubes

We offer tube floats using very comfortable, large commercial grade tubes with cup holders.

We also have "Funyaks", an inflatable elongated tube with a bottom for smaller children to sit comfortably in.

We rent ice chest cooler floats so you can bring your cooler with you!

Our kayaks and canoes

We offer single seat hard shell kayaks, tandem, (2-seat kayaks), and 2- seat canoes for your adventure.

Customer information needed to rent tubes/boats: 

• I.D. card, we keep in file until you return with equipment. 
• Signed release of liability.
• Credit card info on file until you return. (In case of lost/damaged equipment)
• No infants allowed in any of our rental boats for safety concerns.
• Which type of boat you would like.
• Please call us for any questions, 877-808-6877

Do you want to kayak or canoe but need a little instruction before you take a paddle trip or tour?

Southwest Expeditions offers kayak & canoe paddling instructions for lakes & rivers.

We will have some group classes listed in our "Events 2024" section on this website, where you can sign up with other persons to have a group class instruction on the lake and/or river.

We can also offer you a private lesson during the week, by reservation subject to availability. 

The classes will go over:

• Pre-planning your trip
• What to bring/ dress for the conditions
• Checking the weather/reading the sky
• Reading the water
• Types of kayaks/canoes
• Basic paddling strokes
• How to recover from a turnover
• How to tie down/secure boat to your vehicle

Class time: 4-6 hour, depending on location/drive time. (Lake or river)

 (Minimum persons required/4 for private classes.)

Please call us at 877-808-6877 for any questions about public classes or private group classes.

Skill level: Beginner with swimming skills

This tube float starts where you will park your vehicles.

 You park at the Calle Del Norte Bridge right in front/across the street of the entrance to Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. 

There is a large dirt parking lot right next to the river.

We will sign you in, outfit you with life jackets and you will be transported by van to the put-in area, approx. 4-miles upstream. We will unload your tubes, issue you a paddle to help navigate through the islands, tie your tubes together so you don't float away from your group and help put you in the river.

Float is 2 hours in duration.

You will float back to where you parked.

 We will assist you out of the river.

This tube float requires a min. of 4 persons to book float. If you have less than 4 in your group, and if we have other guests wanting to come out and float the same time, we can combine the guests to make up the minimum required. (We can put you on a list if you are short some guests in your group).

You have the option of renting out a cooler floater to carry your cooler down river. We have two sizes, medium, ($10) and large, ($15.00).

We have "Funyaks", an elongated tube with a bottom for smaller guests/children.

 Please call us at 877-808-6877 to book any of the tubes/Funyaks, before you come out. We will then send you the signup link to reserve your tubing group/time and date.

All rentals include; tubes/ paddle/ life jacket/shuttle to put in. 

Ticket cost: $29.00 per person. (plus tax)

Skill level: Easy/beginner with swimming skills 

This kayak paddle is a fun, shorter paddle that is perfect for someone new to paddling, or if you have friends/family in your group that haven't kayaked before.

 This is a very forgiving river stretch. It helps to get a taste of paddling without getting into 3-6, hour long paddles.

This kayak paddle starts where you will park your vehicles.

 You park at the Calle Del Norte Bridge right in front/across the street of the entrance to Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. 

There is a large dirt parking lot right next to the river.

We will sign you in, outfit you with life jackets and you will be transported by van to the put-in area, approx. 4-miles upstream. We will unload your kayaks, and issue you paddles to help navigate through the islands.

Kayak paddle is approx. 1.45 hours in duration.

You will paddle back to where you parked.

 We will assist you out of the river.

This kayak paddle requires a min. of 4 persons to book paddle. If you have less than 4 in your group, and if we have other guests wanting to come out and float the same time, we can combine the guests to make up the minimum required. (We can put you on a list if you are short some guests in your group).

All rentals include kayak/ paddle/ life jacket/shuttle to put in.

Ticket cost: $32.00 per person, plus tax.

Please call 877-808-6877 to schedule your kayak paddle. 

Skill level: Moderate. swimmer, must know how to maneuver your kayak around and through a bridge & paddle to exact spot for takeout in faster flowing deeper water. 

Not recommended for small children or beginners. (Children can ride with parent on a tandem, if parent can paddle a 2-seater effectively). 

This is a fun, 2-hour kayak paddle in slightly faster flowing river at Leasburg Dam State Park.

We meet you at the day-use river section of the park, unload the boats, outfit your group with life jackets/paddles and give you a short river safety talk before pushing you off the riverbank.

You will paddle through the park, under a wooden bridge and then down river for 4 miles. Very nice scenery as you will be paddling alongside the Robledo Mountain range.

As you near the takeout, we will be on the bank to let you know to paddle over to the side and paddle along the bank so we can help you out of the river. (You must be able to do this as the water is too deep to wade out to retrieve you.)

After we load the boats back into the trailer, we will transport you back to the parking lot of the State Park to where your vehicles are parked. Bathrooms on site.

This paddle tour requires a min. of 4 persons to book paddle. 

Ticket cost: $58.00 per person (plus tax)

(The State Park requires a $5.00 Day entry fee at the entrance to the park, per vehicle. This is not included in our ticket fee.)

Please call 877-808-6877 to schedule your paddle!

Skill level: Moderate, must be a good swimmer, know how to paddle around islands, under bridges, control your boat.

This is a longer paddle; we do not recommend small children as the sun can be strong and you are on the river for approx. 6 hours.

 This fun paddle has you meeting us at La Llorona city park on Picacho Street in Las Cruces.  

You will park your vehicles in the parking lot, and we will pick you up and shuttle you up to Leasburg Dam State Park, day-use river area.

We will unload the boats, outfit your group with life jackets/paddles and give you a short river safety talk before pushing you off the riverbank.

You will paddle through the park, under a wooden bridge and then down river for a total of 19 miles. Very nice scenery as you will be paddling alongside the Robledo Mountain range until you get to La Larona Park.

We will be at the riverbank instructing you in where to pull over to help you out of the river.

Bathrooms on site. This is approx. a 6-hour paddle.

This paddle tour requires a min. of 4 persons to book paddle. 

Ticket Cost: $120.00 per person, plus tax.

Please call 877-808-6877 to schedule your paddle!