About Us

Why we started. During the advent of adventure travel in the 70's and 80's a wide variety of trips and outfitters became available. We saw the need for a central reservation and booking service to help people in their search to find the best river adventure suited to them or their family.

Why use Rivers & Oceans' services? Experience. When you call you get information on all the trips, prices, departure dates and availability. Hence you can make an informed decision on the trip that's best for you saving time and legwork. We can also make the ancillary reservations associated with your trip to create a package. Best of all the service is FREE. You pay the same as you would if you booked directly with the outfitter.  Not only that, since we work with everyone, you get access to all the trips available in your time frame. 

Our Reputation. Over the years Rivers & Oceans has earned a reputation for credentialed expertise from customers around the world. Our customers find our friendly and knowledgeable service a rare and valuable combination these days. Rivers & Oceans is the single best source for information and reservations for river trips in the American west and select adventure travel worldwide, on rivers, trekking and diving.

Knowledge. The Grand Canyon is our back yard. We work in it. We know it well. 30 years running trips in the west assure you of the answers you'll need when deciding on a river trip. This site is meant to act as a guide to the variety of trips available. As you'll see, there are long trips and short trips. As you consider which trip to take, keep in mind that the more time you can spend on your adventure, the more you'll get out of the experience. Of this we are sure.

The Owners. Tim and Pam Whitney live in Flagstaff, Arizona and have been involved with river running since the early 70's.

Tim Whitney. Tim made his first run in Grand Canyon in 1973. He began guiding internationally in 1979 leading river, trekking and SCUBA diving trips for Sobek Expeditions and earned his Diving Instructors Certificate from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) in San Diego, California. He has worked on various river expeditions worldwide including the first descent on the Waghi River in the interior of Papua New Guinea in 1983. The exploration was filmed by the BBC and broadcast as part of the popular TV series Great River Journeys. His dive guiding and underwater photography likewise have taken him to far latitudes, from the reefs of the Coral Sea and Indian Ocean to ice dives in the Great Lakes. He is the contributing photographer in the book, The Springs of Florida, by friend and author Doug Stamm, published by Pineapple Press, Sarasota, Florida.

Pam Whitney. Pam arrived at Lees Ferry in 1975 and started running the Colorado River. She became the executive vice president for one of the original Grand Canyon outfitters until 1986 when she and Tim started Rivers & Oceans. With over 70 trips in Grand Canyon, she understands well the myriad nuances of the river running experience. Her ability and willingness to impart that knowledge to others is matchless. Her travels have taken her throughout Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia where she ran the Zambezi River. She has traveled through Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo. She has trekked in Bhutan and New Zealand and logged many dives in the South Pacific as well as in the Indian Ocean. Pam's love of travel, culture and adventure continues to shape the unique perspective her experience reflects.

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