Okera Adventures Shimanto Bikerafting

Bikerafting is a sport that combines cycling and rafting (of course not at the same time!) and is a great way to experience the nature and culture of the Shimanto River valley from both land and water.

Located just a 20-minute walk from Nakamura Station, Okera Adventures provides river rafting excursions along the beautiful, pristine Shimanto River. Start your tour by hopping on your bike and strapping on the packraft (rubber boat for rafting), then pedaling down to the riverside. Here you switch gears and board the packraft (with the bike safely tied on) and explore the quiet majesty of Japan’s last free-flowing river. Since you have two transport options, you can decided where to enter the river and where to hop out and pedal back to base!

The outdoor adventure-loving staff will adjust the tour to your level of fitness and the weather conditions, to ensure you have a wonderful day out surrounded by some of Kochi’s most idyllic scenery. For an even more immersive experience, look into the bikerafting camping tours, which run from October to June, and include a BBQ under the stars and the most unique bath you may ever come across.

If you are more of a bike person, they also offer mountain biking or gravel road biking tours of the forests surrounding the river. As 84% of Kochi is covered in forest, you can spend hours exploring the winding trails, including fascinating old off-road pilgrimage paths which have over 1200 years of history. They have both regular mountain bikes and e-bikes available for rental, in case you want an extra bit of assistance.