Garfagnana Rafting – River descents and nature routes in the Val di Lima
Take the plunge in Garfagnana and discover your formula for excitement
In Tuscany, in the wild Lima Valley, Garfagnana Rafting welcomes you to experience the river in complete safety, with expert guides certified by the FIRaft (Italian Rafting Federation). You can choose rafting or many other river experiences designed for all ages and skill levels. 100% adrenaline and fun.
- Experiences for all ages: rafting, packrafting, canyoning
- Riverplay, a mix of trekking, swimming and dives
- Expert guides certified by the Italian Rafting Federation
- Multi-purpose centre with changing rooms, showers, a bar and a dining area
- Accessible and inclusive activities, also for people with disabilities
- Open all year for less "touristy" adventures
Discover Garfagnana Rafting
- Experiences for all ages: rafting, packrafting, canyoning
- Riverplay, a mix of trekking, swimming and dives
- Expert guides certified by the Italian Rafting Federation
- Multi-purpose centre with changing rooms, showers, a bar and a dining area
- Accessible and inclusive activities, also for people with disabilities
- Open all year for less "touristy" adventures
Discover Garfagnana Rafting
Rafting and much more
Outdoor experiences in Garfagnana: safe and fun water adventures
With Garfagnana Rafting the Lima river comes to life and you get ready to face it with grit! Before following the current, an expert guide explains everything: how to put on your helmet and wetsuit, how to handle the paddle, basic moves and safety rules. You don’t mess around with water, but you’ll have a blast among the foaming waves: rafting, packrafting, canyoning, plenty of activities for the more relaxed and the daredevils.
And for those who want to discover this untamed corner of Tuscany by land as well, there are trekking routes with various difficulty levels.
Here’s what you can do.
Rafting on the Lima River
The Lima river is your “playground” and it offers different thrills depending on the section and the water flow. You travel on a large 6-person raft + guide, perfect for maneuvering through its rapids.
You can choose from several options:
- Classic – 3.8 km, the most popular.
- Long – almost 9 km of pure fun.
- Extra Long – a Garfagnana Rafting exclusive: 13.5 km on the river!
Packrafting
The packraft is a very stable and easy-to-handle one-person raft, similar to a kayak but without the complexity of safety maneuvers. In short, if you capsize, you just go for a nice swim! You can tackle rivers like the Lima or the Serchio safely, even on your first try, because you’re the one “in command” of the descent.
The activities offered are adapted to various levels.
- Packrafting Nature/Family, departing from the Ponte del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge), is perfect for families with children: you paddle in pairs and play in complete tranquility.
- Packrafting Experience raises the level a bit: you glide through moderate rapids, try swimming in the current and, if you want, even a few dives.
- Packrafting Adventure, on the other hand, is for those who want to dare: it includes more technical rapids, similar to those in rafting and kayaking.
- Packrafting Adventure Lungo is the extended version, if you want an even more intense challenge, with 9 km solo on the river, through rapids and long stretches.
Canyoning on the Rio Selvano
This is a more physically demanding activity, dedicated to those seeking adrenaline and an “up-close and personal” encounter with the river and the rocky walls that tower above it. Abseiling, mandatory jumps, technical passages and a final 9-metre jump into a pool.
In any case, there’s always someone watching over you to ensure your safety. The centre relies on a specifically certified canyoning guide.
Kayak Courses
Garfagnana Rafting offers courses that start from the basics. You learn the fundamentals, posture, and basic maneuvers. The learning process is very personal: some learn quickly while others need more practice. The goal is to bring people to a good level of autonomy, at their own pace, always remembering that on the river, you always go in pairs at least.
Trekking
If you prefer to walk, let the Garfagnana Rafting guides, certified by the Tuscany Region, take you on a discovery of the Val di Lima and the Apuan Alps.
With them, you can explore little-known trails safely, hidden medieval villages, and views that open up suddenly over crystal-clear waters, far from the crowded routes.
This activity is designed especially for groups: school groups, corporate teams, or groups of friends.
Riverplay
Riverplay in the Cocciglia Gorges
It’s not water trekking, and it’s not canyoning with ropes either. So what is it?
Riverplay is literally a game in the river, set in the spectacular Cocciglia Gorges, limestone formations carved into the rock in the Val di Lima.
You’ll be immersed in transparent water of an incredible blue-green colour. You’ll follow a stretch of the river, going with its flow, swim in magnificent pools, let yourself be carried gently by the current in some spots, and tackle small natural slides carved into the rock.
You’ll also explore small caves where the water reaches considerable depths, all of this, of course, while equipped with a thermal wetsuit, helmet, and buoyancy aid.
And if you feel up to it, you can also jump from various heights into natural pools.
Riverplay is perfect for families with teens, groups of friends, and generally for anyone who wants a fun water experience, without needing any special technical skills or extreme physical fitness.
A little gem
Welcome to Paradise! At the end of the route, you’ll arrive at the “blue lagoon”; with the morning sunbeams filtering through the trees, it’s truly a marvel. But we really can’t tell you everything. Go and discover it for yourself!
Meet your guides
When the force of nature runs in the family
Garfagnana Rafting was born from the desire to carry on a legacy tied to this magnificent territory.
The beating heart is Lucia Pedri, the president and technical director. Her love story with the river began very early on, thanks to her father, Vittoriano, a canoeist famous not so much for competitions, but for his exploratory expeditions around the world. Lucia literally grew up in the river. And the river’s strength also became her own.
In 2018, at a time when the centre was at risk of closing, she chose not to give up. She asked for a hand from Siro Tolomei, now the vice president.
At the time, Siro was an environmental hiking guide, photographer, and communicator, and had never taken rafting seriously as a profession. But he accepted the challenge.
“As a child, I was afraid of water,” he says.
“Then I took the river guide course and everything changed. The river became a part of me, because once you get to know it up close, it captivates you. I respect it and I love it.”
That choice gave birth to a new Garfagnana Rafting: a team that blends experience with new energy, like that of the young athletes from the competitive team, who now assist the guides on the routes, bringing enthusiasm and expertise.
Siro’s brother, Jacopo, soon joined the project to manage the administrative side.
“He’s the one who keeps us in line,” jokes Siro.
“Lucia and I are more ‘river people,’ while he is our pillar in the office.”
The philosophy that guides every activity is simple: to let as many people as possible experience the river safely.
One unforgettable experience involved a young man with a lower limb disability, who wanted to do the Riverplay course. The team adapted the activity to allow him to participate, with a dedicated guide and the help of his friends.
“In the end, when he completed the route, he had a smile I will never forget.
It’s for moments like these that we do what we do,” says Lucia.
Because here, rafting isn’t just a sport. It’s about sharing and a sense of belonging.
