Whitewater Rafting - River Inn
Looking down from different various points on the Seefeld plateau, it's possible to see the River Inn on its journey from Switzerland to Germany.
And it's on the River Inn between the villages of Imst and Haiming that the specialist rafting companies have set up shop.
The choice is yours - a lazy afternoon float down the river in the sunshine, or a white-knuckle ride on some of the famous white water spilling down from the mountain glaciers.
Most of the outfitters in the Tyrol offer short half-day tours for beginners in inflatable rafts seating about six people and the rafting guide.
The rafting available from Seefeld is concentrated in the village of Haiming near the entrance to the Ötz valley and on the banks of the Inn. A number of different companies offer the options of either rafting on the Inn or on the more difficult lower Ötz valley stretch.
For those who have never rafted before, the Imster Schlucht would be the best introduction. Some of the companies will pick up from accommodation on the Seefeld plateau for this tour - sometimes days on the River Inn are organised from the tourist offices, travel agencies or hotels in a village.
Rafters are transported from the meeting point to the town of Imst upriver on the way from Tyrol to Vorarlberg. The rafting downstream to Haiming is Grade 3 - testing enough to be thrilling but not hard enough to cause too many problems for the patient rafting guides. If you're slightly more experienced, then the Ötztaler Ache will offer more of a challenge, but this trip will probably have to be booked with the rafting company directly as it is unusual that trips are organised from the plateau for this option.
A number of the companies have developed their operations outside the area of rafting and offer other adventure sports, like climbing or canyoning, not to mention the traditional drink and barbecue at the end of a day on the river!
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