Deep Canyon

Address: Dunmore Street     Wanaka Telephone: +64 3 443 7922

Deep Canyon, Wanaka is New Zealand’s premier canyon guiding company. Deep Canyon has been running guided descents since 1994. Deep Canyon guides are highly trained, very experienced and easy to get on with. Focusing strongly on personal satisfaction and good humour.

Deep Canyon provide trips for any fun loving active person with a sense of adventure. Experience is not usually necessary; water confidence and reasonable fitness are an advantage. Our more advanced trips require good fitness and maybe some relevant experience (say in abseiling). Attitude can get you a long way though - talk to us about it.

Niger Stream
Located in the gorgeous Matukituki Valley near Lake Wanaka are several world class canyons. Our most popular trip is Niger Stream, which is a very beautiful and shapely canyon. Descending means several abseils, lots of sliding, jumps big and small, and a few other things besides. No experience is required, groups are small and our guides are great at pitching trips at your level. High excitement and heaps of fun in a unique and fabulous natural setting.

Big Nige
This mission is an upstream ‘add on’ to our Niger Stream Trip... steeper and deeper! With spectacular views out to the alpine scenery, it is particularly beautiful and hugely enjoyable. It features exciting abseils in strong water flows. The situations are dramatic and the abseils often take you into and behind spectacular waterfalls – visually sensational and very dynamic.

Big Nige is a longer day – be prepared for around four hours of continuous descent (and the walk up the hill takes 40 minutes). As we descend we link into Niger Stream with its many jumps and slides – so you get in a lot of everything… Group sizes are small and personal (max of four in a group). This trip is for people who want a bigger day of hands-on action and enormous amounts of fun

Wilkin Wilderness
Helicopter flight, canyoning and a jet boat ride near a World Heritage Area! The Wai Rata Canyon* is an amazing water carved ravine that descends over 600 metres from the bushline to the Wilkin River Valley. It is north facing (sunny), overhung with native forest, full of incredibly clear water and deep green pools.

Its descent requires the use of many different techniques; big abseils down charging waterfalls mix it up with a series of adrenalising jumps. Whether sliding down perfectly formed water chutes, climbing through a surreal hidden landscape or floating through crystal pools, it’s pretty much one thing after another… The scenery is jaw dropping, the fun and action is non-stop.

The day starts with a ‘high octane’ helicopter flight to the top of the canyon. A full days canyoning (usually about six hours) is then capped off with an exhilarating half hour jet boat ride along the glorious Wilkin River. This takes us back to our start point at Makarora township on the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park. This is ultimate satisfaction adventure in a sensational wilderness situation. No-one apart from us has ever been in this canyon. It is a hidden and mysterious place of immense beauty. Within this ‘magical mystery tour’, you’ll do some amazing things. It’s a very special trip unlike any other.

The Leaping Burn
A physically magnificent canyon carved deep into mother earth. High end action in a powerful natural arena. Wild situations. True adventure. Even the access is demanding; 250 metres of fixed rope climbing above the canyons edge leads to a further hill climb before dropping in to the gorge – right in. Once in the canyon you’re committed – there are very few exit points. At times you can’t see the sky. At other times you’re a fly on the wall. The jumps need commitment.

You’ll get hammered in waterfalls. And all the time you’ll be wet like a fish (and grinning like a madman!). You’ll be blown away – no doubt. We prefer to know our clients for this trip. It is good if you come from one of our other trips (Big Nige is a good warm up).

Price and Time Information

Niger Stream $240 per person. Leave Wanaka at 9 a.m. Return around 5 p.m.
Big Nige $305 per person. Leave Wanaka at 9 a.m. Return around 5.30 p.m.
Leaping Burn $420 per person. Leave Wanaka at 8.30 a.m. Return around 4.30 p.m.
Leaping Burn Max $490 per person. Leave Wanaka at 8 a.m. Return around 5.30 p.m.
Wilkin Wilderness $960 per person. Leave Wanaka at 7.30 a.m. Return around 6 p.m.

Trips operate every day through the summer season from end of October to early April.
All equipment, clothing and food is supplied, cameras are available.
Enquiries about children, large groups and flexible times, contact us directly.

Climb, swim and float with Deep Canyon through a spectacular world of water sculpted rock and sparkling, crashing waterfalls. No-one else guides trips like this!