About Boreal River
Established in 2008, Boreal River operates across Canada and Costa Rica with three divisions:
Boreal River Expeditions runs 3-day to 3-week river trips.
We specialise in whitewater rafting, multi-sport, and experiential education programs with:
- The Mutehekau Shipu (Magpie River) — Featured in Robert Macfarlane’s Is a River Alive? and Québec and Canada’s first river granted legal personhood
- The Ottawa River — World-class whitewater just 90 minutes from the nation’s capital
- The Rio Pacuare, Costa Rica — primary rainforest canyon
- Other amazing rivers!
These trips immerse you in spectacular places and allow you to connect with local people and cultures.
They’re about having quality time with your group, with the living rivers that we travel, and with yourself.
Boreal River Rescue provides training in:
- Whitewater and swiftwater rescue
- Ice safety and rescue
- Wilderness medicine (first responder, first aid, and advanced care)
Courses across Canada and internationally provide students with recognized certification.
Through hands-on practice and realistic scenarios, participants gain the skills and knowledge to keep themselves and others safe on the water and in the backcountry.
Learners gain confidence from being challenged in a great learning environment with fantastic, knowledgeable instructors — on one of the best courses they’ll ever experience.
Ciel et Bois is a venue for gatherings and overnight stays — 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa (in Cantley, Québec).
Surrounded by woods and trails, it’s the perfect setting for:
- Work team offsites
- Intimate weddings and celebrations
- Retreats
We also host many of Boreal River Rescue’s Ottawa area wilderness medical courses here.
“The connections you make on river trips stay with you forever.”
Danny Peled
Founder
Our evolving story
Recent Initiatives
- 2026: After some amazing pilot programs last summer, we’ve officially launched the 4-day Ottawa River Wilderness Expedition
- 2025: We organized the Mutehekau Shipu Clean-Up Fundraiser: Help to Heal a River — successfully bringing 4500+ pounds of metal from a beach on Lac Magpie to the recycling centre. See the Instagram reel
- 2025: Danny Peled and Ty Smith purchased Esprit Rafting’s Ottawa River operations. We’re continuing Esprit’s legacy under the Boreal River Expeditions banner
- 2025: Bestselling author Robert Macfarlane published Is a River Alive?, bringing the Mutehekau Shipu to readers worldwide in his exploration of the rights of nature movement. We’re honored to have been part of this story: Boreal River founder Danny Peled and guide Raphael St. Onge accompanied Macfarlane on his 2023 journey down the river, becoming characters in the book — ‘The Boss’ (Danny) and ‘The Salmon’ (Raph). The book has sparked global conversation about river rights and the movement to protect living waterways.
- 2024: Launched two online water safety courses to make essential skills more accessible:
- 2023: Opened Ciel et Bois, our home for wilderness medical courses and an ideal venue for intimate events near Ottawa.
- 2020: Launched the Ottawa Kayarafting Adventure, an urban experiential education program right in Canada’s capital.
Connections and growth (2012-2017)
- In 2017, a group of 5 Boreal River Rescue instructors travelled to Jasper, Alberta to develop our Ice Rescue course curriculum, which is now taught from coast to coast to coast.
- 2016: A special summer with Mutehekau Shipu included trips with the Tips of the Toes Foundation (with young adults living with cancer), Innu youth groups, open-registration expeditions, and a private women’s group from Ekuanitshit.
- 2012-2016: Youth from Ekuanitshit, Pakua Shipi, Natashquan, and Unamen Shipu travelled with Mutehekau Shipu (also known as the Magpie River) on annual trips. We were privileged to facilitate these rafting expeditions — so rewarding and so much fun!
- 2012: Boreal River Rescue started running certification courses in swiftwater and whitewater rescue across Quebec, Ontario, and BC. Our instructor team has since grown, teaching courses internationally.
Foundations (2008-2012)
- 2010: Boreal River Rescue began running Wilderness First Responder and First Aid courses, partnered with Wilderness Medical Associates International. Today, 1000+ students participate each year on courses across Canada and internationally.
- 2009-2012: We ran exploratory trips with the Romaine River, the West Mutehekau Shipu, and annual trips with Mutehekau Shipu.
- 2008: Boreal River was established. That July, founders Danny Peled and Letha Henry paddled with Mutehekau Shipu on their own on a 9-day exploratory trip.
Danny and Letha saw multi-day trips on the Magpie as a way to combine the excitement and accessibility of rafting with the deeper connections, learning, and rejuvenation that you can get from a long expedition. A couple of weeks later they ran their first commercial trip with support from nearby communities.
It was a magical summer and the company was born.
Find your river: See the 2026 expeditions
