Tubing Palomino – Everything You Need to Know in 2025

When I got to Palomino I googled “tubing palomino” and this guy’s blog came up. The blog says updated Feb. 2024, but the info in the blog is clearly not from 2024. Palomino has changed A LOT in the last few years, and a lot of the blogs you will read will have outdated information. Fear not.

Our goal is to clear this up.

Tubing Palomino

Tubing down the Palomino River is THE marquee thing to do in Palomino. Pretty much every tourist does this. Here are the logistics.

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I had read online before coming to Palomino that it was possible to rent a tube and catch a motorbike up the hill, and tube down the river on your own. This is no longer possible. You are going to need a guide to tube down the river, and the price of the guide is included in the “package” that you pay for transport and the tube. (tip to the guide not included – yes, your guide will expect a tip)

The agencies have “monopolized” and now all charge the same price, which varies depending on how high up the river you want to go.

Most people pay 50,000 COP to start at the first entrance to the river. From here, it will be about a 1.5 hour “tube” to the end point, which is right before you hit the sea. You can also pay 65,000 and go a little higher up the river if you want.

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First Step – Tell your hotel/hostel you want to do the tubing

Every hotel/hostel in Palomino has the phone number of travel agencies that do tubing. Your hotel/hostel will call one of the agencies, and they will send someone on a motor bike to pick you up from your hotel or hostel.

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Once They Pick You Up

Once your “driver” picks you up, he will take you to an office in the center of Palomino, where you will pick up your tube. They will also give you a ticket. This is not where you pay. (surprisingly)

You get back on the motor bike with your tube, and the driver will take you to another agency out of town. This is where you pay. (50,000 COP per person)

Once you pay, you get back on the motor bike and the driver will take you up the hill for about 15 minutes. You will get off the motor bike, and meet your guide for the trip.

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The Hike

So the driver drops you off with your guide, then you will hike up a hill/mountain for about 30 minutes to get to the spot where you will enter the river. On your hike, you will pass a few places to buy water and refreshments. This is good to know as you will be on your tube for 90 minutes underneath the hot sun. I recommend bring some water/refreshments for the trip.

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Entering the Water

You will enter the water and float slowly down the river. The current is a joke and nothing to worry about. There is definitely no reason you should have to pay for a guide, but from what I understand everyone who rents out the tubes in town is going to make you pay for a guide.

The journey down the river is about 90 minutes. There are opportunities to swim. Your stuff is going to get wet, so I recommend bringing the proper gear.

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Exiting the Water and Getting Back to Town

You will exit the river a bit before it flows into the sea. Your guide will deal with getting the tube back to the agency – no need to worry about this. From this point, it is about a 15-20 minute walk back to the center of Palomino. Or you can take a tuk-tuk/moto-taxi. Your choice. We walked back to town and it was a fine walk.

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Tubing Palomino – Things to Know

1. Your guide is going to want a tip. You will be spending a few hours with him on this “adventure”, and he will probably talk about this tip a lot. Out of the 50,000 COP you are paying for the tubing, 10,000 COP goes to the guide. Our guide mentioned how he’d like us to “take him out to lunch” afterwards multiple times. Be prepared for this.
2. You are going to be laying face up towards the sun for 90 minutes on the shiny river. Bring sunscreen.
3. You have to go with a guide. Gone are the days where you can just rent a tube for 20,000 COP and hop on the river by yourself.
4. The river is very calm. Don’t worry about it being dangerous or anything like that. It is very easy to navigate.

Enjoy your trip down the river.