The company started its activities in November 1994 under the name Igaruana Rafting with the partners Otto Hassler and Luiz Augusto Merkle, two experienced canoers and nature lovers. The first base was installed in Ibirama/SC besides the Itajaí River, which quickly became a reference of the best rafting in the country.

In 1995 there was the first Rafting Festival, which became today one of the most important amateur championships.
Other tourism activities have been included in programs of Igaruana and in early 1996 started the commercial operation of the Rappel.

Also in 1996 the company moved to the city of Apiúna, with its own headquarters on the banks of the River Itajai-Acu. The guides from Igaruana were the first who took the official exam for rafting in the Brazilian Canoe Confederation. This year also started the first business training by the program TEIMA, developed by the company.

A new stage began in 1998 when Luiz Augusto Merkle took off from the company and the name changed to Ativa. The base of Apiúna quickly became a center of adventures offering over 30 itineraries with various activities.

Boat with Indians - a symbol of Ativa Rafting Boat with Indians - A symbol of Ativa Rafting

In 1999 the "Duck", inflatable kayak, was introduced in the activities and in the same year the Ativa´s competition team (with other members from Canoar) participated in the Pan American Championship in Costa Rica and was ranked third.

Because of the low season due to winter in Santa Catarina, woke up the interest in open other bases in the hottest places and by June 2000 was founded the first branch of the Ativa in Itacare in Bahia. This was also the beginning of a new concept in tourism, linking the beach tourism with adventure tourism. In the same year in December was the beginning of the operation based in Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, Florianópolis. A few months later opened the third branch of Ativa, serving customers of the famous hotel complex Costa do Sauipe in Bahia.

In 2001 the team of Ativa won the Brazilian Rafting Championship and got the right to participate in the most important tournament the world in the best river in the world. Participated in the Camel White Water Challenge on the Zambezi River in Zambia, with an enormous volume of river water, with the elite of the rafting world and got 12th Place.

In all these years, Ativa Rafting has established itself as one of the most important companies in this area in the country and the owner began research how to turn Ativa to a partnership network of Adventure Tourism. This new phase took place from July 2003 when several bases have become independent enterprises, but united with the same concept of quality and safety.

Another inauguration took place in 2004 in Dende Coast in Bahia with the base of  Nilo Peçanha, serving tourists from Morro de Sao Paulo, Salvador and Boipeba.

From 2004 the integrated routes have become important to offer full scripts of several days or weeks. This helped to the internationalization that happened on a larger scale from 2006 with a receptive tour operator for various companies overseas. In addition to integrated routes of Santa Catarina and Bahia, began scripts of trips touring all around in Brazil.

Today Ativa Rafting and Adventures stands as a receptive operator with routes linking different adventure, natural beauty, history and customs. We practice the true eco-tourism sustainable in all senses.