Primitive Outback Kayaking & Gem Mining

Nicholas Payne

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

What a treat for the kids and the adults! We had a great time learning about all of the goats (and their family tree). Our kids were able to feed and pet them. There was even 2 baby (5 day old) goats when we came by! They were also able to feed the pigs and pet the bunnies. After the animals, we did some gem mining as a family. What a fun and educational experience. We got to learn from the owners, exactly what we were sifting in real time! Western NC truly is the gem capital of the US. We have a haul to bring back home with us. Will return on our next trip to the mountains.

Zoe Sasser

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

My girlfriend and I loved our time at Primitive Outback Kayaking and Gem Mining!! We went for the gem mining experience and had a blast. We did the 2nd cheapest ($30) option and split the bucket between the two of us, and ended up getting a lot of great stuff! The owners were incredibly nice, knowledgeable, and helpful. We also got to visit all of the animals for free, as well as feed and pet them! They were very cute, and definitely well taken care of. We plan on coming back once kayak season returns!

Annah Noyes

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

This was such a cool experience! We were greeted by the kindest owners who immediately brought us over to meet their goats, bunnies, and mini-pigs! We each got to feed and pet the goats, and love on the bunnies! Then we went over to search for "treasure"! We split the colossal bucket between the 5 of us and found SO many cool things. Big gems, small gems, rubies, saffires, petrified wood, arrowheads, and more! We had so much fun. And we will definitely visit again in the future! PSA: The drive to get there is primitive and very back-country-mountain-vibes! Don't be discouraged by the offroading.

Christine Fennell

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

We had a blast today gem mining and visiting with the goats, bunnies and (from afar) mini piglets! It was fun for all and we will definitely visit again next time we are in town.

alyssa kuzia

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

I took my daughters to go gem mining and we had the best experience. The owners are so nice and my kids loved playing with the bunnies and goats. We will definitely be back!

Meagan James-Phillips

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

Amazing experience! We will definitely come back to kayak but had a great time petting goats and rabbits. The gems my kids got were the best we’ve ever gotten and we’ve gone a lot of places. But the owners were the cherry on top - you can tell they love what they do and were so kind and informative! Thank you!

Alice Hoffman

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

We loved our experience with primitive- they were so kind and accommodating! Loved seeing all the goats and the soft rabbits. We had a lovely day to kayak! The river was low and so we went slowly down. We had brought a small picnic lunch and stopped along the way and ate on some rocks. Was a lovely time. They picked us up and brought us back to our car. Our hosts held onto our keys to our car and handed them promptly back once back at the starting point. Highly recommend!!

Jessica Garrison

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

I spent awhile researching what kayaking place to go to while staying in Bryson city, NC. When I came across Primitive Outback, I knew that was the place I wanted to go. They have bunnies and fainting goats, they let you feed the goats and pet the bunnies. The 7 mile kayaking trip was the best kayaking trip I had ever been on. The sweet couple that run the place took our pictures as we took off and when we got to our final destination. We learned about native pottery that you can find along the river, and they told us where some must see sites were close by. Overall, the service this place gives is incredible, it is also very personal. They do reservations so you can be alone while kayaking down the river. It was so peaceful.