March will mark the 10th year that Mission Adventure Tours has offered unique self guided tours of the River Walk. Credit: Photo via Instagram / missionadventuretours

One of just two kayak rental companies licensed to offer floating tours of the San Antonio River Walk has permanently shut down.

Mission Kayak, which provided tours of the Museum Reach area around the San Antonio Museum of Art, revealed its closure in a Sunday Facebook post. “Thank you San Antonio for a wonderful 11 years,” the business said.

The post didn’t elaborate on why Mission Kayak shut down, and owner Sarah Neal declined comment for this story.

The closure leaves Texas River Co. as the only business licensed by the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) to give kayak tours of the River Walk. Owner Ryan LaReau told the Current his outfit has approval to rent kayaks and give tours of the Mission Reach section of the River Walk south of Roosevelt Park.

However, with Mission Kayak’s sudden closure, LaReau added that it “might be time to negotiate” for an expanded contract with SARA.

Mission Kayak began giving tours of the River Walk’s northern stretch in 2013. Neal bought the company in 2017 and negotiated a contract with Go Rio to offer limited tours of the section of the river that runs through downtown.

Officials with Go Rio didn’t immediately respond to the Current’s request for comment on whether they will look for another operator to give tours of the River Walk’s downtown stretch.

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This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...