Rafting
Rafting
is a popular sport in Nepal, and adds a new dimension to
your travel. We can arrange rafting trips for absolute beginners
to die hards. Rafting trips can last just one day, or up
to ten for the really adventurous! Below is a summary of
the most popular rafting destinations
Kali Gandaki
Named after the Hindu goddess of destruction, Kali, the
river rises in Mustang, on the northern side of the Himalayan
range. As it tumbles down between the majestic Daulagiri
and the Annapurna ranges, it creates one of the world's
deepest river canyons.
The recent damming of the lower portion of this river, has
left us with one of Nepal's premier medium length river
journeys; combining great whitewater with some of the most
beautiful scenery in Nepal, seldom-visited villages, truly
quiet and introspective evenings, abundant wildlife, sandy
beaches and outrageously beautiful waterfalls.
The rapids on the Kali Gandaki are much more technical and
continuous keeping paddlers busy all day. Both experienced
and novice rafters love this. Nowhere else is it possible
to find such diversity on a 3 day raft trip.
Nice drops, sparkling chutes and turbulent rapids provide
class III to IV+ runs during the fall and spring seasons.
This ancient trading route from Tibet takes you through
the deepest river gorge in the world. Watch for the Dhaulagiri
and Annapurna Mountain Ranges (the popular trekking route)
and have your camera ready!
Karnali
Most experienced river travellers who have rafted or kayaked
down the Karnali - Nepal's mightiest river, will agree that
it is one of the best trips offered anyhwere. Karnali lies
in the western part of the kingdom in the whats called the
" Wild West" of Nepal, an area only recently opened
to tourism.
Rising in the vicinity of Tibet's holy Mount Kailash, the
Karnali carves the Himalayan landscape into a series of
magnificent gorges and canyons as it descends slowly into
the forests of western Nepal. Seasonal snow melts and storms
can cause the river levels to swell drastically and create
the extremes of white water rafting.
In high water the Karnali is a serious undertaking with
fairly straightforward, yet huge rapids. Even at lower levels
it is still not a walk in the park, as the rapids become
more constricted and the gradient steeper. One highlight
of this classic river journey is a 7 km long gorge "Thrill-a-minute
roller-coaster ride" with rapids at every bend. Truly
though, any season suits the Karnali.
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Marshyangdi
"
Raging River" in the local dialect aptly describes
one of the best whitewater runs in the world. Only recently
opened for commercial rafting (many rapids have not been
named yet), the Marshyangdi is one of the next generations
of rivers in Nepal, steeper and with a much more continuous
stretch of rapids. The trek is stunning, with great views
of the Manaslu and the Annapurnas ahead of you the entire
time. The scenery is breathtaking.
From Ngadi downstream to the end of the trip at Bimalnagar
it is solid whitewater. Rapids are steep, technical, and
consecutive, making the Marshyangdi a serious undertaking.
For people looking for a trip with a lot of demanding whitewater
and great mountain scenery, the Marshyangdi is hard to beat.
This is the river that demands Respect.
Sun
Kosi
This
is the longest river trip offered in Nepal, traversing 270
km through the beautiful Mahabharat Range on its meandering
way from the put in at Dolalghat to the take out at Chatara,
far down on the Gangetic Plain. It is quite an experience
to begin a river trip just 3-hours out of Kathmandu, barely
60-km from the Tibet border, and end the trip looking down
the hot, dusty gun barrel of the North Indian Plain just a
week later.
The
Sun Kosi starts off fairly relaxed, with class II and small
class III rapids to warm up on during the first couple of
days. Savvy guides will take this opportunity to get the
teams to work with exquisite precision, as on the third
day the rapids become more powerful and frequent, with high
water trips finding themselves astonished at just how big
a wave in a river can get. While the lower sections of large
volume rivers are usually rather flat, the Sun Kosi reserves
some of its biggest and best rapids for the last days. At
the right flow it is an incredible combination of powerful
whitewater, stunning scenery, villages, and truly quiet
and introspective evenings along what many people consider
to be one of the world's ten classic river journeys.
Trishuli
Rapids :
Snail's nose, Teendevi, Malekhu rapid, Monkey rapid, Upset,
Surprise, Monsoon, CottonPony, Ladies Delight, S-Bend, Highway,
Monsoon and Pinball Rapid.
The Trishuli is Nepal's most popular rafting river; easy
access from Kathmandu and Pokhara, scenic valleys and impressive
gorges, exhilarating rapids and easier sections as well
as the right amount of time all make it the perfect trip
for first-time or experienced rafters.
Unfortunately, its popularity means that the river is crowded
and the beaches disturbed during the normal rafting season.
However, there is some good news. During the monsoon months
the Trishuli changes character completely as huge runoff
s make the river swell and shear like an immense ribbon
of churning ocean. When the river is running high and wild,
there are hardly any rafters around, and rafting the Trishuli
is without a doubt the most exciting thing you can do in
Nepal during monsoon, and quite possibly one of the best
two days big water rafting trips offered anywhere.
Bhote
Kosi
Drawing amazing and mystifying power from high in Bhot (
Tibet ) the river Bhote Koshi, tumbles into Nepal through
breathtaking valleys. Glacier water from the 10th Highest
Mountain Shisa Pangma, carve a steep and direct drop at
the top that gradually eases to more placid streams and
the calmer pool within a 46-km run at the Lamosunga dam.
The rapids here are a solid class IV- V at high flow, and
a more classic III at lower levels.
Continuous, challenging and action-packed, the Bhote Kosi
offers you nothing less than the ride of a lifetime. If
you have never rafted before and if you have limited time
but desire an adrenaline overload, then this is an ideal
introductory trip package for you.
A stupendous setting, thrilling drops, gorges and limestone
formations, welcome you into another dimension, where your
instinct becomes your driving force, and your body your
best ally. Both experienced and novice paddlers will agree
this, is the Ultimate Experience.
Arun
The easiest way to get to this river is by catching a plane
to the put in point at Tumlingtar. Alternatively you can
drive for 1 ½ days and then trek for three days.
The Arun provides some of the most challenging rafting in
Nepal, and although the difficult access makes only three
days on the river possible, the remote location and spectacular
mountain views make this a real wilderness experience.
