RAFTING & KAYAKING ON WILD HIMALAYAN RIVERS
Thanks to Peter 'SLIME' Knowles and many others for Info's.

River Journeys

Nepal has earned the reputation of being one of the best places in the world for rafting and kayaking. Its mountain scenery has drawn trekkers and climbers for many years; these same mountains shape an incredible variety of whitewater challenges for paddlers.

A series of the worlds most outstanding river journeys are found here ranging from steep adrenaline charged mountain streams to big classic big volume wilderness expeditions . The combination of spectacular rivers mountain scenery and rich cultural heritage makes Nepal an obvious river runner's destination.

No other country has such a choice of trips on wild rivers with warm water, a tropical climate ( with no bugs!) and huge white-sand beaches that are ideal for camping.

When to go

The best times for rafting are September to early December and March to early June. From early September to early October and May to June the rivers can be extremely high with monsoon run-off .Any expeditions attempted at this time require a very experienced crew with an intimate knowledge of the river, as high flows are potentially the most  dangerous time to be on the river.

From mid October onwards the weather is settled and this is one of the most popular times to raft. Most Rafting Rivers are too cold from mid December onwards and if you are still keen on going out, try the Brahmaputra in India.

The summer season from March to early June has lower water flows to begin with, which generally means the rapids aren't as powerful. The rivers rise again in May with pre-monsoon storms and some snowmelt, and then it's high water time again.

Independent rafting and Kayaking...

Anyone who plans to raft or kayak privately should also contact us to get up to date information. Himalayan rivers are dynamic, and their rapids change every monsoon.

Selecting river...

Before you decide what river you'll do, you need to decide what is you want out of the river trip to begin with. There are trips available from two to twelve days on different rivers, all offering dramatically different experiences.

Long trips like as the Sun Koshi (in fall) or the Karnali have the advantage of offering some real heart thumping white water with the incredible journeying aspect of a long river trip. With more time on the river things are more relaxed, relationship progress at a more nature pace and memories become firmly entrenched for a lifetime.

After spending the better part of their adult lives on different rivers, most hardcore river people can still distinctly remember the long expeditions they've been on; it's much more involving and enveloping experience than a shorter two or three day trip.

But don't undervalue the short trips. Anyone who has ever taken a raft or kayak down the Bhote Koshi (at any flow) would be hard pressed to find any better two day trip in the world.

The best rivers. ..

The Karnali

Most experienced river people find it to be the one of the best all around river trips they've ever done. In high water, the Karnali is a serious commitment, combining huge, though fairly straightforward rapids with a seriously remote location.

At low water the Karnali is still a fantastic trip. The rapids become smaller, but the steeper gradient still keeps it interesting.

Being the longest and largest river in all of Nepal, the Karnali drains a huge and well-developed catchments. Spring snowmelts can drive the river up dramatically in a matter of hours, and as the river rises the difficulty increases exponentially. The river flows through steep and constricted canyons where the rapids are close together, giving little opportunity to correct for potential mistakes.

The trip stars with a long but interesting bus ride [optional flight ] over to the Far West of Nepal ; an area only recently opened to tourism.

The river section takes about seven days, giving plenty of time to explore some of the side canyons and waterfalls, which come into the river valley.

Finish the trip with a visit to the Bardia Wildlife Preserve at the end for an unbeatable combination.

The Sun Koshi

This is the longest river trip offered in Nepal, traversing 270 kms through the beautiful Mahabharat Range on it's meandering way from the Dolalghat to the take out at Chatara, far down in the Gangetic Plain.

It's quit an experience to begin a river trip just three hours out of Kathmandu, barely 60 km from the Tibetan border, and end the trip looking down the hot, dusty gun barrel of the North Indian Plain just nine or ten days later.

The Sun Koshi starts off fairly relaxed, with small Class two rapids and small Class three rapids to warm up on during the first couple of days. Savvy guides will take this opportunity to get the teams working together with Swiss 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 flat, the Sun Koshi reserves some of its biggest and best rapids for the last days. At the right flow it's an incredible combination of whitewater, scenery, villages, and truly quit and introspective evenings along what many people consider to be one of the world's ten classic river journeys.

The Marsyangdi (t)

Through to a new Dam on the river commercial Rafting has been halted.

Only recently opened to commercial rafting, the Marshyangdi is the hardest whitewater rafting in Nepal. The trips starts with a tough bus ride from Dumre to Besisahar, which is a good opportunity to steal your nerves and awaken your fight or flight responses. If you make it to Besisahar intact, you're in for a beautiful trek up to the village of Ngadi, with great views of Manaslu and the Annapurnas ahead of you the whole time. The scenery is fantastic and so is the river. From Ngadi downstream to the end of the trip at Bimalnagar, it's pretty much solid whitewater. Rapids are steep and technical, and consecutive making the Marshyangdi a serious undertaking at any water level. Like the Bhote Koshi, successful navigation of the Marshyangdi is dependent on an experienced company.

For people looking for a six to seven day trip with lots of demanding whitewater and great mountain scenery, the Marshyangdi will be hard to beat.

The Tamor

Our newest river in the program will definitely become one of the big classic river journeys.

This river in the Far East of Nepal starts with one of the most scenic treks in Nepal - a four day trek into the Kanchanjunga area (restricted for independent travelers) and gives you over 100 exhilarating rapids on six days with crystal clear water and breathtaking mountain views.

The Bhote Koshi

Just three hours from Kathmandu, the Bhote Koshi is one of the best two-day trips in the world. The Bhote Koshi is one of the most recently opened rivers in Nepal, and represents the forefront of river rafting. It is the steepest river rafted in Nepal-technical and totally committing. With a gradient of 80 feet per mile it is a full eight times steeper then the Sun Koshi, which it feeds further downstream. The rapids are steep and continuous Class 4 with continuous Class 3 in between. At high flows several of the rapids will be solid class5, and consequences for mistakes on the entire river will become caustic. This river is one of the most fun things you can do right out of Kathmandu and a great way to get an adrenaline fix during the low water month.