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Rafting
White water rafting means cruising down a rushing river in an inflatable rubber raft or white water kayak over crashing waves and swirling rapids for the excitement of a lifetime. Nepal has earned a reputation as one of the best destinations in the world for white water rafting. Nepal's thundering waters, coming from the glaciers of the mighty Himalaya, provide unmatched thrills for rafting and immersing oneself in the landscape. A rafting trip is bound to be the highlight of your stay in the country.
Rivers are graded on a scale of one to six, with one being a swimming pool and six a one-way ticket to your maker. Four is considered to be quite challenging without being exceedingly dangerous to the novice rafter. Five requires some previous river experience.
Eleven rivers in the three river systems are open for tourists for rafting. The rivers are:
| River | Section |
| The Trisuli | (Trisuli-Narayanghat) |
| The Kali Gandaki | (Kusma-Tiger Tops) |
| The Bheri | (Birendranagar- Chisapani) |
| The Seti | (Damouli-Tiger Tops) |
| The Sunkoshi | (Baseri-Chatara) |
| The Karnali | (Karaleghat-Chisapani) |
| The Tama Koshi | (Busti-Chatara) |
| The Arun | (Tumlingtar-Chatara) |
| The Budhi Gandaki | (Arughat-Trisuli) |
| The Bhote Koshi | (Kodari-Lartza Bridge) |
| The Marshyangdi | (Ngadi-Bimalnagar) |
Nepal's River Systems
Nepalese rivers can be grouped into three categories on the basis of their origin:
- antecedent to Himalaya,
- after the Mahabharata. and
- after the Churia range.
Antecedent rivers belong to the period prior to the rise of the Himalaya. These rivers added their tributaries during or after the Himalayan origin along with the development of monsoon climate. After the formation of Mahabharata hills, the antecedent rivers changed their courses as Mahabharata stood as a barrier. As a result, most of the rivers changed their courses either to the east or west. Most of these rivers were responsible to deposit the sediments in the Churia basin.
The major river systems namely the Koshi, the Karnali and the Gandaki belong to the antecedent group. Rivers originating from the Mahabharata range and cutting through Churia hills come under the second group, these include Kankai, Bagmati, Kamala etc. The third group of rivers originate from the southern face of the Churia hills. For the purpose of commercial rafting, the following rivers are in use.
- Saptakoshi River System (East Nepal)
- Narayani or Saptagandaki River System (Central Nepal)
- Karnali River System (West Nepal)
Grade 1-2
Easy: flat water, little current and mild waves
Grade 3
Moderate: waves, swift current and narrow channels. Paddling is mostly physical.
Grade 4-5
Difficult: powerful water, constricted channels, steep drops and the possibility of overturning a raft. Padsdling is challenging and at times strenous.
Grade 6
Very Difficult: most challenging!
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Marshyangdi River
read moreThe Marshyangdi River (grade 4 to 5) is a relative newcomer in this group. The Marshyangdi run is four days of uninterrupted white water. Flowing ...
Marshyangdi River
The Marshyangdi River (grade 4 to 5) is a relative newcomer in this group. The Marshyangdi run is four days of uninterrupted white water. Flowing through the gorges of the Annapurnas, it runs sandwiched between 52 km of boiling foam and towering peaks. Trips on the Marshyangdi start from Pokhara.
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Trisuli River
read moreThe Trisuli River (grade 3+) is one of the most popular, if not the favourite, of Nepal's raftable rivers. Due to its proximity to Kathmandu and the ...
Trisuli River
The Trisuli River (grade 3+) is one of the most popular, if not the favourite, of Nepal's raftable rivers. Due to its proximity to Kathmandu and the easy road access which accompanies it, most rafting companies offer trips on the Trisuli. For first time rafters it offers plenty of excitement. Many choose to incorporate a ride down the Trisuli with either a trip to Pokhara or to the Royal Chitwan National Park.
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Kali Gandaki River
read moreThe Kali Gandaki (grade 4 to 4+) winds through remote canyons and deep gorges for five days of intense rapids among gorgeous wilderness and mountain ...
Kali Gandaki River
The Kali Gandaki (grade 4 to 4+) winds through remote canyons and deep gorges for five days of intense rapids among gorgeous wilderness and mountain views. The run flows 120 km and its challenges are continuous. Trips on the Kali Gandaki begin and end in Pokhara and offer an exciting alternative to the Trisuli.
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Bhote Koshi River
read moreThe Bhote Koshi (grade 4 to 5) is worth special mention. It is a two-day run of pure adrenalin located only three hours from Kathmandu. Twenty-six km ...
Bhote Koshi River
The Bhote Koshi (grade 4 to 5) is worth special mention. It is a two-day run of pure adrenalin located only three hours from Kathmandu. Twenty-six km of continuous white water soaks rafters as they shoot through a veritable maze of canyons and boulders. Little more than a swimsuit is needed for this one.
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Karnali River
read moreThe Karnali River (grade 4 to 5) in the far west is the longest and largest river in Nepal. To arrive at its banks requires a two-day trek from ...
Karnali River
The Karnali River (grade 4 to 5) in the far west is the longest and largest river in Nepal. To arrive at its banks requires a two-day trek from Surkhet in the Terai. The next 90 kms are spent flying through spectacular landscapes and narrow gorges and down some of the most challenging rapids in the world. For the remaining 90 km, the scenery and wildlife are the main attraction, as is the abundance of fish. During most of this trip, the wilderness is uninterrupted by human habitations.
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Sun Koshi River
read moreThe Sun Koshi (grade 4 to 5) is Nepal's second offering for expedition rafting. With a put-in only three hours drive from Kathmandu, it is more ...
Sun Koshi River
The Sun Koshi (grade 4 to 5) is Nepal's second offering for expedition rafting. With a put-in only three hours drive from Kathmandu, it is more easily accessible than the Karnali of offering an incredible stretch of exhilarating white water. The run is 270 km and requires 8-10 days to complete with road access only at the beginning and end. On the third day rapids reach the upper 4 classifications and the remainder of the trip is consistently intense - the white water stays white until the very end.
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Arun River
read moreThe Arun River rafting (Grade 5) begins at Tumlingtar and ends at Chatara. Kartikeghat, the put-in point can be approached either by flight or by ...
Arun River
The Arun River rafting (Grade 5) begins at Tumlingtar and ends at Chatara. Kartikeghat, the put-in point can be approached either by flight or by road. Trip trip requires a mini-trek either from the airstrip or from the bus stop. First day camp will be put up at Tumlingtar itself. The following day, after breakfast, trek to Kartikeghat starts at a gradual pace. The third day, a rapid is hit as soon as sailing starts. some more encounter in succession. Next day is pretty smooth except for a few rapids graded between 5-6 class. The sixth day pretty smooth as Arun River meets Sunkoshi. You can either drive back Chatara via Biratnagar or fly from Biratnagar to Kathmandu.
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Bheri River
read moreFor a Bheri River trip you have options between taking a one and half an hour flight to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu or a 627 km. long journey by road. ...
Bheri River
For a Bheri River trip you have options between taking a one and half an hour flight to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu or a 627 km. long journey by road. The Bheri River is so remote that it remains relatively an unexplored. The first section of the river is quite tough with twists and turns, creating many exciting narrow gorge section of the river with vertical cliff of 200-300 feet on either sides. The gorge is interspersed with open valleys where there exist small villages. The trip can be continued with a jungle tour in the Bardiya Wildlife Reserve.
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Seti River
read moreThe first day you drive west of Kathmandu for Damouli roughly 160 km away. After the raft are rigged, you set off down the Seti River. You spend the ...
Seti River
The first day you drive west of Kathmandu for Damouli roughly 160 km away. After the raft are rigged, you set off down the Seti River. You spend the whole day within its forested canyon.
In the afternoon a small outfitter but technical rapid is encountered near the village of Saranghat. The first night's camp is is a spacious beach below the village. The next day you encounter a rapid graded between 3-5 before reaching Trisuli River. The topography gets changed dramatically.The twisted severe rock formations give way to sandstone and gravel deposited by the antecedent river. After lunch you can visit a unique religious place called Devghat. At this point where the Kali Gandaki joins the Trisuli and becomes the Narayani River, you get a choice between coming back to Kathmandu or continuing the journey to visit the Chitwan National Park. -
Tama Koshi River
read moreThe Tama Koshi River (grade 4 to 6) starts from the Tserolpa Lake and Gaurishanker Glacier. Rafting/Kayaking starts from Busti (a bridge on the way ...
Tama Koshi River
The Tama Koshi River (grade 4 to 6) starts from the Tserolpa Lake and Gaurishanker Glacier. Rafting/Kayaking starts from Busti (a bridge on the way to Jiri). There are some copper mines around this river (Tama = copper and Koshi = river, hence the name). Actually this river is too wild for commercial run because it has 4 to 6 grade rapids and some of the rapids are unrunable but for the Kayakers this river is excellent. Recently a hydroelectricity power plant (The Khimti Project) has been constructed in the Khimti area alongside the river. After three days of Kayaking on this river, one would come to the Sunkoshi Rive just above Khurkot then another 4 days paddling down arriving at Chatara at the banks of Saptakoshi River which is also called Baraha Chhetra, the famous Hindu pilgrimage.
