Rivers Rafting Adventure in Nepal - The third most popular adventure sport in Nepal!
Rafting in Nepal is a popular tourist destination for an average recreational kayaker or river runner. This land is earning the reputation for being one of the best places in the world for rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Rivers in Nepal are considered holy which are ever flowing, striking, and beautiful having boundless adventure. Nepal has several options of Rafting in Nepal. You will find many rivers flowing across the country. Trishuli River (1 up to 3 days), Seti River ( 2 days), Bhote Koshi River (2 days), Kali Gandaki River (3 days), Marsyandi River (rafting and kayaking 4 days), Sun Koshi River (7 to 9 days), Arun River (rafting adventure 9 days), Karnali River (whitewater rafting 10 days), Tamur River (10 days). On these rivers you will find the world's most thrilling whitewater with a wide range of difficulties, warm water and bug free beaches for camping. All this makes a wealth of unlimited opportunities for great river rafting, kayaking, climbing, mountaineering, biking, hiking and ever popular trekking adventures in Nepal. On all our rafting trips we are accompanied by experienced guides, who all had extensive training.

The best seasons for rafting are September through mid-December and March through early May. Some rivers can be rafted from late June through to august. Nepal government has opened 16 rivers graded on a scale of 1 to 5 for commercial rafting but there are 7 main rivers which will provide you with a rewarding rafting/ kayaking experience.

The Major River Rafting in Nepal
Trisuli River Rafting
Bhote Koshi River Rafting
Kali Gandaki River Rafting
Seti River Rafting
Sunkoshi River Rafting
Marshyangdi River Rafting
Arun River Rafting
Tamur River Rafting
Karnali River Rafting

General information about River Rafting: Nepal is one of the best places in the world for river rafting. Numerous fine rivers offer excellent opportunities for rafting, canoeing and simply immersing oneself in the magnificent landscape. Nepal' thundering waters, coming from the glaciers of the mighty Himalaya, provide unmatched thrills for rafter. White water rafting is a popular water adventure sport in Nepal, All major rivers created from the Himalayas and running down the mountains offers tremendous exciting experience of white Water rafting. A river journey is one of the most enjoyable and effective ways to experience the life of rural areas & spectacular scenery of nature's beauty.

Type of Rafting: basically, rafters have chosen three types of river rafting as best rafting approaches in Nepal based on how they are arranged: they are long multi-Day trips, Medium length trips and Short Trips. Nepal Adventure Point carries out three types of river rafting according to the nature of river destination, its landscape, and rafter’s choice.

Long multi-Day trips: The Sun Kosi is the cheapest and most popular of these trips because the start is close to Kathmandu and you can drive to both start and finish points. Described as one of the 'ten best rafting trips in the World', it makes an excellent choice for most people and especially for those doing their first river trip in Nepal. The Karnali is our pick as the best overall trip. The rapids are more challenging than the Sun Kosi, add to it's remote setting, superb canyons and pristine wilderness; finish with a couple of days at the Royal Bardia Wildlife Reserve and you have a rafting trip that is probably 'Best of its kind' anywhere in the World. The Tamur could be described as a mini-Karnali, with a spectacular trek in to the start and lots of white water interest - at the right water level probably more challenging than the above rivers.

Medium length trips: If you still want an exciting multi-day white water raft trip, but your time is more limited, then the obvious choices are the Trisuli and upper Kali Gandaki. The cheapest trip is likely to be on the Trisuli but this is spoilt by the main highway that runs alongside most of it. The upper Kali Gandaki is a much finer river in our opinion and the Arun is an alternative but unfashionable option. For the experienced rafter, this is surpassed by the magnificent whitewater and scenery of the Marsyandi. If you prefer easier water, then the most accessible option is the lower Kali Gandaki this offers good scenery, jungle, wildlife and un-spoilt beaches.

Short Trips: The Trisuli is the obvious and popular choice for either white water or easier rafting. However we think that if you have 2 days and are looking for an easy trip then top choice must be the Seti River, away from roads, and with beautiful scenery. If you only have a day then the upper Sun Kosi is relatively un-spoilt and yet closes to Kathmandu. For the experienced crew, the Bhote Kosi offers two days of challenge and continuous adrenaline buzz. Nepal is now the premier destination in the world for multi-day raft trips. Here are some of the reasons and some sample paragraphs and headings from the main rafting chapter in White Water Nepal.

Rivers grading system: Rivers here are graded from class 1 to 6 with class 1 as easy-moving water with few obstacles, and class 6 being considered nearly impossible to negotiate and a hazard to life. Anyone who is in reasonable physical shape and not afraid of water can safely go rafting on rivers with grading from 1 to 3. From 4 to 6, people should be active, confident and preferably have some rafting experience. Rivers have an internationally recognized grading scale as follows:

Grade I - Flat water, (little current): These types of rivers are flat and slow moving. A river with a 1 grade listed will have some flat spots. A completely 1 graded river will be totally flat. This kind of river is good for sightseeing and relaxing.

Grade II - Bubbling current (small rapid): A grade II river has a swifter current and some small rapids

Grade III - Technical & Exciting (needs trained guide): In a Grade III river, the rapids are becoming more serious and technical. Grade III and above can only be rafted with trained guides. This is a fun river with lots of excitement

Grade IV - Seriously big rapids: This is where the adrenaline gets going; grade IV River has a fast moving current with many big drops and rapids. This kind of river is action packed and needs technical paddling.

Grade V - The hair-raising limit!: This is a serious river not for the faint hearted, with a torrent like current and huge rapids this is the ultimate in white water adventures.

Grade VI – Unrunable: Please note that most rivers contain more than one grading. For example a grade I – IV river will contain elements of all four grades, flat spots, slower small rapids and some big fast rapids. The grade also varies depending on the season and the amount of water running down the river.

Climate and best time for Rafting: Nepal's climate is dictated by the monsoon which arrives in June and usually finishes in late September. The monsoon brings torrential rains that flood the rivers so most people wouldn't want to be kayaking or rafting at this time. Peak season for tourists and for rafting is probably October through November: the monsoon is over, everything is very green, rivers are moderately high but dropping, temperatures are warm and skies are clear with fine mountain views. The only disadvantages with this time of year are that it is the peak season and airline reservations are harder to get; also you cannot be sure when the monsoon will finish: it can be a month late and this can throw your plans into chaos if you are planning on running a river where water levels are critical - as they are on many of Nepal's rivers.

The winter months from late December through to early February are cold, but skies are still clear and river levels will be low. Lots of river running groups come out over Christmas and have a great time, but you certainly should expect cold water and perhaps think in terms of wet suits and dry tops. From late February through to early April is also a good time for river running - river levels are reliably low, air temperature warm, rivers warm and blue. The disadvantage is that the air is often hazy: you cannot be assured of stunning mountain views and there may be an occasional shower of rain. In the past, many kayakers and rafters have visited Nepal over the Christmas holiday, when the facts seem to suggest that Easter might he a better

Safety: Safety is our main concern. Prior to going on the water, our guides will give you a complete safety talk and demonstration of how to deal with any situation that might occur whilst on the river. Our guides make the trip fun for you but at the same time they don’t take unnecessary risks. Though on some rivers we run high class rapids, they all within the limits of our guides. Our guides all highly qualified and experienced allowing them to give you the thrills of the river in safety. Of course there are occasions when accidents do happen, that’s why our guides have full first aid training and know how to handle such situations.

The Guide: All our guides are skilled outdoorsmen, superb chefs and great companions. Apart from their river skill, our guides love what they do and their good humor and ready smiles are sited as one of the highlights of the trip. Our guides are trained to international standards and have spent several years rowing for leading rafting companies.

Before departure: We will have a pre-departure meeting at your hotel or office in Kathmandu. Here you will meet your guide and fellow participants and have a chance to get to know each

Departure Time: Most trips depart around 7AM and travel to our put-in points. Travel time depends on the river you have chosen, but most of the best short multi-day trips are located within 3 hours drive of Kathmandu.

Timing of Raft: We usually paddle for a maximum of 2-3 hours at a time before stopping for lunch or arriving at camp with a maximum of 6 hours in one day.

Set up the Campsite: Most rivers in Nepal offer amazing white sandy beaches to set up camp. We typically sleep in open air shelters which are 100% waterproof and reminiscent of an outdoor back-packers dormitory. We do the best we can in the environment we are in to be sensitive to Mother Nature and keep our camps and rivers clean and expect that our participants follow the same practices.

A day on the River: There are no rules to running rivers other than those dictated by common sense. To enjoy and learn, the participants need to be flexible and adaptive to changing situations. With this in mind, here is what we normally plan on any river journey...

We rise at dawn, with the sun, and wander to the campfire where a huge pot of coffee is waiting. After a hearty breakfast and loading the rafts, we start rafting. We try to get on the water by around 9 AM. Once on the river, you will have to paddle hard through the rapids and cruise in between. On any of the larger volume rivers, you could say that about 30 percent of the time is spent running rapids and 70 percent cruising. The day's rafting is punctuated with a leisurely lunch break around midday, as well as stops to scout the more challenging rapids, explore temples and villages, waterfalls and other interesting sights. The length of time spent rafting is directly related to the choice of spectacular campsites. Typically, we are on the water for about 4-6 hours each day.

We get to the camp around 3 to 4 PM in the afternoon and there is plenty of time to explore and relax. On longer trips, there is always a layover day in the itinerary, which gives you a chance to do as little or as much as you wish. These areas are difficult to get to... it would be a shame to end up rushing. Evenings are spent around the campfire, drinking hot spiced rum and getting to know the people on the trip. Food is communally prepared, every day a different raft crew help with the preparation of simple vegetables. The kitchen becomes one of the main social points on the trip and without a doubt, the best place to catch up on the latest gossip or get to know someone better...

After a few days on the river, time has little meaning as the river time takes over. Having played hard all day, it's often a surprise to look at your watch before going to bed to find its only 8 pm, whereas you were sure it was closer to 10. The next day we begin all over again. Longer expeditions have the advantage of offering some real heart thumping whitewater adventure with the incredible journey aspect of a long river trip. With more time on the river, things are more relaxed, relationships progress at a more natural pace, and memories become firmly entrenched for a lifetime. Long after the whitewater has blurred into one long white-knuckled thrilled ride, the memories of a moonrise over the river and the friends you inevitably make will remain forever.
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