Nepal is a river runner's
paradise - no other country has such a choice
of multi-day trips, away from roads, in such
magnificent mountain surrroundings, with warm
rivers, a semi tropical climate, impressive
geography, exotic cultures, wildlife and friendly
welcoming people!
But it's not just the rivers -
as anyone who has been there will tell you,
Nepal is a magnificent holiday in its own right
- a fairy tale land of temples, mountains, dramatic
festivals, exotic culture, colourful
people, medieval villages, superb craft shopping,
great food and sights - the bonus is some of
the World's best rivers!
Rafting
in Nepal is usually a 'wilderness' experience
in that most rivers don't have highways alongside
them - but it's a soft, tamed, wilderness with
white beaches for camping, clean blue rivers,
friendly locals and few 'nasties' - someone
described it as 'blissful escapism'!
Incredibly inexpensive, Nepal
is a peaceful democratic country where rafters
and kayakers get a warm welcome as one of
the best forms of ecotourism.
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.
Here are some of the popular rafting trips
in Nepal:
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when to go 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 time.
Safety for Rafting :
