Hermitage Travels & Tours

Rafting in Nepal

SHORT RAFTING TRIPS:
These trips can be supplemented as add one to trekking and other touring trips.

The Milky Way - The Seti - 3 days: White warm water meanders through limestone gorges giving Seti (white) her name. This is a short trip away from the hustle and bustle of the highway. The Seti river has friendly rapids, which are ideal for first timers, families and bird-watchers. Put in is at Damauli, which is 150 km from Kathmandu and 45 km from Pokhara.

The trip starts with a drive to Damauli either form Katmandu or Pokhara. Lunch will be served shortly after arrival. Following lunch the rafting begins. Camp is at a clearing near the forest. There will be ample opportunity to interact with the locals, as we will take you on a hike to the villages and schools. The next camp is at Sarangkot, followed by the final day on the river – we raft to Ghaighat, the put out point. From here you have the option of driving back to Kathmandu or extending your trip to the Royal Chitwan National Park.
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The Three Sisters - Trisuli 1 to 3 days: Trisuli - literally a trident - is very popular with rafters and kayakers alike. The course running alongside the Kathmandu-Pokhara /Chitwan highway, passes through impressive gorges and exciting rapids. Good for beginners and senior citizens. Due to its accessibility, the rafting program in Trisuli can be enjoyed for one to three days.

Other Short rafting trips can be operated in Bhote Koshi 2 days and Kali Gandaki 3 days.

LONGER RAFTING TRIPS: These trips are longer and far more challenging. The rapids are grade 5+. Once started there is no going back until the put out point is reached.
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THE SUN KOSHI EXPEDITION: 9 Days. Sun Koshi - correctly pronounced as "SOON KO SHE", is one of the tributaries of Sapta Koshi, which drains from the eastern Himalaya region. Sapta Koshi (The Seven Koshi's) is the largest river system in Nepal, extending well into Tibet. Once in the river all communication with the rest of the world is lost, giving a real wilderness experience. The stretch is 272 Kilometers (170 miles). During the first two days of the expedition clients have ample opportunity to brush up on their paddling techniques. World-class rapids are encountered on the third day. The rapids are rated three to five on Colorado River scale. Apart from some gentle floats, you will encounter the Meat Grinder, Punch, High Anxiety, Motorcycles and a series of Harkapur I, II & III. An other series of rapids, all encountered within three hours are No Guiche, Dummy To The Wall, Roller Coaster, The Wall, Horror Dally, El Warto and Rhaksi Roller. A few exciting rapids await before put out point is Afternoon Delight, The Black Hole, Whipyshit and finally The Mad Water. The river then gently spreads wide open into the low lands of Terai breaking up in an inland delta. Put out point at Chatra is 115 meters above sea level.

The trip can be further extended to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve for animal enthusiasts. This place is a sanctuary for migrating birds, which fly all the way from the North Pole. Among the famous are the Siberian Crane. (All along the river the common sights are river chats, dippers, flycatchers, sibias, wall creepers, bulbuls, forktales, ibisi bills, cormorants are among the 400 species of birds to name a few and 250 types of orchid).

THE KARNALI EXPLORATION: Karnali is one if the largest river system in
Nepal. Karnali and its tributaries drain the vast region of Dhaulagiri to Api Saipal (in western Nepal).
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Rafting trip of the lower Karnali River is exceptional after a long drive or a flight to Surkhet. It is a three-day trek to the put in point at Sauli. The alternative is fly or drive to Nepalgunj, followed by another 6 hours of driving. You will encounter nine days of running exiting rapids (rated 3 to 4 on the Colorado scale) at almost every bend. You will be traveling to a very remote part of the kingdom and most of the scenery is wild and in a primitive state. The ending point is usually at Chisapani (literally meaning cold water) at the National Highway. The Japanese government built a very modern suspension bridge here.

The camping beaches are fine and there is plenty of wildlife to be seen as you descend the river. Many expert rafters have found this river the most exciting of all. The first half starts with a relatively easy run, until you enter the main canyon, which is most exciting as a series of rapids greet and enthrall you. There are ample of opportunities to view wildlife on the Karnali trip. The canyons are beautiful; the beaches spacious and there are spectacular rock formations and landscapes. Bring your fishing rod along as this is going to be a great fishing cum rafting trip. Rafting the Karnali can be combined with a short and delightful safari in Royal Bardia National Park. Two night three day trip inside the Park will give you an adventure of a life time and ample opportunity to view wildlife.
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Rafting the Bramaputra in Tibet: Rafting the Bramaputra River locally known as Yarlung Tsampo has now become possible. The best time to do this trips is in the summer from May through September. We start with a drive early morning to the border town of Zhangmu. We will be on the road visiting Xeger, which offers distant views of Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side. From here we continue to the put in point. A support vehicle and a truck carrying your luggage and provisions will be there from time to time along the way. A short tours of historically and culturally important places along the way is conducted until you reach the put out point. 2 night is spent in Lhasa before flying out to Kathmandu
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