Karnali River Rafting

Karnali River is the longest river in Nepal. The river source lies high in Tibet near holy Mount Kailash and then descends from high Himalayan snowfields through a series of spectacular gorges and emerges onto the Terai flowing through Royal Bardia Wildlife Park. It is located in far western region of Nepal. The far west of Nepal is one of the most remote and least explored areas of the Himalayas and has only recently been opened to foreigners. During your rafting time you are provided with a life-vest, one helmet and paddle to put on all time while you are on the river. A trained professional river guide heads the rafting team. We provide all camping equipment and meals. You need to bring with you shorts and a T-shirt or swimwear for on the river, suitable footwear for wearing in the raft, warm clothing for the evenings, a towel, sun block and your camera. A flashlight is also useful. Also you need to tell us if you are a non-swimmer, or not very confident in the water. It is essential that you inform us of any medical conditions that may affect your well being on the trip.

Your trip starts from Kathmandu to Kalyandada via Birendranagar which involves a 22 hour bus journey. (Or a one hour flight to Birandranagar, then a 2 hour bus journey). From Kalyandada there is a 2 to 3 hour trek to Kareleghat, the put-in point for rafting on Karnali River. The 180km river action takes between 6 to 7 days. Bus transportation is provided from the take-out point of Karnali river rafting at Chisapani to either Pokhara (10 hours) or Kathmandu (16 hours). There is an orientation meeting early in the evening before the trip, providing you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have, to meet your fellow rafters and your raft guide and team. The next 8 days, we raft through steep canyon country and spectacular jungle scenery. This is one of the finest stretches of whitewater in the world. We raft expedition-style carrying all food and equipment with us in the rafts. We float through very sparsely populated remote areas and it is not until the final days that we encounter villages of any significant size.