Rapid names:
Freight Train, Touching the Void, Snapshot, Flip ‘n’ Strip, Juicer, Inversion, Jailhouse Rock, Humans for Lunch, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Sweetness and Light
This is one of finest big volume rafting and kayaking trips in Nepal with spectacular yet remote, jungle-clad canyons, BIG white water and abundant wildlife.
The River
The Karnali is Nepal’s longest and largest river and with its tributaries, it drains most of the Far West of Nepal. Thus, many people call it the ‘Wild West’ and the bottom section of the river definitely lives up to that name as the area that the river flows through is wild and relatively unpopulated with some of the most pristine jungle scenery in Nepal and an abundant wildlife.
The rapids are also pretty wild with the river building to its climax in the lower canyons. Shortly after the sharp bend in the river called the ‘Elbow’ made by the Lohore Khola, the valley narrows into a series of canyons, the river speeds up and there are big rapids, one leading to another, almost continuously, down the Seti River. From the ‘Elbow’ down to the Seti, the gradient is 3m/km (15ft a mile), but after the Seti, the gradient eases as the river winds through some magnificent unspoilt scenery, eventually emerging onto the plains and flowing through the Bardia National Park to join the Ganges.
In terms of volume, the river is comparable to the Sun Koshi River but the Karnali is more constrained by its canyon walls; giving bigger, more continuous and serious rapids. This constrained nature of the river means that any increase in volume is best run at low and medium flows. In higher water, the Karnali is a serious commitment. The highest extreme instantaneous discharge measured at Chisapani was an incredible 21,700 cubics (760,000 cfs).
The high flows and gradient of this lower river has made it a prime contender for Hydro Electric Power Schemes. The proposed large dam at Chisapani will hopefully never be built but a diversion tunnel is planned through the elbow with a powerhouse upstream of jungle Ghat. Work on this project is likely to commence in the near future.
What to Bring:
- Sleeping Bag
- Foam sleeping mattress
- Personal toiletries, sun block lotion
- Light woolen sweater for camp wear
- Extra pair of shorts
- Trousers/shirts
- Flashlight or headlamps
- Open sandals (Tevas)
- Cash for drinks and snacks on the way
What’s Included:
- All meals during the rafting period
- Rafting permit, transportation by tourist or local bus depending upon the mode of transportation available at the put-in and take-out point of rafting, kitchen and camping equipments, experienced Captain.
- Cook and other staffs, group leader will be free if there are more than ten pax.
What’s Not Included:
- Mineral water, cold drinks and alcoholic beverages during the whole trip.
- Emergency evacuation, expenses of a personal nature, and member insurance.
