Rapid names:
Instant Karma, Morphine, Twinkie, Good Morning and more.
Summary
Marsyangdi means “‘Raging River’ ” in the local dialect,and it is fitting description for this kind of whitewater.
This is one of the best class 4 kayaking rivers in the world with continuous, exhilarating whitewater, magnificent mountain backdrops and is recommended for expert kayakers and rafters. Please note that a new dam is being built at Phaliya Sanghu, which will ruin the Marsyangdi for kayaking and rafting, so run it whilst you can!
The River
The Marsyangdi rises on the northern slopes of the Annapurna Himal, flows east through an arid valley around Manang, and then swings south to join the Trishuli River at Mugling. Marsyangdi means ‘Raging River’ in the local dialect and this aptly describes it. Some of the rivers above Ngadi have already been kayaked. The 1980 British Expedition started from Tilicho Lake at 4920 m, but much of the upper river is considered unsuitable for river running.
The scenery is magnificent with every bend of the river opening up fresh vistas of some of the World’s highest mountains. But these views will be behind and one needs to turn their head to see the amazing scenery. Someone rightly said ‘great views but you need rear view mirrors’. The Marsyangdi is a photographer’s dream. The water is usually a clear turquoise blue; there are these huge, fantastically sculptured boulders, some spectacular white wet, green valley sides and a magnificent backdrop of the World’s highest mountains. It’s worth mentioning that although the valley has a rough road upwards and is quite densely populated; you don’t see this when you are paddling because the river is incised about 100ft into the valley floor.
The lower Marsyangdi gorges, from Bimalnagar down to Mugling, are an excellent river trip but a dam was built some ten years ago to generate electricity for Kathmandu. As a result, the water flow on this lower river is unpredictable and is now mainly limited to post monsoon. However, we include some short notes at the end of this description.
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.
