Rapid names:
Meat Grinder, Punch & Judy, Valentino, High Anxiety, Jaws El Wasto, Rakshi Roller, Dead Man’s Eddy, Big Dipper
This is one of the ten best whitewater rafting trips in the world. Big rapids, warm water beautiful scenery and great camping make this a classic multi-day river trip. It is a great trip for intermediate as well as advanced kayakers and the river is at its best in medium to high flows.
A new road is under construction down a small part of the top section of the river and on completion, this will allow a 6-day trip.
The River
Sun Koshi means the ‘River of Gold’. Perhaps the river got its name after the gold that is sometimes panned from the river gravels or alternatively, it refers to the ornate colour of the water in the monsoon when it is thick with alluvial silt. The river rises near Tibet and is joined by the Bhote Koshi just downstream from Barabise. Most raft trips start here, below Dolalghat, where the section is normally run as a one day trip.
The Sun Koshi flows eastwards in Nepal through the great valley between the Mahabharat Lek Mountains and the Himalayas. It forms a watershed for most of eastern Nepal, gathers strength from tributaries draining the highest mountains in the world, and emerges onto the northern plains of India where it joins the Ganges.
The river volume increases considerably with the flow from these tributaries. In November, the flow at Dolalghat is about 100 cubics. Lower down the river, through the big rapids of the ‘Jungle Corridor’, the flow would be about 400 currents which is approx. 11,000 cfs-a typical low flow on the Grand Canyon of Colorado. At the take-out point at Chatra, the flow is a mighty 800 cubics, which is still only a fraction of monsoon levels!
This is a large volume river where most of the major rapids are formed by seasonal debris brought in by side streams and loose rock falls. Thus, the rapids keep on changing from year to year depending on the severity of the monsoon. For example: El Wasto, a big class 4, never existed as a named rapid until 1993. Most of the rapids mentioned above will be there, but expect new ones and some existing ones to disappear.
What to Bring:
- Sleeping Bag
- Foam sleeping mattress
- 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.
