Location: Nepal, Asia
Departure point: Kathmandu
Put-in-Point: Jhirkhu
Take-out-Point: Lamasangu Dam
Outward travel: 5 hours
Best season: Nov-Dec, Mar-May
2 Days: Kathmandu-Kathmandu.
It’s 3½ hours drive from Kathmandu. Bhote Kosi is a beautiful mountain river without a doubt the full action packed short white-water run in Nepal. ‘Bhote’ roughly translates, as ‘river from Tibet’ so there are quite a lot of rivers with this name in Nepal and Bhote Kosi is the main branch of the Sun Kosi. The river drops steeply offering relentless stretches of grade III-IV white-water. Boulder gardens, small waterfalls, steep chutes and 90degree bends are just some of the obstacles to be overcome. This river is not typical of the big volume waters of the Himalayan, it is steep and technical and requires a reactive crew.
Day 01: Meet at the place as per time arranged by your expedition leader/guide at pre-departure meeting. Then we leave by our private transports to the river put-in point of the trip. This is a spectacular drive through villages and if weather permits, you will have fabulous mountain views i.e. Pabil, Langtang and Gauri Shanker ranges etc. upon arrival in the campsite lunch will be served. After early lunch your expedition leader/guide will give a safety talk and provide all paddling gears to participants for the trip. First day we are paddling about 3 ½ hours of pure white-water. After a long series of grade III rapids we drop into the first grade IV known as Gerbil in the Plumbing. From here there is a long, technical rapid called ‘Frog in a Blender’. After this rapid we settle down for about twenty feet, and then it’s back into the soup with a long series of grade III+ and IV- drops which lead us into a nifty little rapid called Carnal Knowledge of a Deviant Nature. The remaining ten kilometers of river is a nonstop series of grade III and IV drops terminating into short pools with the next drop just a few feet away. The river flows through a beautiful narrow canyon with lush green vegetation and waterfalls coming in from the steep stonewalls. At the bottom of this stretch is a rapid called ExLax. Just before we hit the Bazaar of Barabise we load all the gears onto our bus and drive back to our campsite. Enjoy with hard and soft drinks, then dinner.
Day 02: Early morning rise with a hot cup of tea/coffee brush teeth and have breakfast then pack your gears. Here once again you have the second chance to show how your raft team can work well together in challenging rapids. We have lunch on the river bank and continue the action until the take –out point. We run the top stretch, today instead of getting out at Barabise we continue on down through the center of Bazaar and onto a short flat stretch. Upon reaching the dam, the entire gradient of the last kilometer fulminates into fifty meters of incredibly steep and technical rapid known as ‘The Great Wall’. The Great Wall’s one redeeming feature is that there is a pool at the bottom, because right after the pool is an incredible rapid called ‘Liquid Bliss’, which leads directly into a rapid call ‘Fake Tight Go Left’, which leads directly into another rapid called ‘My God, What to do?’ The trip ends with a bang on a long series of drops known as ‘Dazed and Confused’. Without a doubt this is some of the finest whitewater rafting to be had anywhere. Our trip ends about midday. Once you get their load up all the gears on bus, then travel back to Kathmandu, 3 hours.
Kinds of Rafting:
There are essentially two kinds of rafts available - the oar-powered raft and the paddle raft. The oar-powered raft has a frame either at the back or in the middle where the river-guide sits and does all the paddling and guiding work. The paddleboat requires all participants to do their bit. Depending on the size of the raft, four or eight participants sit on the side tubes and power the boat using long paddles. It involves teamwork and more physical effort than the oar-powered boat. Paddleboats, however, capsize more easily as the are lighter and do not have the rigid structure of the oar-powered boat. On big rivers like the Sun Kosi (Class IV to V) where there are huge rapids, more care is required. In such rivers, we usually use one oar-powered boat and one paddleboat so that one acts as a rescue boat in case the other capsizes. This also gives each particpant an opportunity to ride both kinds of rafts - be actively involved in one and relax in the other. Equipment: rafts are inflatable boats made of thick rubber, usually with separate air compartments so that a hole in any part of the tube does not mean that the whole raft will deflate and collapse. Life jackets and helmets are provided as mandatory gear. Paddles may be made of synthetic alloys and fibres which are longer and more maneuverable, or they may be of plain wood coated with synthetic waterproof paint. Wooden oars are slightly heavier but break less easily. On longer trips or more demanding rivers, splash jackets may be provided.
All the gear and food will be packed inside waterproof bags and carried on the raft itself. Your cameras and accessories, stored inside the waterproof barrel, will be available for your use during the DAY. The setting up of camp and cooking will begin as soon as the campsite is reached.
Safety requirements: While on the boat, you may at times take off your helmet and lif jacket, or even jump out of the boat to take a dip in the river. Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance to consult your guide before indulging in such activities, as his knowledge of the river will help prevent you form finding yourself unprotected when hitting the rapids.
All our staff, whether guides, cooks or helpers, are trained professionals who look after your safety on the boat and your comfort while at rest. Rely on them to give you the best treat of your holiday.
Summer Season | |||
River | Trip Date | Where to start | Where to end |
Chose below | Let us know and book in advance | Depend on River | Depend on River |
Trishuli, Seti, Lower Bhote Koshi, Upper Sun Koshi | Whenever you want | Depend on water level | Depend on water level |
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