Sunkoshi River Rafting
The Sun Koshi 'River of Gold' has been rated as one of the top ten rafting trips in the world! It is also in the list of 'must do while in Nepal'. The river rises near Shisha Pangma in Tibet and runs eastwards, draining the highest mountains of the world before emerging on the plains of India, where it joins the Ganges. Our journey takes us 270 km through some of Nepal's most remote regions giving you a unique wilderness experience. The first two days are relatively easy and allow time to train you as a team before the bigger rapids arrive. The rapids have acquired names like Meat Grinder, High Anxiety, Jaws and Big Dipper, from previous experiences on expeditions. Say no more! The calmer stretches between rapids give you time to take in the phenomenal views, swim (voluntarily) in warm water and camp on white sandy beaches. This river is a BIG volume HIGH adrenaline expedition !!!
Summary
Departure point: Kathmandu
river finish point: Chatara
outward travel time: 3 hours
river start point: Dolalghat
river grade: Class 4 - 5
return travel time: 14+ hrs.
Itinerary
Pre-departure meeting will be held at the office in Kathmandu at 6 pm the night before to clear any questions.
Day 01: Morning at 7 am meet at the Office - store baggage and finalize plans & quick breakfast then we drive Sukute Beach Adventure Camp. Lunch break - After lunch your expedition leader will deliver a safety talk and provide all paddling gear for the trip. Then we drive about 9 km up stream to Khadi Chaur the starting point of the trip. This is very good class 3 white water section excellent for first time rafter for warm up. Also this section provides you with beautiful scenery. After, couple of hours addling down we will reach our resort. Then change your wet clothes, go for hot drinks, rum punch, enjoy the scenery and late evening have buffet dinner. Have fun and chill out.
Day 02: Have breakfast pack up the gear and start rolling downs the river. The big one you will encounter today is a class 4+ rapid "Rotten Cave". We will choose our beach campsite, where dinner will be served amidst the splendor of the star-filled sky.
Day 03: Continue our trip further - today you will encounter a big class 4+ rapid " Meat grinder". It is fairly straight run down the center avoiding holes left and right. A few meters below here the Tamba Koshi joins the Sun Koshi on the left with a beach on the confluence. There is another beautiful Shiva temple overlooking the two rivers. We camp here.
Day 04: Today a few kms below the confluence of the Likhu Khola is a short, class 3+ rapid Anxiety' soon followed by a long class 4 rapid 'High Anxiety' with a large hole on the left halfway down and a series of holes at the bottom. Float a while and then Camp.
Day 05: This day starts with several class 3+ rapids then a quick stop for buying food and maybe beer. Then prepare for a big and interesting one 'Harkapur 2 and 3 the hardest rapid on the river which should be carefully scouted.
Day 06: Some kms below Harkapur, Dudh Koshi joins the Sun Koshi from the left. Below here the river widens into an arid area of gravel. You meet some small rapids and then you are into another aptly named rapid 'Jaws'.
Day 07: Today is a hard day as you will be encounter most of the grade 4+ rapids - you are straight into good exciting rapid "Rhino Rock" which is a grade 4+ followed by "Jungle Corridor" a kilometer of continuous white water. Waterfalls cascade on both sides of the river. One waterfall makes a great spot for a team shower.
Day 08: Last few days are mainly wave trains if you are interested you can try kayaking where our experts will teach you the basic skills needed to maneuver the boats or learn the Eskimo roll.
Day 09: The last stretch of river which brings you to the last class 4+ 'Big Dipper' is a series of huge standing waves. A few kms later Big Arun and Tamur joins together to form the Sapta Koshi. Then you float along on the powerful current, the hills dramatically give way to totally flat Terai and the northern plains of India. This is the end of a classic and memorable river journey. We will finish our trip around 2 pm pack the gear and then drive back to Kathmandu around 4 pm from Chatara. This takes around 13 / 14 hours.
For the 10 and 11 day expeditions you follow the same route as above and start and finish at the same times on the first and last days. There is an extra day on the 10 day expedition to allow for the fluctuations in the speed of the water. If the water is still flowing fast, you can enjoy a rest day in the middle of the trip to relax, play volleyball or go for a walk. The 10 day expedition gives the extra day rafting to allow for a slightly lower flow of water and a rest day.
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