Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting in Nepal

Whenever you think about Nepal, whitewater Rafting and Kayaking usually are not the initial issues that spring into mind, well at least it was not for me personally. More probable images of Kathmandu, rice paddies, Everest as well as the mysterious Himalaya pop in your head. So you can imagine my surprise after i got to Nepal and found themselves rafting and kayaking well over 10 x!

When you arrive in Thamel or Pokhara (the primary touristy area’s in Nepal) you can find travel agents all around us, and that i immediately decided rafting was something I needed to do within my period in Nepal. The 1st decision to generate is which river to go on. Nepal offers most of the worlds best rivers, which range from a gently flowing river to many of the fiercest whitewater on earth. So according to your experience and thirst for adrenaline, there’s most definitely something for any person! The very best times to visit are between March-June or September-October; although trips will run all year round the river is going to be at its highest, fastest, and a lot exhilarating over these months.

Picking a company to go with can prove somewhat tricky though! There are plenty of travel specialists lining the streets, however, choosing one between your other is actually impossible…Each of them offer virtually the identical prices, nearly the exact same trips and promise a good time in your life! However there are plenty of companies available, it’s really a shame to express that are just after your hard earned money. You will need to find a registered company that have safety procedures in place. I ended up using GRG’s Adventure Kayaking. Having met Maila, the business owner, a few times around Thamel I trusted that he would deliver what he promised, and after doing some research I stumbled upon that he’s currently the best Kayaker in Nepal, having only won the Himalayan Championship for the second time, I felt I’d made the best decision and could be in safe hands.

The journey for the river was amazing in itself. Appearing out of the valley you are greeted by a more common life style. Women working hard in the rice paddies of their saris, looking more glamorous than I possibly could ever achieve! kayak in pokhara carrying their books on his or her heads walking along the highway to school; Gorgeous mountains without anyone’s knowledge; Random Buffalo dotted throughout the scene to call only a few things we saw on the journey on the river. After Two hours of staring hypnotised the window we reached a little village prepared for all your rafting needs. There was clearly a little shed (just like usually the one imagine Mary and Joseph stumbling upon! ) to get changed in, toilets, tea, biscuits, water, all you have to before you begin per day for the river!

When going to the start point, I realised I had created made the most suitable decision in picking GRG’s. There was about 20 rafts arranged and waiting to select various companies and ours was on your own with any safety kayakers. You can observe where GRG’s got their logo ‘SAFETY FIRST’ from!

And this could it have been, Maila and the team got everyone suited and booted in life jackets, helmets, (depending on the weather, splash jackets were available) after an extremely informative safety talk we had been off! Immediately greeted by our first rapid, aptly named ‘Good Morning’ as that first splash inside your face and down your T-Shirt definitely awakens you!

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