Epic whitewater rapids combined with a relaxed float
Dramatic variety of intensely remote and pristine scenery
Bardia National Park
Karnali, the longest river in Nepal, originates in the holy Mt. Kailash in Tibet and flows through deep gorges, deserted beaches, and steep canyons. Karnali river rafting is one of the best river trips in Nepal, the Karnali run can last up to ten fun-filled days. The mild Class III to fabulous Class V rapids make the ride an unforgettable one and combining fishing or jungle safari with the trip adds another dimension to the great adventure.
The Karnali is also famous for Mahseer fishing. Far removed from urban influence, this is a remote region of Nepal with frequent sightings of diverse wildlife. The river is demanding with encounters with massive rapids that test the skill of rafters. For thrill-seekers looking for an adrenaline high, it has a 7km roller-coaster ride through a fabulous gorge. Karnali River Rafting journey to the river starts with an hour-long flight to Nepalgunj and a drive to Surkhet. The put-in point at Tallo Dhungeshwor is reached after a six-hour drive through lovely sal forests. Exciting rapids are encountered from Day One. The river takes rafters through the pristine Bardia National Park and the trip ends below the spectacular Chisopani Bridge which is the longest suspension bridge in Nepal.
Karnali River Rafting is quite difficult because of its strong rapids. This river has very clean water. One can see many wild lives as well as river dolphins during the trip. Karnali River Rafting trip is possible after the long trek to reach the starting point. The main features of rafting are the magnificent forest scenery, spectacular rock formations, waterfalls, deserted White River beaches, and rare wildlife, and many local and migratory birds.
Itinerary
Show Detail ItineraryClose Detail Itinerary
In accordance with your flight schedule, we will be at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu to extend a warm welcome to you in our beautiful country for the beautiful trip. After exchanging warm welcome greetings at the arrival section, we will lead you to our vehicle to transfer you to our trip hotel. It’s a day at complete leisure on your own to relax the jet lag. But we will help you with the information to go around in case you’d like to do so.
This is a long bus journey, so be prepared with water and other necessary things required for the trip. We travel to the far west and arrive in Surkhet very late in the evening or early hours of the next morning. You are able to rest or even get some sleep here before we begin our next adventurous journey.
After breakfast, we continue our drive as far as the road goes, until about lunchtime put-in point at Dungeshwar (5 hrs). This section of the drive offers yet unspoiled scenery of charming villages and farms. We will do a short rafting trip after lunch to set up the first night's camp by the bank of Karnali.
After having breakfast, we will set off for the wild ride. This section of the river is terribly wild. Continuous rapid makes rafter forget to breathe. At this point, we can get at least one great class IV rapid in. Starting our adventurous rafting journey, we will float for around 4 hours on the rapid. We will take a break between noon, and again float for an hour before we set up our fast camp at the side of the beach for the overnight stay.
This is the type of day that people imagine when they think of Himalayan water. It is big and continuous. We enter the Jungle Corridor. This is a narrowing jungle-clad gorge and it is all ours. The team building is put into full practice and when your guide shouts "all forward " he really means it. Enjoy the ride all day and camp in this sensational setting. We will cap at the beach in between the jungle for the overnight.
More of the same including the notorious GOD's HOUSE rapid. Don't forget to take in the bird life which is equally as abundant as the lush vegetation. We will camp at Seti Dovan for the night.
It isn't over yet! Keep paddling hard! You really are experiencing the best of the west on yet another day of great action and breathtaking scenery. O/n at Jamuna village on Camp.
This is a rest day after the continuous 3 days of rafting. Use the day off to rest and dry your clothes. You can also utilize the time, to explore and enjoy the surrounding.
We see the rapids dying off as we come out of the gorge. We pass the confluence with the Seti River where the river broadens. Today, the next day and a half are a chance to enjoy your journey admiring the country and villages you pass. You will have seen the safety kayakers in action and will no doubt be inspired, so ask the guides for some supervised instruction, or take over the raft and learn about the river.
This is the final day of the river journey. We end this trip in the early afternoon at Chisopani Bridge & lunch is served there. You will get the night bus back to Kathmandu or you can enjoy Bardia National Park, which is famous for bird watching and jungle activities.
Professional English-speaking licensed guides highly trained and safety certified to international standards in Whitewater River Guiding, Swift Water Rescue, and Wilderness First Aid
Professional safety kayakers
Gear raft support
International name brand ISO/CE certified rafting equipment including helmets, PFDs, paddles, splash jackets, and wetsuits
Dry bags and Pelican boxes to keep your items dry and safe on the river
Variety of fresh, hygienically prepared meals while on the river, including tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and treated drinking water
Camping logistics and equipment including shelters, tents, simple mattresses, and sleeping bags
Round trip transportation
River permits
Industry-standard first aid kits
Excluded
Everything that's not mentioned in the cost included section.
Useful Info
What we provide:
Along with our high-quality self-bailing rafts, we provide helmets, plastic paddles, wetsuits, lifejackets, and a first aid kit.
We provide plentiful, healthy, and hygienically prepared food and drinks. Tents and sleeping mats are also provided. Sleeping bags can be supplied upon request.
All our equipment is of the highest quality, clean, and well maintained.
Classification of rivers:
Maintaining the highest standard of safety and service, river trips have been classified in accordance with the status of water flow, rapids & remoteness.
CLASS I Easy: Small rapids, fast-moving water with riffles and small waves, few obstructions, minimal risk to swimmers, and the possibility of self-rescue.
CLASS II Novice: Gentle straightforward rapids with wide and clear channels and slight maneuvering required.
CLASS III Moderate: Exciting rapids with irregular waves and hazards, strong eddies, and current and skilled maneuvering required.
CLASS IV Very difficult: Raging Rapids, powerful maneuvering required, and turbulent water flow.
CLASS V Extremely difficult: Long and very violent rapids with several hazards, unavoidable waves, and holes or steep, congested chutes with complex demanding routes, a high degree of danger to swimmers, expertise, and reliable high-quality equipment required for safe passage.
CLASS VI Unruinable: Challenging rapids, high chances of death and destruction of equipment, and very slim chances of rescue.
Name and Class of River:
Trishuli II+ to IV
Seti Karnali III to IV+
Seti III
Bheri III+
Arun IV
Sunkoshi IV+
Tamor IV to IV+
Kali Gandaki IV to V
Karnali IV+ to V
Marshyangdi IV+ to V
Bhotekoshi V
Tamakoshi V TO V+
Safety:
In Himalayan Scenery Treks and Expedition, your safety precedes every other thing. Before you begin your white-water rafting, our professional rafting guide will thoroughly brief you about the necessary safety measure and rafting guidelines you need to follow, while you are on the river.
As your safety is our utmost priority, we have made the rafting journey the safest. The rafting trip is piloted by a river guide professionally trained in emergency wilderness first aid and swift-water rescue. Rafters venture into a river trip with safety jackets, flotation devices, helmets, and river-friendly clothes. We use a high-quality inflatable rubber raft capable of giving extraordinary performance, agility, stability, and maneuverability. Our rafts can swift through the wildest and strongest of waves and guarantee a hundred percent safety.
Best Month for Whitewater Rafting:
The best time for rafting is from March to May and September to November. Temperature can get colder in January and February ranging from 7° to 20° C. For the rest of the month, the temperature remains a minimum of 18° to a maximum of 30° C. Monsoon rafting can be arranged on the Trishuli river.
Clothing & equipment:
You are required to bring some shirts, T-shirts, socks, a hat, suntan lotion, sunglasses with string, river shoes or flip-flops, a flashlight, personal medication, a couple of shorts and pants for the evening and morning, a sweater or a jacket.
The company provides rafts (the number of rafts depends on the size of the group), safety devices, sleeping bags, mattress tents & kitchenettes.
Rafting Guide:
For rafting, we provide you with a professionally trained English-speaking rafting guide for your rafting journey. The guide provided to you is highly experienced and has thoroughly versed in the topography and nature of the river. The guides are professionally trained for swift water rescue and emergency wilderness first aid, so you don’t have to stress over your wellbeing. Our skilled guides are also able to read river features and move the boat in a way so that everybody stays safe and has fun. With the excellent expertise and guidance of our guide, we assure you will have a great time doing white water rafting.
Cost of the Trip:
The cost of each trip depends on the duration of the trip and group size, the higher the group size lower the cost. The cost usually includes All full board camping service and transportation to the put-in point and back from the take-out point by private coach, all safety equipment, etc.
Cost does not include alcoholic beverages, personal clothing, expenses of personal nature, and insurance.
A Typical Day on the River:
Basically, we start our day with a briefing on the trip and the safety measures you need to adopt. After the briefing by the river guide is finished, the rafting journey begins. In a day we will raft for around 4 – 5 hours. After sometimes of rafting through the challenging rapids, we stop at the sandy beach for lunch. Finishing up with lunch, we will raft over water for an hour or two and end the rafting journey for the day. For a multi-day rafting journey, we set up the camp by the riverside. Once we arrive at the camping site, we can wander around nearby locality or simply relax basking in the splendor of nature. Camping overnight by the riverside gives us time and opportunity to share our views, feeling, and experiences under an open sky of sparkling stars.
Why Book With Us?
Best price
Best safety records
Easy payment processing
Customizable trips as per your needs
Departure for every booking
Best customer care
Specialized care and considerations
Easy cancellation conditions
Booking Requirements
Please provide us with your full credentials or a copy of your passport. Give your weight so that preplan your group’s trips for proper weight distribution. You may deposit 10 to 20 percent advance of the total package amount while booking. You may pay the rest of the amount before the trip. You can also pay us by card, bank transfer, or online. Please visit here for payment details.
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to make your trip, let us know in advance. We will refund you as per our booking terms and conditions and available time frame. At times, there might be delays or cancellations of flights due to weather and unforeseeable reasons. In such cases, we will make our best effort to adjust your bookings and rearrange the schedule.
Still Need Help!
Please feel free to contact us. We will get back to you within 1-2 business days. Or just call us now
We did the Annapurnas sunrise + 2 days in Pokhara. The Annapurna sunrise was fantastic. The views are spectacular. Our guide, Amar Maga, recommended we change the initial itinerary and it was the best idea. We did a very beautiful trek with a fantastic accomplishment, Amar (guide) and Dawa (porter). 100% recommendable (trip + Amar + Dawa)
C
Cesard0ming0From: Spain,April 15, 2023
Memorable trip to Nepal
Just returned from one of the best trips of my life visiting the beautiful country of Nepal with a group of friends.Nepalese seem to be one of the most friendly and trustworthy people .Visited Kathmandu and then a tour to Pokhara ,trekking up to Pun hill to have a grand vista of Annapurna range. The guide, Amar was very supportive and friendly, and looked after all of us well. We had to change our trekking plans he was quite accommodative and got everything sorted out for us and did his best to make sure we had the best possible experience both culturally and in trekking. Safari at Chirwaan and we were lucky enough to have a glimpse of Bengali Tiger and a bear, and quite a few Rhinos. Now back home with memories to treasure for a life time.
