SUN KOSHI
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
river start point: Dolalghat
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.