Rafting holiday in Nepal

country:	Nepal
departures:	This trip can be booked at a time to suit between September to November
price:	From £531 (14 days) including domestic flights only, as per itinerary
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

Rafting holidays

Nepal holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

View some of the most unspoilt and spectacular scenery on the planet, negotiate one of the finest whitewater rivers in the world, camp on white sandy beaches and ride an elephant safari through the jungle. This adventure holiday will leave you breathless with awe and achievement. Memories of the friends that you make and the cultures that you explore will stay with you for a lifetime.

Raft the Sunkoshi – The River of Gold. Considered among the ten best rivers in the world during voluminous flow, the rapids range from Class II-IV (+) and include dozens of adrenaline pumping moments. This is a versatile and continuous river running for 270 km.

There are miles of calmer water enabling time to sit back and reflect as you travel through the beautiful Mahabharat Range on its meandering way from the put-in at Dolalghat to the take out on the Gangetic plain. It is quite an experience to begin a river trip just three hours out of Kathmandu, barely 60 km from the Tibet border, and end your journey looking down the hot, dusty gun barrel of the North Indian Plain just a week later.

Spend two days in the Royal Chitwan National Park, one of the few remaining undisturbed vestiges of the 'Terai' region. Admire the opulent flora and fauna as you safari on the back of an elephant. One of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros lives in the park, which is also one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger; dolphins and crocodiles can also been seen as you canoe along the Narayani River.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrive in Kathmandu; transfer from the airport to your hotel.
Day 2:	Enjoy a day exploring the World Heritage sights around Kathmandu.
Day 3:	Drive by bus to the village of Dolaghat. On a clear day the views of the Himalayas and Mt. Everest are extraordinary. Inflate rafts and push off! Your expert guides will take this opportunity to get the team working with exquisite precision during the fairly relaxed pace and small rapids of the first couple of days. Your first day’s sights include beautiful canyons, waterfalls, lush tropical growth, a bat cave and a Shiva temple. Tonight, as every night until you leave the Sunkoshi, is spent camping on the river’s pristine, white sandy beaches.
Day 4-9:	Whitewater rafts are amazingly versatile and stable crafts, and in the care of an expert raft guide it is possible to run exhilarating lines safely and confidently. Stops are made at Tokshel, Harkapur, and everyone has time there to check out this porter town. A few kilometers downstream watch out for the famous Dudh Kosi, the ‘River of Milk’, which tumbles down from Mt. Everest. Later you will enter the Jungle Corridor, an outrageous section of rapids in a hard rock canyon with tropical forest right down to the river. At the end of the Jungle Corridor a series of waterfalls cascade in from both banks so keep your shampoo (biodegradable of course!) handy for a really refreshing shower. You will have at least one layover day where we stay at the same river camp for two nights. Volleyball, sand sculpture, hackysack, Frisbee, sun-bathing and eating are favorite activities on the layover day. You can also take advantage of this time to trek to a peak or a nearby village, or take part in the kayak workshop that the safety boaters offer.
Day 10:	The last big rapid of the trip is called ‘The Big Dipper’. After this it’s a quiet cruise down the confluence with the Tamur and Arun and the beginning of the Sapta Kosi, or the ‘Seven Rivers’. The confluence has an interesting temple to visit and, before emerging onto the flatland Terai there is another, larger Hindu temple called Baraha Chatara. Every year, on the day of the full moon in January, thousands of Hindu pilgrims mass here to pay homage to Lord Vishnu. By afternoon we have reached the takeout point and all the equipment is loaded on top of our private bus before we drive to our guest house.
Day 11:	Arrive at the Jungle Lodge deep within the Royal Chitwan National Park. Be guided through the resplendent flora and fauna on a nature walk then, after lunch, take an elephant safari to view the one-horned rhinos, leopard, guar, sloth bear and Royal Bengal tigers that live free in this beautiful, lush forest.
Day 12:	Canoe along the Narayani River to see Gangetic dolphin and Gharial crocodile. Over 525 bird species fly between the canopies so bring binoculars!
Day 13:	Drive from Royal Chitwan National Park to the nearby airport for your flight to Kathmandu where you will be transferred to your hotel.
Day 14:	Transfer to Kathmandu airport for your flight home.

how this holiday makes a difference

All our staff are carefully chosen (90% Nepalese – 10% international) for their diverse range of talents, excellent inter-personal skills and commitment-loyalty to the local customs, people and environment of Nepal. Clients are reminded to only support community projects that, in their judgment, will have a positive ecological, social and/or cultural impact. We operate to promote environmental awareness and an appreciation of the wealth and fragility of Nepal's natural resources through sound ecological, conservation and preservation practices.

Nepal, for all its massive mountain peaks and impressive geography, is actually an incredibly fragile environment. We feel an increased responsibility to protect and preserve these wild places. Not only do we leave every campsite cleaner than when we've arrived, we've taken steps to protect Nepal's rivers and the people who live along them including founding the Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT). With this in mind our policy is for minimal disturbance of any physical, social, political or cultural environment visited. We ask that visitors do not intentionally disturb any natural/domestic fauna and flora or their natural habitat and we adopt a zero tolerance attitude to littering.

The park and the local people jointly initiate community development activities and manage natural resources in the neighboring area. 30-50 percent of the national park’s revenue is ploughed back into the local community. Flora and Fauna are fully protected and must not be disturbed. Visitors are asked to respect religious and cultural sites. Littering is prohibited. The lodge is a PATA Green Leaf member. Their commitment towards conservation and bio-diversity is deep-rooted, giving them the ability to take informed measures to preserve the surroundings for future generations. Environmentally conscious practices and the use of local resources is promoted and encouraged.

We request that clients abide by any customs and respect the cultural activities of any groups they may have contact with.

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