Description:
Sun Koshi River :
Rapids: Meat Grinder, Punch and Judy, High Anxiety
Class II - VI
Sun Koshi, the "River of Gold" rises near the Tibetan Plateau and flows eastwards traversing through the great valley between the beautiful Mahabharat range. It forms the main watershed for most of the eastern parts of Nepal and it is fed by the tributaries drained from the world?s highest mountain and finally emerges into the Northern plains of India and then joins the holy Ganges. The major rapids are huge with bouncy waves, drops and holes similar to the rapids in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Along the river are beautiful white sandy beaches for camping and the lower section of the river is covered with thick vegetation, which inhabits monkeys, gharials, leopards and an abundance of bird life.
Sun Koshi is one of the preeminent whitewater rafting rivers in Nepal and is the longest trip offered in the Himalayan Kingdom. We start rafting from more... the hilly region with our put-in-point at Dolalghat just three hours drive from Kathmandu and end up at Chatara, far down in the plains, just a week later.
The rustling waters of Sun Koshi tumbling down from the snow-capped mountains passing through the hills and plains, great gorges and canyons offers a fascinating river trip. The rafting trip on Sun Koshi starts off with small class II and III rapids, which helps the rafters to warm up and hone their rafting skills, preparing themselves for the challenges ahead. From the third day, the rapids become more immense and frequent with high torrents that overwhelm everyone to witness giant waves on the river beyond ones imagination. And Sun Koshi still reserves some of its biggest rapids for the last days.
With the world-class rapids, stunning scenery, great camping sites, tranquil evenings, vibrant culture and bounteous wildlife ? almost four hundred species of birds such as river chat, dipper, flycatcher, wall creepers, bulbul, fork tale to name a few and two hundred and fifty different species of orchids, all makes this one of the world?s ten classic river journeys a unique experience. Your ultimate adventure of nine days ends only after you cover 210 kilometers of the wild stretches and calm flows.
Our journey of Sun Koshi ends here, but the mighty river keeps flowing with its tributaries - Rosi Khola, Junga Khola, Tama Koshi, Dudh Koshi, Rasuwa Khola, meeting Arun and Tamur rivers at Tribenighat thus forming gigantic Saptakoshi to meet the holy Ganges in India.
Sample your day?
Day 01 - Dolalghat - Kuire Bhir:
We depart from Kathmandu at about 7.00 AM and drive for about 3 hours east of Kathmandu to our put-in-point on the Sun Koshi river at Dolalghat. Here we rig the rafts and after a brief safety talk we are on the river. In the beginning the river is peaceful, leisurely and a good introduction to local village folks and wildlife.
We stop for lunch on one of the many sandy beaches that flank the river. An introduction to one of the many gourmet meals that follow. In the afternoon we pass through small villages and temples and camp a few kilometres above one of the many named rapids called "KOOYEY BHIR" OR "MEAT GRINDER". While the crew pitch up tents and prepare dinner one can explore the area or help the crew.
Day 02 - Khalte Chayenpur:
After breakfast we pack and leave the camp site. After 2 hours float on the placid water, we encounter the first grade 3 rapid "Meat Grinder". It is a straight run through the middle avoiding holes on the left and right. This could be the first introduction to the general type of rapids we will be going through. A few kilometres below the Tama Koshi or "River of copper" joins the Sun Koshi from the left. Unlike other modes of travel the river provides an easy access to remote areas seldom seen or visited by westerners.
After a hearty lunch we continue to explore the landscape and different ethnic groups as we float by. We camp above the second named rapid called the "CHAMEREY BHIR" or "PUNCH AND JUDY". A delicious dinner is cooked while one can sit around the camp fire and talk about life in the universe.
Day 03 - Likhu Khola:
The valley which varies in width from one half to one kilometre is never static. A few kilometres lower and we are at "Chamerey Bheer" or "Bat Cave". The crew stops to scout and chooses the most exciting way to go through the rapid. This part of the river inhabits Nepal's many ethnic groups like the Newars.
After lunch we float down going through small splashy waves enough to get you wet. Later we find a nice sandy beach and set up our camp for yet another introspective evening.
Day 04 - Harkapur:
We notice from the third day quite frequent flows of rapids and slight change in the vegetation. Today the canyon changes, the ridge begin to close in and the vegetation becomes thicker. We encounter a number of small to medium size rapids. A few kilometres below the confluence of the LIKHU KHOLA is a short rapid followed by the "LIKHU RAPID" or "HIGH ANXIETY", a long grade IV rapid.
After lunch we continue through a maze of interesting rock formations. The white water picks up. Later we camp near a small village called HARKAPUR on the next bridge to Okhaldhunga. With a few shops around, it would always be an experience to linger around the typical shops and watch the local life over a locally brewed tea or with your few puffs of cigarette.
Day 05 - Rasuwa Ghat:
The river slowly picks up speed and with a careful scouting we go through the biggest rapid called the "HARKHAPUR II". An hour and a half float down and we come to the confluence of the Sun Koshi and Dudh Koshi river. Further down from here, the river valley widens into an area of gravel and rocks that is almost 2 kilometres wide.
This afternoon we run a number of small rapids. The topography changes as we float pass many trails and suspension bridges and we will camp near Rasuwa Khola on ghat.
Day 06 - Jungle Corridor:
Today is one of the most exciting days, which begins with small rapids and continues with long and large rapids. One of the long rapids "JAWS" with a large ledge on the bottom right forms a huge hole at certain levels.
In the afternoon, we go through a few small but fun rapids, which brings us to "RHINO ROCK" a grade III rapid. This is just above the next bridge and marks the beginning of the "Jungle Corridor". This is where we camp.
Day 07 - Big Dipper:
Today we enter tropical vegetation. The river narrows into a gorge lined by thick forest. This section contains a number of consecutive rapids which are named as "COOPER CHIN", "BLACK HOLE" etc.
When we stop for lunch we can shower under any of the water falls which cascades in from both banks. The rest of the afternoon we meander through the gorge and enjoy the changing scenery. Tonight we camp on a road back bordered by a waterfall four hundred feet high and a couple of kilometres from the last major rapid called the "BIG DIPPER".
Day 08 - Tribeni Dovan:
After couple of hours float we will come to the last major rapid called the "BIG DIPPER" which is a series of the standing wave with some nasty holes and leave some weird experiences if not inspected and manoeuvred well.
Afternoon can be an easy float witnessing cremations, other activities like logging out bamboos, people being ferried across on dugouts etc. This is the area where most of the Limbus and Rais come from. They are Tibeto-Burmese people camp at the confluence of the three main rivers of Eastern Nepal ARUN, TAMUR and SUN KOSHI. From here the river becomes "SAPTA KOSHI" or the seven Koshi.
Day 09 - Chatara:
Since today is the last day on the river we pay a visit to a famous Hindu temple at "BARAH CHETRA" below Tribenighat which is the meeting of the three rivers. During the full moon in January thousands of Hindus meet at the temple to worship. Legend says that a demon God used to inhabit the area. He had special powers transferred to him by the higher Gods, preventing any mortal from killing him.
Because this Demon God was such a nuisance to the holy men and pilgrims who came to the temple to pray, Lord Vishnu descended from heaven and took the shape of a pig and destroyed the demon God. Thus every year pilgrims come to celebrate the death of the demon and Lord Vishnu's victory in the form of "BARAH" or "Pig". We end our trip after lunch at Chatara where we will unload the gear from the raft and load them all back to the bus awaiting us.
Please contact us for arranging you this package of adrenaline rushing adventure.
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