White Water Rafting and Canyoning in Nepal
White water rafting, canyoning, camping on the banks of the Trisuli River and plenty of good times; we were on our way to an adrenaline rush of a trip. It was a last minute decision; an evening discussion with friends turned into a taxi to the airport two days later in order to board an Air Arabia flight to Kathmandu.
I had been to Nepal a few times before, but this time I had renewed excitement. For 4 days I could forget about work, forget about the heat of Dubai and just kick back with my closest mates. We landed, got through immigration and made our way through the chaos of taxi drivers and hotel reps to find Nima, the managing director of Mountain Quests, waiting to meet us and get this adventure started!
After a night in the Capital we hit the road, quickly getting out of the madness of Kathmandu and out onto the “highway” to where we would start rafting. It always amazes me how quickly you escape the city and see rural life in Nepal. After about 3 hours - filled with lots of breaks for snacks, photo opportunities and leg stretching - we finally arrived to our campsite, and rafting start point.
For the next two days we hit some amazing rapids (it was monsoon season in Nepal, so lots of big water!), abseiled down pristine waterfalls and spent our evenings in ludicrously luxurious tents. “Camping” was a massive understatement for the huge safari tents we slept in, fitted with proper beds, lamps and other things you’d expect in a hotel room.
The campsite was perfect! Each night we would fall asleep to the sound of the river rumbling away in the background, and in the morning you’d wake up to that same sound, plus amazing food and hospitality. We were super lucky though; on our second day, Olga, one of the owners of the camp, baked a delicious zucchini cake which made the camp experience even better.
The enduring memory of this trip for me however, has to be the white water rafting and canyoning. The relaxed and well-maintained camp was a positive surprise, but we came for an adrenaline fix and we got it! It was some of the best white water rafting I’d ever done, and easily the best canyoning experience. The location for canyoning was stunning, but not well known, and as a result we had the place to ourselves, which was a privilege.
Four days passed way too quickly and before we knew it we were packing up and heading back to Kathmandu. Nima got us back to the airport just like he picked us up; sending us on our way with good luck Buddhist “Khatas” to wish us a safe journey. There was only one question to answer at this stage. “Would I do it again?” The answer was a resounding yes!
Written by Raz Moussa, a regular client of Mountain Quests.
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