RAFTING & CANYONING THROUGH NEPAL
Highlights
Raft down pristine Himalayan rivers
Learn from Buddhist monks at the famous Kopan Monastery
Camp under the stars by the riverside
The adventure takes us down the famous Trisuli, Budhi Gandaki and Marsyandi Rivers – these stunning rivers have fun rapids along with relaxing interludes where we can view the beautiful surrounding landscape. At the end of each day we’ll be camping by the riverside where we will learn various skills like how to pitch tents, start campfires and all essential skills that are often lost when living in urban environments.
In addition we will also have the opportunity to go canyoning, which in Nepal mostly involves abseiling down pristine waterfalls and sliding down natural water slides.
Our 8-day adventure culminates in the ancient Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, where Buddhist monks will teach us about in general life lessons and positive thinking to help us understand what it really means to be Nepali. This is a perfect way to finish the trip, as these ideals will be fresh in our minds as we return back home and they will hopefully remain with us for a lifetime.
An Overview
All of our team-building adventures have been designed to encourage collaboration, teamwork and leadership skills, and our rafting & canyoning trip is no different. When your group joins us they will very quickly need to learn how to work together in order to navigate the rapids of the awesome rivers we’ll be rafting, as well as face individual fears when abseiling down pristine waterfalls while we go canyoning. No doubt there will be difficult moments, and the members of your team will need to come together to help each other finish each day as strong as they began it.
A physically committing trip, this experience is also a lot of fun, and will leave you feeling a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you finish together.
A Mountain Quests team-building trip will not be complete without a few curveballs thrown in, and if you allow is, we will also make things a little competitive by assigning teams and tasks throughout your week with us.
An undoubted highlight is when we visit the Kopan Monastery at the end of our time in Nepal, learning to meditate from highly experienced Buddhist Monks, who furnish us with skills to clear the mind, reduce stress and allow a greater level of mental clarity that we can use in our daily lives.
The Itinerary
Our Mountain Quests team will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. Today is a free day to rest from your flight, settle in, check your gear and perhaps do some shopping while in the Capital. In the evening we’ll have a briefing for the trip, where we can discuss the day to day itinerary in detail.
After breakfast in the hotel we’ll start the day with a 3 hour drive out of Kathmandu to the start point for our white water rafting adventure! We’ll stop at Galaundi and meet the rafting team by the river, where they will provide a briefing about safety and rafting commands/signs. Then we’ll hop in the water and quickly practice what we just learnt. Then we’re off to hit the rapids for about 1 hour until we reach our destination at the White Water Nepal Camp. This beautiful camp is right by the river and has all the facilities we need to be nice and comfortable. We’ll have a lovely lunch by the river and then we’ll jump straight back in the water for another 1 hour rafting session. Once we finish we’ll take a short drive back to the camp where we’ll sleep for the night.
The rafting team will prepare breakfast for us and the food is superb since it is all fresh ingredients. We’ll then hop on the bus and take a 3 hour journey up towards Arughat. Instead of taking a long boring bus ride the whole way we’ll actually be stopping off and trekking the rest of the way up to Arughat, which will take around 4 or 5 hours. Eventually we’ll reach our campsite but instead of there being a camp ready made for us, we’ll have the opportunity to learn how to pitch our own tents and also how to start our own campfire. When everything is set up we can pull out the s’mores and relax around the fire. You’ll even get the chance to learn about basic kayaking techniques next to the camp for those that are interested. Then we’ll go to our tents for a good nights sleep.
I hope your muscles aren’t too sore yet because today is going to be a long one! After we pack up camp and fuel up from breakfast, we’ll jump back on the rapids for a long 5 hour rafting session all the way back to our original White Water Nepal Camp. Then we’ll have a well deserved feast to end the day and we can chat around the fire about of our favourite parts of the day.
Today will start of with a 2 hour drive up to a village called Turture, which is the start point for our rafting. By now our rafting skills will be on point and we’ll be navigating the rapids with ease as our guides shout out the rowing commands. As always we’ll have a mixture of adrenaline pumping rapids with calm moments where we can see various riverside villages where eager onlookers will be waving out to us. When we reach the end we’ll have lunch by the river before we get on the bus to drive back to the White Water Nepal Camp for the night.
Once we finish breakfast at the camp, we’ll be heading out by foot to do something quite special! After a short hike we’ll arrive at one of the best canyoning locations in Nepal. We’ll learn everything we need to know about rope safety before we start abseiling down the group of incredible waterfalls for about 3 hours. Some of these waterfalls are over 40m! Then when we’re finally back down to Earth we’ll finish the day with a relaxing 2 hour hike through an awesome village all the way back.
Our final day of rafting! Today we’ll be rafting down the Trisuli River, which has various exciting rapids and we’ll even get a chance to have a quick dip during the calm interludes between the rapids. Then we’ll take a quick bus ride back to the camp where we will have a celebration lunch with our amazing rafting guides one last time before we head back to Kathmandu. When we get back to the hotel we’ll clean ourselves up and hit the town for a big group dinner where we can reminisce about our favourite parts of the journey.
After a well-deserved rest in a cosy bed and a hearty breakfast, our adrenaline levels will finally be given a chance to settle down. Today will be we’ll be heading out into the city to do something quite special. We’ll drive over to the ancient Kopan Monastery where we will be learning directly from Buddhist monks so not only do we get to see the Nepali culture, we also get to fully understand the Nepali way of thinking. We’ll mainly learn about how to be a better person in everyday life, practice techniques that focus your mind etc. Once we finish this memorable experience, we’ll then head back on the bus and drive to the airport for your flight back home. It’s been a pleasure guiding you on this trip and we hope to see you again soon!
Heath And Safety
Access to quality medical care will vary depending on our location. In Kathmandu hospitals are easily accessible and the ones we use are comparable to international, Western, standards. Along the trip access to medical facilities is extremely limited. For small problems such as blisters, mild sprains and strains, scratches and bruises, our professional trained guides can assist. For more serious issues that required hospital treatment, we would need to call for helicopter evacuation to the CIWEC Clinic in Pokhara.
We have excellent links to multiple helicopter companies to arrange efficient evacuation should the need arise. It is important that students are covered with the correct insurance to deal with this, and we can assist with how to apply for this. All of our guides are first aid trained, and your head guide is trained in wilderness first aid by the American Red Cross. We have with us at all times a full and well-equipped medical kit. The contents of this can be shared with you prior to departure.
Participants are required to provide us information on dietary requirements, allergies and their health and travel insurance before departure. All allergies and dietary requirements can be taken into consideration and managed.
FAQs
How long is the day of rafting?
A typical day of rafting can range from 2-6 hours. We will also be hiking on some days and they will range from 2-4 hours long.
What is the weather like?
During the morning and night it will be cold but it will be warm during the day. It might rain and this likelihood increases at certain times of the year. The best time to travel is April-May and September to November
What is the canyoning like?
The waterfall canyoning is quite high (up to 40 meters) and it is quite committing because of this. We highly recommend practicing some abseiling on a rock-climbing wall to get used to the heights and activity.
Health and safety?
All of our rafting and canyoning guides are professionally trained and registered with the Nepal rafting association and have full first aid qualifications, specific to water and wilderness situations. We will also have additional safety kayaks and a catamaran that will accompany the rafts.
What is the accommodation like?
In Kathmandu we will be staying in a good quality hotel (3 star rating). During the rafting we will be staying at a nice riverside camp called White Water Nepal Camp and on one day we’ll be camping in tents by the riverside.
What clothes do I wear?
We will provide a full kit list. This trip does not require extensive kit and equipment.
How fit do I need to be?
It’s important to have a good level of fitness for this trip. You should be active in a sport or be able to run 5 kilometers without stopping. If you are not currently fit, you can train for this trip, but it is important to be fit when you begin your trip. Please consult us if you have any concerns.
Is the food and water safe?
Not only is it safe, it’s delicious! Most of the vegetables are grown at the teahouses so the food is very fresh. Make sure the clean your hands thoroughly before eating and only drink safe drinking water. We also cater to any allergies
Inquiries?
If you have questions about this trip, would like to know more or thinking about booking this trip with us, then please contact us at: