Kali Gandaki River - 4 days

Dammed or not a Divine Experience
3-4 days, Grade 3+4

With 60 rapids over 60 kilometers the Kali Gandaki is a thrill a minute! Named after the goddess of destruction, Kali, this is Nepal's most holy river. Rising in the mystical region of Mustang it drops off the roof of the world only to carve out the world's deepest river gorge. As you roar through turbulent rapids, dodging huge boulders and sliding down glistening chutes into churning, frothy whirlpools, your adventure is set against the backdrop of the Annapurna range, it's surreal snowcapped peaks suspended in view through 120 km's of wilderness area and shadowy canyons of stone. As you pass isolated villages precariously clinging to terraces high above the river, you will hear the melodic calls of Namaste from the children. Locals and pilgrims alike worship Kali's holy river, and at every confluence one can see the fire rings from many cremations. Pilgrims also make the journey to the Shiva temple at Rubra Beni and greet us as we float pass. On the last day we meet the largest rapids, providing a thrilling climax to the journey of a lifetime! There are no warm up days on this river, you are straight into the action with bumpy, fast, and medium level rapids challenging you at every turn. Both experienced and first time rafters will enjoy the exciting rapids of the Kali Gandaki. At high water the Kali Gandaki is a Grade 4 river built to remind you that you are alive!

A deservedly popular and medium length of river trip is combining exhilarating white water with fine scenery. One of the famous names of Himalayan Rivers, The Kali Gandaki rises in Mustang and an enclave of Nepal Poking into Tibet on the other side of the Himalayas here; it is a flat and braided river, flowing in an arid open valley. As it tumbles down between the majestic Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna ranges, it creates one of the world's deepest gorges. The explorer Michael Peissel ran this stretch of the river in a small hovercraft in 1973 and at least two other groups have rafted and kayaked in this section. All day you have to continuous keeping paddlers busy against all technical rapids on the Kali Gandaki River. Both experienced and novice rafters love this. Nowhere else is it possible to find such diversity on a 3 day raft trip. Nice drops, sparkling chutes and turbulent rapids provide class III to IV+ runs during the fall and spring seasons.

After your exhilarating white water trip you have options either to drive or fly back to Kathmandu or to visit the Royal Chitwan National Park or again you can go for the trekking trip in the popular area of Annapurna region for few days.

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