The Karnali

The river begins its life near to Tibet’s holy Mount Kailash. It carves its way through the Tibetan plateau and through the Himalaya into Nepal’s lush western forests. After the snow melt this river becomes a raging torrent with huge rapids which offers brilliant rafting and kayaking. A highlight is the 7km long gorge which is one long raging rapid that sucks you in one end and spits you out the other (in one piece). This is one of the Nepal’s must do rivers.
Not only is the river a gem for its white water, but it’s course travels through a relatively unpopulated area, filled with pristine jungle allowing the paddler good chances of viewing the abundant wildlife like deer, leopards, tiger, jackals, mongoose, monkeys and small brown bears. Although the river is remote, the bus ride and short trek to the start point is pleasant and extremely scenic making it a worth while all round trip.

Rafting

Continuous white water and rapids on the first half of the river make this a brilliant rafting trip. The river passes through some deep canyons that can be compared to a “thrill a minute roller coaster ride”. It’s a trip for Paddlers with a little previous rafting experience and those who want a complete white water wilderness experience in Nepal.

Kayaking

The Karnali is a sensational river for the experienced Kayaker with plenty of big rapids, surfing waves and well defined eddies and lots of scope for play boating. Most of the action is packed into the upper half of the river, with the lower section requiring some paddling on flat water.

River Itinerary

DAY 01: An early start this morning as we cram ourselves into the bus which will meet us just outside Thamel. Bring plenty of snacks and water for the long 16 hour bus journey. We crash in a guest house over night for a well earned rest. A better option is a flight to Nepalgang and a shorter six hour bus journey; of course this depends on your budget.
DAY 02: Things get exciting today as we transfer into a truck with all the gear and take the class 5 road to the beginning of our rafting trip. We take lunch and set up the rafts at which point your guides will issue you with the standard rafting equipment, a paddle, a helmet and a life jacket. We then head to the river for our safety briefing. We have an easy afternoon of rafting before landing the boats at a secluded beach and making our camp. After the hustle and bustle of our long journey we will all relax in quite surroundings and savor the beginning of our epic journey.
DAY 03-08: The days that follow are going to be one wild ride from rapid to rapid and from one pristine white sandy beach to the next. Our team will bond together and before long be running the rapids with confidence and a good lot of paddling coordination. We will have one rest day along the river which gives a good chance to have a beach party, rest and relax and play a few games. For the most part our camps will be isolated and remote allowing ourselves to ourselves. The river is banked densely with jungle and has some truly breath taking scenery. The last couple of days the river flattens out, allowing us to relax and enjoy wild life spotting, though swimming is not recommended due to the resident giant fish eating crocodiles!!
DAY 09: We meander down the river this morning and for the first time in eight days come across signs of modern civilization in the form of Chisopani, our take out point. We have a last lunch on the banks of the river before another mammoth drive back to Kathmandu, or a shorter two hour drive to the airport and our flight back to town where we will have one wild after party.

Karnali Rafting and
Kayaking

Departure: 9th, 20th October, 15th November or On request

Min group size: 6 paddlers

Kayakers are more than welcome
to join rafting trips.

Contact us to join on this wild
rafting expedition

River Map