Running the gigantic waves and the intense yet predictable rapids of the crystal clear Sunkoshi (the river of gold) gives you more than just an adrenaline rush; it makes you feel something which can’t be simply expressed with words.
The starting point of the 270 kilometers long river adventure is Dolalghat or Roshi Khola (Nepalthok), which is a 3 hour drive from Kathmandu valley, and the take out point is Chatara, which is a 16 hour drive from Kathmandu.
From straightforward waves to powerful and intense ones, the rapid of the river changes from class 3 to class 4 as you move further down the river. The best seasons to gain a much thrilling and a safer experience of rafting in Sunkoshi are from September to November and May to June. Sunkoshi doesn’t just give you a thrilling rafting experience but also gives you a chance to witness the fascinating beauty of Nepal. During the trip, you will pass many ethnic villages and their culture, various species of birds and other wildlife.
The Sunkoshi rafting which starts from between the mountains of Dolalghat unites with 6 other rivers, Tamakoshi, Dudh Koshi (Milk River), Indrawati, Bhote Koshi, Arun and Tamur at the terrain of Chatara. The enthralling expedition of 10 days, away from the busy streets of Kathmandu, might just be the best rafting experience you have had so far.
We'll leave for our put-in-point Dolalghat – a short three-hour drive from Kathmandu; early in the morning. After the requisite and imperative safety and paddling instructions, we will begin our journey down the river. The start will be smooth with few rapids which will give you some practice and warm up for the rapids to come. At the end of the day, you will experience the first of many Class 3 rapids. We will set up a camp at Pachuwarghat for the night and yummy food.
Day consists of a couple of Class 2 and a Class 3 rapids while passing through the beautiful Nepalese countryside. Our camp for the evening will be Chainpur.
The day will begin with easy paddling, and the difficulty will gradually increase as we go further. The day's highlights are the thrilling and long Class 4 rapids of Meat Grinder, Punch and Judy, Pre-anxiety and High Anxiety. The day's camp will be at Jha-ga-re.
Day six will test our team spirit as we will come across the famous Harkapur I, II rapids. Depending on the season and water levels, the rapids may or may not be runnable. We'll decide as a team as safety will always come first with us. Our camp site for the day will be the beautiful Rai Ghat beach for a much-needed r and r.
We will experience the Class 4 rapids of Jaws I, and II followed by the “Dead Man’ Eddy” on day seven. After the notorious Eddy comes small rapids at the end known as “Rhino Rock” which are interesting rapids with exciting waves. The campsite for the day will be at Rasuwaghat.
The 6th day of the expedition will begin with riding the continuous rapids of Jungle Corridor and Roller Coaster. After moving further down, we’ll come across a series of waterfalls near the Jungle Cottage. We will be setting up our camp for the night nearby.
We’ll come across small rapids of the Big Dipper followed by Blackhole. Our camp for the day will be at Tribeni (meaning where three rivers meet in Nepali) where Sunkoshi joins with other two rivers, Arun, and Tamur.
On the final day of our rafting expedition, after rafting for about an hour, we’ll reach Baraha temple. After some sightseeing, it is another hour of paddling to reach our ending point of Chatra. We will leave for Kathmandu after lunch. Around 16 hrs drive in a public bus (there is an option for a direct flight from Biratnagar to Kathmandu at additional cost, please let us know beforehand).
Make it a private trip by taking over one of our dates, or you can choose your own date. Prices are sliding scale to suit the number of travellers.