Overview

The KaliGandaki begins its journey high on the Tibetan plateau in the kingdom of Mustang. Plunging its way down through the Himalayas, the river carves the deepest gorge in the world between the two 8000-meter peaks of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. The Kali Gandaki was first opened to commercial use in 1991. The journey descends through challenging white water, unique cultures, and amazing beaches. When not negotiating rapids, time on the river can be spent under cascading waterfalls and enjoying the backdrop of the Annapurna ranges. Both experienced and novice rafters will love it. Being one of the holiest rivers in Nepal, every river junction on the Kali Gandaki is dotted with cremation sites and above-ground burial mounds.

Highlights

DEPARTURE POINT: Pokhara
RIVER START POINT: Maldhunga
RIVER FINISH POINT: Mirmi
OUTWARD TRAVEL TIME: 3 Hours
RETURN TRAVEL TIM:E 5 Hours
Meals: Day 1 = Lunch & Dinner Day 2 = Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Day 3 = Breakfast & Lunch
ACCOMMODATION: 2 Nights riverside beach camping
SEASON: Sept - June, Best : Oct - Dec and Mar - June

Day 1 :

one

Meet at the office as per time arranged by your expedition leader at the pre-departure meeting. Then we travel by our private bus to the river starting point of the trip. This is a spectacular drive through villages and if weather permits, you will have fantastic mountain views, i.e. Ganesh Himal, Langtang, etc. Upon arrival in the camp, lunch will be served. After early lunch, your expedition leader will deliver a safety talk and provide all paddling gear for the trip. first day rafting provides about three and half hour of pure white water. After a long series of class 3 rapids, we drop into the first class 4 drop known as Gerbil In The Plumbing. From here there is a stretch of class 3 whitewater and then we come to the crux of the day, which is a long, technical rapid called 'Frog in a Blender'. After this rapid, we settle down for about twenty feet, and then it's back into the soup with a long series of class 3+/4- drops, which lead us into a nifty little rapid called Carnal Knowledge of a Deviant Nature. The remaining ten kilometers of river is a non-stop series of class 3 and 4 drops terminating into short pools, with the next drop just a few feet away. The river flows through a beautiful narrow canyon with lush green vegetation and waterfalls coming in from the steep stone walls. At the bottom of this stretch is a rapid called ExLax. Just before we hit the village of Barabise, we load all the boats onto our bus and drive back to our camp, change your wet clothes, enjoy the scenery and late in the evening have dinner and camp.

Day 2 :

Two

Early morning, have hot drinks and breakfast, then pack your gear. You have the second chance to show how your raft team can work well together in challenging rapids. We have lunch on the river and continue the action until the takeout point. We run the top stretch again in the morning, though most people don't recognize it the second time through. Today instead of getting out at Barabise, we continue on down through the center of town and onto a short flat stretch. Upon reaching the dam, the entire gradient of the last kilometer fulminates into fifty meters of incredibly steep and technical rapid known as 'The Great Wall'. 'The Great Wall's one redeeming feature is that there is a pool at the bottom, because right after the pool is an incredible rapid called 'Liquid Bliss', which leads directly into a rapid called 'Fake Right Go Left', which leads directly into another rapid called 'My God, What To Do?'. The trip ends with a bang on a long series of drops known as 'Dazed and Confused'. Without a doubt, this is some of the finest whitewater rafting to be had anywhere. Our trip ends by midday. Once you get their load up all the kits on the bus, drive back to KTM.