| Whitewater Nepal - Introduction |
| Introduction to Nepal |
| Here below are some headings and extracts from the introductory chapters to White Water Nepal - |
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Why Nepal ? Nepal is a river runner's paradise - no other country has such a choice of multi-day trips, away from roads, in such magnificent mountain surroundings, with warm rivers, a semi-tropical climate, impressive geography, exotic cultures, wildlife and friendly welcoming people! But it's not just the rivers - as anyone who has been there will tell you, Nepal is a magnificent holiday in its own right - a fairy tale land of temples, mountains, dramatic festivals, exotic culture, colourful people, medieval villages, superb craft shopping, great food and sights - the bonus is some of the World's best rivers! Forget the images of hard 'Expedition' boating - yes, there are a few rivers like this - but Nepal is just an outstanding holiday destination for the average recreational kayaker: most of the rivers in this book are class 2 to 4 - and you don't have to be anyone special to come rafting or kayaking in Nepal. Everyone we know has enjoyed his - or her - holiday here, but the one thing you do need to bring is the right mental attitude: values, especially time values, are different from ours and you do need to be more flexible and tolerant to enjoy your time here and avoid undue stress. |
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Rafting in Nepal is usually a 'wilderness' experience in that most rivers don't have highways alongside
them - but it's a soft, tamed, wilderness with white beaches for camping, clean blue rivers, friendly
locals and few 'nasties' (one of the things that we hadn't appreciated sufficiently is the happy dearth
of mosquitoes and other biting insects - this only struck us last year when we were being eaten alive
by black flies in Peru). Someone described Nepal as "blissful escapism"! Incredibly inexpensive, Nepal is a peaceful democratic country where rafters and kayakers get a warm welcome as one of the best forms of ecotourism The Country Nepal is a small country, the size of Idaho, or of Austria and Switzerland put together, but a huge country in terms of its diversity: from the highest peaks on earth to steamy jungle. It is inhabited by 20 million people of many different tribes, linked by a rich cultural and religious heritage. Straddling the Himalayas, Nepal forms a boundary and meeting point between the Indian Sub Continent and the high plateau lands of Asia. |
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It's a country where, away from the few roads, villages and towns could be straight out of a medieval
novel, with a simple life style enriched by deep cultural beliefs and joyful festivals. In modern terms
it's a poor, exotic, third world country, with difficult mountain terrain, too many people, little fertile
land, and lots of development problems. But it's also a country with a proud history, a sense of unity,
fine friendly people, a country with few roads, but wonderful rivers! |
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Geography ……….. The Rivers The People Wildlife History |
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Recent changes in Nepal I'm often asked "Has Nepal changed much in the last few years?" and yes - in and around Kathmandu it has changed a lot, but take to the river, leave the roads behind, and you will find that the real Nepal, of villages, people, mountains and rivers - remains unchanged and is as deeply impressive as ever. Those who have been before to Nepal often ask: "What's changed in the last few years since the first edition?" |
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The river running scene · A lot more people are coming to Nepal specifically to go rafting and kayaking- the message is out on the international grapevine that this is the best place in the world for a multi-day trips! · Rafting companies, both large and small have got more safety conscious - safety kayakers are now commonplace and equipment and standards generally have got better. · Local Nepali raft guides have taken up kayaking with enthusiasm and are now paddling at world class level, competing in the Rodeo World Championships. · For the rafter, there's now a wider choice of trips on more rivers (the Marsyandi and Tamur are now open to rafting), and some exciting high water trips operating at the end of the Monsoon. · New roads and cheap helicopter flights have made access easier. · Kayak clinics have really taken off as people have realised how warm and friendly are rivers like the Seti. It sounds strange, but Nepal is just one of the best places in the world to learn to kayak! |
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Nepal and Tourism General Advice for the River Runner Travel to Nepal |
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When to go Nepal's climate is dictated by the monsoon which arrives in June and usually finishes in late September. The monsoon brings torrential rains that flood the rivers so most people wouldn't want to be kayaking or rafting at this time (but it can be a great time for the expert big water kayaker). Peak season for tourists and for rafting is October through November: the monsoon is over, everything is very green, rivers are moderately high but dropping, temperatures are warm and skies are clear with fine mountain views. The only disadvantages with this time of year are that it is the peak season and airline reservations are harder to get; also you cannot be sure when the monsoon will finish: it can be a month late and this can throw your plans into chaos if you are planning on running a river where water levels are critical - as they are on many of Nepal's rivers. The winter months from late December through to early February are cold, but skies are still clear and river levels will be low. Lots of river running groups come out over Christmas and have a great time, but you certainly should expect cold water and perhaps think in terms of wet suits and dry tops. |
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From late February through to early May is also a good time for river running - river levels are reliably
low, air temperature warm, rivers warm and blue. The disadvantage is that the air is often hazy: you
cannot be assured of stunning mountain views and there may be an occasional shower of rain. Pokhara, because of its altitude of 800 metres, probably gives a fair indication of the average temperatures that most river runners may encounter: |
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Air Flying with a kayak Your Return Flight Overland to Nepal |
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How much will it cost ? Most rafting trips cost in the region of $30 to $70 a day all inclusive so if you are coming to Nepal for say a three week holiday, and a ten day Sun Kosi rafting trip then you're probably looking at a total cost in Nepal of around $800. If you are a kayaker and doing self sufficient trips then your budget will be a lot less: looking back over a few of our trips, they averaged out at $5 a day per person, including food and transport. The same is true if you go trekking: in the remote areas you will find it difficult to spend more than $5 a day, on the main 'apple pie' treks, with good food and lots of beers, you could spend $15 a day.. So if you come to Nepal for a month to go kayaking, do a raft-supported Sun Kosi trip, hire a kayak for another ten days and don't spend too long in the fleshpots of Kathmandu, you would spend about $800. Bring your own boat and go entirely self-contained and it will cost you more like $300 for a month! |
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Money Visas, Medical Insurance General information |
| You will find that English is spoken by most people you come across ….. |
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Accommodation Food On Arrival |
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Interaction with the Nepalese Nepal has a fascinating culture built upon a deep, centuries' old foundation of human traditions. We materialistic westerners usually don't appreciate just how important these traditions are to the local people and we can easily offend. This is particularly true of river runners coming into contact with remote villagers who rarely see a westerner. If you do offend, the locals are unlikely to say anything - the Nepalese are much too nice to do this - but of course it will affect the way they treat you and the way they view other westerners - family, friends and neighbours will ask "What kind of people are these foreigners?' For the westerner, the adjustment to Nepal can be quite a culture shock. We suggest that you build in time to wind down and to adjust to a way of life where human relationships and traditional values are more important than whether a bus leaves on time. Respect and patience are everything; Nepalese do not understand anger or sarcasm - if they have a problem they try to bypass it or laugh and make a joke about it. |
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Dress Code Communication Cultural tips Bargaining Begging Conservation Fires Photography |
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Maps In 1990 the Government of Finland decided to fund an aid project to assist the Survey Dept of H.M.G. of Nepal to re-survey and map Nepal using the latest accurate modern techniques. With the help of Finnmap Consultancy the Eastern part of the country was surveyed in 1992 and in just four years nearly 300 maps were produced. The lowland part of the East is covered at a scale of 1:25,000, the mountainous parts at a scale of 1:50,000. These Topo maps (often referred to as the 'Finn Maps') are available in Kathmandu from the 'Maps of Nepal' shop near the Everest Hotel and also from a few bookshops. The 1:50,000 sheets are available overseas from specialist map shops such as Stanfords in London. The British Royal Geographical Society has a full set of the maps available for reference by the public in their map library in London and the Library of Congress in the States also has a set. For many paddlers these Finn maps are too detailed and so 'Best Buy for river runners' are probably the new rafting maps being produced by the Nepal Map House - these are colour topographic maps, one for each main river, high-lighting river details and reasonably accurate as they are based on the Finnmaps. |
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Books Nepal is such an interesting, exciting and picturesque country that there are hundreds, if not thousands of books about it. We will try to recommend a few that we hope will inspire you, and open doors to further reading. We suggest as a start that you beg, borrow or buy the 'Insight' guide by APA Publications - this has magnificent colour photographs and illustrations and you will be wanting to rush down to a travel agent to buy an airline ticket! This isn't so good on boring details like where to stay and eat - the Lonely Planet guidebook is very competent on this. Our favourite and recommended best buy is the 'Rough Guide, Nepal' by David Reed, very readable and well written by someone who has enjoyed exploring the whole country including a lot of out-of-the way places of interest to river runners. If you are planning a self-sufficient trip, then you should consider buying a trekking guidebook. Stephen Bezruchka's 'Trekking in Nepal' is an excellent authority and covers the whole country but the Trailblazer Guidebooks to each main trekking region are more detailed and user friendly. If you're in Kathmandu for more than a day or two then we strongly recommend 'Kathmandu Bikes and Hikes', by James Giambrone, from APA Publications. There are a few specialised books of interest to the river runner. 'Canoeing down Everest' by Mike Jones tells the tale of the 1976 British Kayak Expedition down the Dudh Kosi. 'Marsyandi, The illusive river of Annapurna' by Alan Barber gives an account of the 1980 kayak expedition. |
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Films and video Best video to get hold of is the 'White Water Nepal VideGuide' - described as "invaluable" by one reviewer, this introduces you to rafting and kayaking on the main rivers in this book. It was produced by Dr Andy Watt following the success of this book and it does an excellent job in introducing Nepal and its rivers using video format. www.chrisfilmandvideo.co.uk |