Karnali River Expedition 2024
Come and join us for this awesome adventure on the longest free flowing river in Nepal! One of the best white water multi day trips in the remote wilderness of the western jungle.
October 29th - November 11th
£1,680pp
The Lower Karnali
The Lower Karnali is one of my favourite multi-day trips of all time. The river is (for now) the longest free running river in Nepal flowing in from the Tibetan plateau. Monsoon flows have carved out several steep canyons in the upper sections which offer serious white water opportunities but widens and offers gorge after gorge hosting many great rapids in the lower section. As the river takes a sharp turn from south to north again, this marks the start of our river journey.
We leave the vehicles and roads behind as we embark on our 180km journey downstream, off into the remote wilderness of the western jungle-clad mountains. We leave civilization behind as we load up our gear raft with our camping equipment, food and beer supplies!
We are treated with rapids right from the start, building gradually in intensity before we start to navigate the big named rapids such as ‘’Jailhouse Rock’’ and ‘’Gods House’’ over the coming days.
Each night on the river we will set up camp, cooking the finest riverside meals and as the sunlight fades our candle lights and campfire set the scene for you to absorb the sounds of nature and chat with the team about each day of adventure before retiring to our tents or sleeping mat beneath the stars - whichever you prefer!
The fifth day the river completes with a super fun 7km run through a series of gorges that host over 16 rapids to keep the adrenaline levels up.
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The landscape widens as we reach the confluence with the Seti River and from here on the river mellows, allowing us to sit back and relax. We can focus our attention back on the wildlife and stunning landscapes, enjoying the solitude of the river before entering back into civilization on the final days.
Kayaking:
The majority of action on our river journey is class 3/3+ but there are a number of Class 4/4+(5 in higher flows) rapids on this river so being comfortable in this environment will allow you to enjoy this river to its fullest. There is always the option to jump on the raft or walk around the bigger rapids if you like but this is not a trip for beginner kayakers. One of our Kayak School Trips would be more suited for this ;)
Rafting:
No Experience needed here, just to be comfortable swimming in moving water and happy to get wet!
More Details and Info Sheet:
Info Sheet for the 2024 Karnali Adventure
Booking the trip:
To book please email antonlippek@gmail.com to express your interest and we will get back to you at the earliest opportunity -sometimes were out on the river for a few days without singnal. You can read through our terms and conditions of booking in the meantime here:
Adventure Terms and Conditions
Inteneray
Day 1 October 29th
Arrival in Kathmandu. For those not travelling out with myself, I will meet you in Thamel or greet you at the Tribhuvan Airport and escort you back to the hotel before heading out to explore the hustle and bustle of Thamel, a place thriving with lots of book stores and outdoor gear shops!
In the evening the team will get together for dinner in one of the fine resturants and the crew and I will get the boats and kit loaded on to our private transport before an early start the next morning.
(Hotel included)
Day 2
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel we will travel through the city and into the valley where the big and bouncy flows of the Trishuli river awaits us. This is the perfect introduction to big volume water and will get the senses livened up for what comes ahead. By night we will stay at the sandy river beach resort and enjoy some local cuisine as we unwind from our first day on the river.
(Hotel & and all meals included)
Day 3 & 4
A slightly more relaxed start to the day as we begin our 15hr road journey Karnarli River, stopping over night in a hotel.
(Hotel and all meals included)
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Day 5 -10
From day 5 we navigate our way downstream on the mighty Karnali River. We are straight into the big water action which builds as we go deeper into the remote wilderness of the jugle. Gorge after gorge informs the stories around the evening campfires as the team and I cook up some fine river side dinners.
On the 11th day the ladscape widens and the river mellows and its time to kick back and relx as we float downriver. There is still the ocasional rapid to keep you on your toes though
(All meals Included)
Day 11 -12
After our final river beach camp and light breakfast on the river, we will drift our way through one final gorge before our take out at Chisiapni, where we will find our transport awaits. Breakfast will be served at a local tea hose while the team and I load up the vehicle. Our road journey then begins back to Kathmandu through the Bardia National Park which protects many animals including Bengal Tigers and Elephants, though we are most likely to get sightings of monkeys and crocodiles warming in the morning sunshine close to the many bridges we cross. It's a long road back so it's time to get comfy and look back through the photo's we will have captured on the river. We will stop by night at one final roadside motel before arriving back to the Hotel in Thamel the following day.
(Hotels & Breakfast included)
Day 13
Free day in Kathmandu! We always reserve an extra day at the end of the trip just in case of any travel delays where we can either realx in the hotel or check out the many tourist attactions in Kathmandu. Durbhar Square and The Monkey Temple are just a couple of the great options we can Explore!
(Hotel and Breakfast Included)
Day 14 -November 11th
Depature day! Our trip completes and its time for us head back to the airport to embark on our onward jounreys. - unless of course you would like to exend your trip for more sightseeing or activties. If you have just one more day spare, the city of Bhaktapur is a great addition!
(breakfast Included)