The Tamur - Trekking and Whitewater at it's very best.

For us, the Tamur is a classic river trip. It combines world class whitewater with a stunning trek though the Himalayan foothills. Seriously, what more could you ask for in a holiday?! The ultimate adventure. 

This is a more technical river than the likes of the Karnali or Sun Kosi and has more continuous rapids, but is fairly similar to rivers such as the Bhote Kosi and Marysandi. For whitewater kayakers this means a whole lot of fun eddy hopping and for rafters it means one action packed holiday.

Located in the remote East of Nepal, the journey there is half the fun, either a 15 hour bumpy bus journey or a quick 45 minute flight followed by a shorter bus ride. Once you leave the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, you won't see another tourist until your return. You'll drive through many villages giving you a real taste of Nepali life before we then start our three day hike at Basantapur; which has often been described as the most scenic trek in Nepal. Accompanied by local porters (you can breathe a sigh of relief that they will carry the boats for us!), the trek provides us with outstanding views of Everest, Makalu and Kanchenjunga which means 'five treasure houses of snow' giving you some idea what you can expect to see. A highlight of the trek is getting over the 10,000ft pass above the sacred lake whilst surrounded by the Rhododendron forests. And then we reach Dobhan and are greeted by the mighty Tamur River. 

Get ready for an epic whitewater rollercoaster ride.

131km with 120 rapids....

The rapids are powerful and continuous Class IV- V. But don't worry there are nice eddies the whole way down to catch your breath.

At night you'll be treated to 5 million star accommodation on secluded, remote white sandy beaches. Enjoy our famous rum punch around the camp fire and you'll have to wait just a few minutes before locals from the village come down when inevitably the singing and dancing around the campfire begins.

We'll also rustle you up a feast in the evenings around the campfire with some scrummy food such as rice, lentils, buffalo steaks, french fries, chicken curries and more. And if your lucky we'll source the locals favourite brew - Thungba - fermented Millet with hot water, trust me when I say it's much better than it sounds

Imagine waking up every morning to fresh Himalayan coffee, the mist slowly rising off the river to show you a sneak peak of the gorges above, your Nepali guides singing folk songs as they prepare eggs, pancakes, toast and fruit for breakfast before you set off down for another adventure.

The river continues, gaining power and we go down. Exhilarating rapids flowing through a narrow jungle gorge. And this trip isn't just about the whitewater (although believe me when I tell you that's pretty spectacular in itself). The scenery is just as incredible as the river.  For those wildlife lovers among you, you'll be able to see Monkeys, bird life including Himalayn Eagles, deer and if your really lucky Leopards and Tigers. We'll also paddle through a few remote villages where we'll be greeted by fisherman trying to catch dinner for their families, and children running through the rice paddies on their way to school. You'll get a glimpse into Nepali culture that you wouldn't see sticking to the tourist trails in Pokhara and Kathmandu.

The best section of this river is towards the end when the river turns West, creating Ocean sized waves like you've never seen before. On the last day of the river the Tamur joins the Sun Kosi where the river peters out and we have about a 30 minute flat paddle until we reach Chatra, our take out. After one last Dal bhat at our friends house, where we can also grab our first shower in over a week, it's back on the bus for our drive/flight back home

If this sounds like an adventure you would like to join, we have a guaranteed departure on the Tamur River headed out of Kathmandu on the 4th November 2014. Email us for more information.

What else do you need to know?

When to go rafting the Tamur - April- May is good as is the end of October - November after the river has fallen a bit after the monsoon. This is one to avoid during the monsoon months.

How to get there - All our trips depart from Thamel, Kathmandu. You have two options 1- Fly from Kathmandu to Biratnagar where we will collect you at the airport of 2 - Join the staff on the bus for the 15 hour drive.  

 

How much experience do I need? Kayakers should be solid Grade III- IV, but we can take beginner rafters who will be in the care of our expert rafting guides. If you are concerned about your paddling ability, email us and we can discuss further with you.

 

How do I book? Email us!!! info@grgadventurekayaking.com