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Hey everyone, thanks for reading. We've now moved our blog to our new and improved website. Please come over and visit us here.

Thanks!

Maila,

Luxury Travel Award - WINNER of Water sports Company of the Year

We are thrilled to announce that GRG's has just been awarded the Water Sports Company of the Year Award from the Luxury Travel Company!!! 

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who chooses to travel with us and of course to our wonderful team of guides and workers who make everything possible. 

We hope we can continue to offer a high level of service for many years to come out on the Himalayan Rivers of Nepal!

GRG's shortlisted for the Luxury Travel Guide Awards 2016

We are really excited to announce that GRG's has just been shortlisted for the Luxury Travel Guide Awards 2016 as a Holiday and Tour specialist! 

To learn more about the Luxury Travel Guide visit www.luxurytravel-guide.com  and the Awards site onwww.ltgawards.com

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Himalayan Whitewater Challenge 2015

This years Himalayan Whitewater Challenge (Or Rodeo as it is affectionately know), hosted by NARA (The Nepal Association of Rafting Agents) will be held on the 27th-29th November on the banks of the Trisuli River. 

The event will combine a freestyle, slalom and boater cross as well as a raft race!

If you are in Nepal and are free during the weekend come and join us for some fun in the sun, kayakers and spectators both welcome. 

For more information email us on info@grgadventurekayaking.com Tickets can be brought from the GRG office. 

Here's the highlights from last year to wet your appetite! 



We hope to see you there!

Volunteer Weekend Escapes

Since the earthquake in April, we have noticed an increase in the amount of volunteers working hard here in Nepal.

We also think, that although you came here to work, you also deserve a little bit of fun, we so are introducing VOLUNTEER WEEKEND ESCAPES.

Are you working Monday - Friday with only the weekends to get out the city and enjoy? Don't have enough time to tavel? Then these could be the best short trips for you!

From our tented riverside camp on the Trisuli river we are offering some great two days escapes (and hey,  if you want to get  a head start on the weekend, come and join us on Friday evening for an extra night at our 1 million star campsite!)

Options include (but are not limited to..)

• 2 days Rafting
• Rock and Raft (1 day canyoning, 1 day rafting)
• 2 days Trisuli kayak clinic
• 1 day rafting with Manakamana Cable Car tour

Trips depart from our office in Thamel every Saturday at 6.30am and will return to Kathmandu approximately 7pm Sunday. If you are based in Pokhara, let us know and arrangements can be made.

This is a great way to blow off some steam, have some fun, see a bit of the country and make some new friends. We have a lot of experience taking volunteer groups down the river, you can see pictures from previous trips here and here.

If you are interested in joining us then please email info@grgadventurekayaking.com 

We've got a new Office!!

As many of you know, after the earthquake we lost out hotel and office. Now, nearly 5 months on, and just as our season is about to begin we have found our new 'home'. 

We are really excited about this new space as there's plenty of room to store all your kayaks, nice comfy sofas to relax in whilst you plan your expeditions, there's a private office out the back for Chrissy to work on planning all your awesome adventures and we've even got a fridge for evening Rum & Cokes!

Find us in Annapurna Market, a new up and coming area in Thamel, on Satghumpti (7 Corner)...In fact it's not to far from our old office a few years ago. It's a quiet street and a really cool place to hang out.

We hope to welcome you all soon and thank you all for supporting us through all these changes!

Maila, Chrissy and all the GRG crew!

#WorldPhotographyDay

As today is #worldphotographyday, we've been looking through some of our old photos and thought we would share a few of our favorites. No matter what you do, or where you go in Nepal, there is a photo ready to be taken, it is literally a photographers dream. We have over 50,000 from our time running rafting and kayaking trips in Nepal and these are just a few of our favorites. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Whitewater rafting on the Tamur River. 

Gofal Pokhari, part of the three day trek on our Tamur Expedition. 

We love the colors of all the kayaks on this one. 

One of the highlights of kayaking in Nepal is the view of the Himalayas you are treated to.  

We love campfires. 

Maila doing his thing at the Himalayan Whitewater Championships. 

Lunch break on the Karnali River.  

The beautiful gorges on the Karnali River. East meets West. 

Sometimes getting to the river is half the fun. 

We like supporting local workers, makes getting to the river more fun!

Catarafts. 

Flying through a rapid on the Tamur River. 

Enjoying a local Dunga 

We like to make our rafts fly!

If you fancy joining us and getting your own fantastic photos, please email us for more info@grgadventurekayaking.com

FAQ's after the Earthquake...

We have been receiving a lot of questions about all sorts of things since the earthquake. A group working on reviving tourism after the earthquake has complied this list of frequently asked questions. We hope they help!

1.       Are the ATMs working? 

YES all as normal, just ensure you have told your bank you are travelling and will be using ATMs in Nepal

2.       Is there a Cholera Outbreak? 

NO but follow all the usual precautions as previously advised

3.       Is electricity still working? 

YES but we are still subjected to the normal ‘load-shedding’ schedules. Most hotels have back up power so it shouldn't affect your trip too much.

4.       What is the drinking water situation? 

Mineral water is still available for travellers but if you want belt and braces there are many makes of water purification units around and readily available in the market

5.       Can I get from point A to point B? 

Travel is fine at the moment, the monsoon will no doubt loosen hill sides as it always does but there are many geologist groups in Nepal monitoring the situation, and will continue to do so after the monsoon. ICIMOD expect that there will be a very high risk of landslides in the 14 worst earthquake affected districts but the rest of Nepal will be at the same level of risk as pre-earthquake.

6.    Is Everest Buried? 

It is believed that Everest has sunk about a centimetre but so far no scientific surveys have been completed with published results. It’s definitely still there!

7.    Is Kathmandu flattened? 

Definitely not! Most parts of the city are working as normal. In many places you would not know there had been an earthquake - this includes the major tourism hub of Thamel

8.    Are you living above a rubble mound?

No and there are very few piles of rubble around, the majority have now been managed or are in the process of being managed and removed.

9.       Which ones are the safest hotels in Kathmandu, Nagarkot? 

Nearly all of the top end  hotels have been checked and are now open as before, certainly the high profile (not necessarily the most expensive) ones are. The majority of Thamel hotels have not yet had  government engineers surveys but they are open for business as normal. When considering a hotel choice please look for the ‘Green Sticker’, the official survey stamp that the building is safe.

http://www.drupartment.com/nepal-hotel-status  Check our portal for hotels that are open for business as normal

10.   Is Wifi free at all the hotels and restaurants?  

Those that have this service are still providing it.

11.   What about food?

Most of the favourite and popular restaurants are open for business as usual, there are no food shortages but the same travel advice applies as it always has done – use hand gel and avoid small ‘local’ back street restaurants to stay healthy. Many restaurants are closing early (9pm) but only because there is so little trade

12.   Does the phone and Internet work? 

All communication systems work as you would normally expect.

13. Is there lawless behavior and looting? 

NO!

14.   Is there a likelihood of aftershocks during my visit? 

Nepal has always had earthquakes, on average it gets over twenty per year, many under 4 magnitude so there always have been tremors. These are now happening in a very short and mostly gentle form on a regular basis however most people are not even aware of them happening.

15.   If yes, what happens if there is an aftershock during my visit- what should I do?

Initially on any visit to a new destination, do a good risk assessment, where are the safe areas and areas to avoid. Once you have done that have a plan so that all of your group react in the same way more to the same points. If you are in a building pillars and door frames are generally the safest places but obviously if you can get outside into open spaces then that is the best course of action. Regroup and take care of your own safety first.

16.   What is the situation of Pokhara, Chitwan /Nagarkot/Bhaktapur, Thamel.. is it safe to go there? 

Yes it is safe to travel to these regions and locally safety advice is available at the tourist sites and temples. Both districts were virtually untouched by the event. Hotels are open and ready to receive visitors

17.   What can I do and see around Kathmandu/Patan/Bhaktapur.... basically in Nepal after this earthquake...? 

All these areas have obviously been affected but there are many tourist sites, temples and treks that have been unaffected, these and the Durbar Squares and UNESCO sites are now open. An added attraction is to watch the craftsmen busy at work reconstructing the damaged areas.

18.   I have kids with me...is it still safe to come to Nepal? 

Yes just as long as you take into consideration the other relevant Q & A advice above

19.   Is petrol available? 

Yes all services requiring petrol are working normally

20.   Are trekking staff available or are they all working in their villages? 

Many of the trekking staff live in Kathmandu, even if they don’t reputable trekking agents will have a list of contacts in their trekking areas and all staff will welcome the opportunity to work to earn money to help improve their situation.

21.   Are hill airstrips still in good condition? 

Yes all are operating as usual subject to the normal weather conditions

22.   Are there any food shortages and can I buy supplementary trek food in Kathmandu? 

All super-markets are open and they still stock all the food stuffs as pre April 2015, there is a wide choice of trekking ‘snack’ type food available. All other food is available as before

23.   Is Kathmandu still safe or has there been an increase in the crime rate against tourists? 

Kathmandu and Nepal have always been very safe in this respect, just be sensible and follow all the usual ‘travel in foreign destination’ advice

24.    Are there still 'cheap rate' hotel rooms available or is it just the more expensive hotels that are functioning at present? 

There is  a good range of hotels open for business both in Thamel as well as in other areas in the Valley and further afield.

28.   Are the Lodges safe and operational or should I intend to use tents and camp? 

Lodge treks are available especially in the Everest and Annapurna regions. Langtang is still closed and other effected routes are getting reinstated and opened for trekkers. Advice differs for different areas seek specific advice from your trekking agent.

We hope this helps a bit when planning your trip to Nepal. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us info@grgadventurekayaking.com

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award 2015

We are delighted to announce that GRG's has been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award for the 4th year in a row!!

It is a great achievement for us and we'd like to take the opportunity to our fantastic team of staff who make our trips possible and to all our awesome guests who took the time to review us on Trip Advisor. 

Want to Help Nepal? Come and Visit This Fall….

Come to Nepal this Fall. Raft, Bike, Trek, Relax, Explore and SPEND your money directly with the people who need it to rebuild their lives. Help Nepal by giving them their jobs back. Tourism is the way to rebuild this incredible country.

In the aftermath of the earthquake that shook Nepal on the 25^th April 2015 many people are asking me, ‘how can we help Nepal’. My answer changes pretty much daily. To begin with the advice I was giving was to send your money – anything you ship over will take to long to get here and we needed immediate access to food, shelters, blankets, the list goes on. Then my answer was KEEP sending money (and this one still stands). Nepal is going to need a huge amount of money once the rebuild starts and my continuous answer is to help spread the word and keep Nepal in the media as much as you can.

If you ask me today what you can do to help, my answer is COME AND VISIT. I don’t mean now, I don’t even mean tomorrow, but come the fall, once the monsoon is over and the land has settled, Nepal will NEED your tourism now more than ever.

Anyone who has visited Nepal before will tell you how Nepali’s are the most generous and friendly people they have ever met, how the mountains are awe inspiring and how somehow, Nepal gets under everyones skin and once you have been here one time, you will be back before you know it. It is truly a very special country with so much to do and so much on offer.

Over 1 million foreigners travel to Nepal every year and without their valuable income, Nepal will find it hard to get back on it’s feet. Nepal Tourism accounts for hundreds of thousands of local jobs and a huge percentage of the countries national income.  From taxi drivers, hotel owners, bar staff, restaurants, rafting companies, trekking guides, tea house owners, porters, mountain biking companies, paragliders, bus companies, internal flights….the list goes on and on and on. All these people are currently out of work and can then not support their families, thus causing more undue hardship.

At the moment the media is (rightly so) focusing on all the destruction to the country, however, it is only certain areas, and most of the tourist destinations in the country are totally unaffected. I do not want to detract from the devastation that has happened, because it is bad, it is serious and it should not be taken lightly. But it is only in certain areas and most of these villages survive on money sent back by relatives working the cities, and if they have no work, the villages have no money to rebuild.

Thamel, the tourist district of Kathmandu has been relatively unaffected, as has Pokhara one of the main destinations on every ones hit lists when they travel to Nepal. Whilst the Langtang region has been harmed, many other trekking regions are unaffected and theses guides need employment. Annapurna, Mustang, Makalu, Kanchenjunga are all fine. For those interested in wildlife, Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park are open and unaffected.

And from our personal point of view, the rivers are still flowing and screaming out for the rafters and kayakers to come back. The only rivers we will not commercially running at the moment are the Upper and LowerBhote Kosi and the Belephi, as although the river is fine, the areas surrounding it have been devastated.

Mohan Krishna Sapkota, spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation said “Our priority is to bring more tourists and provide them quality, safety, hospitality and other services to their satisfaction,” he says, expressing a desire to re-establish Nepal as a “safe, unique and attractive tourist destination.”

In a country where tourism is the largest domestic industry, what Nepal doesn't need is potential visitors to be scared off because of over exaggerated media. The whole of Kathmandu has not been flattened, I have seen for myself, it is only certain areas. If you love Nepal and want to see it rise once again, please help by giving donations to reliable organisations to assist the rebuild, but also come here on holiday yourself this Fall.

In the meantime, we as a company are focusing our efforts on rebuilding the homes of many of our staff members but we are OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS NORMAL. 

If you have any questions about certain areas of Nepal and whether they are safe to travel to or not, or you would like to enquire about travel here next season, please email us on info@grgadventurekayaking.com

Check out this beautiful video of Nepal to wet your appetite! 

Nepal from Jamin Walsh on Vimeo.

#AwesomeNepal #NepalTourism