White water rafting is a special venture in the river on an inflatable rubber boat. A river trips in usually an adventure but not always. The most thrilling, exciting and exotic river trips in Nepal can be arranged with a registered rafting agency only. You have to choose river trips lasting 1 to 12 days on some of the best and exciting rivers in Nepal. These wild rivers rising from the hidden plateau of Tibet cu deep down the rugged sloppy mid-hills of Nepal and then finally meander across the Indian Plain to join the holy waters of the River Gangs. In a country like Nepal, a river trip is one of the best nobles always to explore a typical cross section of the country’s natural as well as Ethan cultural heritage.
Kinds of Rafting:
There are essentially two kinds of rafts available – the oar-powered raft and the paddle raft. The oar-powered raft has a frame either at the back or in the middle where the river-guide sits and does all the paddling and guiding work. The paddleboat requires all participants to do their bit. Depending on the size of the raft, four or eight participants sit on the side tubes and power the boat using long paddles. It involves teamwork and more physical effort than the oar-powered boat. Paddleboats, however, capsize more easily as the are lighter and do not have the rigid structure of the oar-powered boat. On big rivers like the Sun Kosi (Class IV to V) where there are huge rapids, more care is required. In such rivers, we usually use one oar-powered boat and one paddleboat so that one acts as a rescue boat in case the other capsizes. This also gives each particpant an opportunity to ride both kinds of rafts – be actively involved in one and relax in the other. Equipment: rafts are inflatable boats made of thick rubber, usually with separate air compartments so that a hole in any part of the tube does not mean that the whole raft will deflate and collapse. Life jackets and helmets are provided as mandatory gear. Paddles may be made of synthetic alloys and fibres which are longer and more maneuverable, or they may be of plain wood coated with synthetic waterproof paint. Wooden oars are slightly heavier but break less easily. On longer trips or more demanding rivers, splash jackets may be provided.