|
The Sun Kosi river starts from Dolalghat (620m) and flows down to Chatra (115m) covering 272 kms. No. of the river days are from 6 to 10 and difficulty in November are of class 4- & (5-) and easily accessible from Kathmandu in about 3 hours' drive. The Sun Kosi is one of the ten best rafting trips in the world. Big rapids, warm water, no roads or towns, beautiful scenery and great camping make this a classic multi-day river trip. An excellent trip for intermediate and advanced kayakers. Rafters should be reasonably fit and comfortable on big water. Sun Kosi means 'River of Gold', the river rises near Tibet and is joined
by the Bhote Kosi Just downstream from Barabise. Most raft trips start
at Dolalghat, so for convenience we The volume increases considerably with the flow from these tributaries. In Novenber, the flow at Dolalghat is about 100 cumecs; lower down the river, through the big rapids of the 'Jungle Corridor', it would be about 400 cumecs which is aprox. 11,000 cfs - a typical low flow on the Grand canyon of the Colorado. At the take-out, at Chatra, the flow is a mighty 800 cumecs (still only a fraction of monsoon levels) and you know that this is one of the major rivers of the world. This is large volume pool/drop river. Most of the major rapids are formed by monsoon debris brought in by side streams, and loose rockfall. These rapids change from year to year depending on the severity of the monsoon. A large monsoonin 1984 washed away Hakapur 3, which at the time was the hardest rapid, and created Meatgrinder and several new rapids. From the put-in at Dolalghat to the take-out at Chatra, 272 kms later, there are no roads or towns, just the occasional picturesque village and friendly shouts 'Namaste' from the bank - this is unspoilt, rural Nepal at its best. All along the river are beautiful white sandy beaches for camping and the lower section of the river is heavily forested with troops of monkeys and an abundance of birdlife. Rafting in Sun Kosi : Most raft groups start at Dolalghat, and from here the first few day's are relatively easy and are an excellent warm-up for the rapids below. From day three onwards, every day has at least one or two major rapids lots of smaller fun ones. Most major rapids are pool/drop with hugebouncy pressure waves near the bottom - similar to the rapids of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. 8-10 days running big rapids and floating through lush green countryside moke this a truly memorable river experience. It is possilbe in larger flows to extend a Sun Kosi rafting trip by starting higher up at Balephi or Khadichour - please see notes on the Bhote Kosi. For those with limited time you could consider flying into Lamidanda on the Dudh Kosi, raft the last 30 kms of this famous river and then the bottom half of the Sun Kosi - this would make about a six day trip. River flows vary immensely - from huge post-monsoon run-off in early October down to low winter flows in January and February, rising again in May with snowmelt and pre Monsoon rains. With the right group and experience it is possible to raft late Sept/Oct. At this time of year the river is high and wild and certainly not for the faint hearted. SUN KOSI RAFT ITINERARY:
Drive 1 hrs 30 minute east to Dolalghat, the put-in. At this point we will prepare the rafts for launching, we begin by packing our waterproof bags into the boats. The boats loaded, we cast off sometime before mid-day and head downstream beginning our river trip and float down the Indrawati to join the Sunkosi. In the beginning the Sunkosi is a peaceful river and our first day is leisurely introduction to river life. The Sunkosi is one of the most diverse river trips in Nepal because its channel cuts through such a vast part of the countryside. Rich colors and varied rock formation are evident the entire length of our river trip. The Sunkosi traverses the Mahabharat Range and follow one of the main geological fault lines of the Himalayas. The gently sloping hills are typical of this interesting geological area of Nepal. The variety during this trip is not limited to topography, changing river condition or wildlife. Local people and the magic touch. We come in contact with many different ethnic groups each unique and colofur. Throughout the trip, the people, their customs and dress will fascinate us and our experienced Nepalese guides will add to our understanding and appreciation of the area. unlike other modes of travel, the river provides easy access to remote areas seldom seen by westerners. For lunch we will stop on one of the sandy beaches that flank the river. Our first river meal and those that follow will be delicious and well balanced. In the afternoon the canyon changes. The ridges begin to close in and the vegetation becomes thicker. As we float through this interesting geological area, we encounter a number of small sized rapids. After breakfast we continue down the river. The valley which varies in width from one half to one kilometer, is never static. One bend in the river may reveal rounded, shrub covered hills and the next high, steep ridges dotted with pines and deciduous trees. In the morning, just before reaching Jhunga Jhola, we will scout a rocky rapid. After several hours run we stop at Jhunga Jhola, a beautiful Newari village. Located on a bluff above the river, the village is a collection of white houses and grainfields. Some of the houses display intricate wood carvings, for which the Newaris are famous for. In the center of the village is a cobbled square shaded by a large peepul tree. The square is surrounded by small shops where merchants trade. In one we will find biscuits, sewing material, soap and cigarettes; in another a brass merchant forging posts; a cobbler and a tea shop. The village is reminiscent of medieval Europe. In the afternoon we pass the confluence of the Tamba Kosi. Just above the confluence is one of the largest rapids on the Sunkosi the Nepalese call it Meatgrinder. This rapid is a great introduction to the power of Sunkosi and can be rated as class 4 on a scale from 1 - 6. Today the canyon changes. The ridges begin to close in and the vegetation becomes thicker. We float through an interesting geological area and encounter a number of small to medium size rapid. This afternoon, we will stop on a beautiful beach. We will have time to relax and explore. fish, swim,photograph or do whatever you chose. We continue through a maze of interesting rock formations; evidence of the complex and dynamic forces of the great Himalayas. One geological theory believes that the Himalayas were formed by two great land masses colliding and pressure caused during this process pushed up the Himalayas. Because of the tremendous stress there are many faults throughout Nepal. The Sunkosi criss-crossed one of there faults and the formations we see today are extraordinary. The white water picks up near the village of HARKAPUR. We run some of the largest rapids of the trip, rated 4ft. In the afternoon we will camp near the confluence of the Dudh Kosi. The Dudh Kosi flows from the Khumbu icefall at the foot of Mt. Everest. Below the Dudh Kosi the river widens and flows through a broad valley. Fans of sand gravel spill into the river from side canyons. During the monsoon rains these become torrential streams. This area of Nepal receives most of its 170 mm of rain in the summer months. Without this climatic cycle Nepal would be a desert. As we float, we pass many trails and suspension bridges. For generations foot travel has been the only way of transporting food from one area of Nepal to another. With the construction of roads, trade centers are able to distribute goods more conveniently, but this is not so in the areas we see. Porters buy gods in the Terai and carry them into the mountains. The main trade routes often cross the river and at the suspension bridges, we can witness the constant flow of foot traffic. Further on, the Sunkosi bends south and cuts through the Mahabarat Range. The topography changes. The steep hills area behind us and the area is more gentle. This afternoon we run a number of small rapids rated 3 to 4. We will camp near the Rasuwa River. Today we enter tropical vegetation. The river narrows into a gorge lined by thick forest. Broad leaf trees, ferns, mosses,bamboo and creepers canopy the river banks. When we stop for lunch today we can shower under a beautiful waterfall. Its a photographers paradise! The rest of the afternoon we meander through the gorge and enjoy the changing scenery. Tonight we camp on a broad beach bordered by a waterfall. The beaches on the lower section of he river are deposits for the mineral mica. The beaches sparkle in the sun and reflect the moon at night. A "Ghat" is a place near a river. It can be a ferry, a cremation site, a village or a prominent topographical area. Today we pass several important Ghats. They are major crossings from the Terai to the mountains. The main trails connect to the east-west highway, one day walk south from the Sunkosi. Bunghilaghat is a pastiche of languages. Many different ethnic groups gather on the river banks to wait for the dugouts to ferry them across. We see some Limbus and Rais in this area. They are Tibeto-Burman people who make a large ethnic group called Kiranti. It was the Kiranti Kings who ruled the Kathmandu valley until the second century A.D. Among the Limbus some hold belief that the "Milky Way" is the reflection of the Sapt Kosi.Tonight we camp near the confluence of the other two main rivers of the Sapt Kosi system, the Arun and the Tamur. The junction is called Tribenighat. Below Tribenighat we will stop at Brah Kshetra, a famous Hindu Temple. During the full moon in January, thousands of Hidus meet at the temple to worship. Legend has it that a demon God used to inhabit the area. He had a special power granted to him by higher gods, preventing any mortal from killing him. Since this demon God was such a nuisance to the holy men and the pilgrims who came to the temple to pray, Vishnu descended from heaven and took the shape of a pig. And terrible battle ensued in which the demon God was killed. And so each year pilgrims come to the temple to celebrate the death of the demon God and Vishnu's victory in the form of Barah, the pig. Before noon we end our trip at Chattra, where our jeep will be waiting. It is 3 hours drive from Chattra to Biratnagar Airport and fly back to Kathmandu. One can drive overland to Kathmandu which take for about 14 hours. For intermediate and advanced kayakers this is a great river.Big bouncy grade 3-4 rapids with large surfing waves and lots of friendly holes make it 'like paddling on the Ocean with great waves crashing down on you'. The amazing thing is that, at almost any level, the whole river is runnable. Expert kayakers would only need to scout a few major rapids from the bank - all others could be done by 'eddy hopping'. One of the nice things about the Sun Kosi is that, with exception of a few big rapids like Hakapur that can be easily portaged, thegeneral standard of the river gets progressively harder as you descend it so there is time to loosen up and practice your skills on easy water before you reach the more interesting, bigger and more continuous rapids lower down the river. Most kayakers do this trip with raft support and benefit by being able to paddle empty boats, eat lots of good food and socialize. Of course they have to be prepared for constant abuse from the rafters who call kayakers 'river maggots' from their habit of infesting holes and eddies. Expert kayakers often chose to start a Sun Kosi trip with a descent of the Tamba Kosi - a much more difficult and demanding river and commonly arrange to meet up with a Sun Kosi raft trip on the third day. Kayakers accompanying a rafting group may wish to take their minibus to Khadichour and start further up the river. This would give them 2-3 hours of good playing on grade 3 rapids before catching up with the rafting group late afternoon in time for a beer and food. KALI GANDAKI (UPPER) | KARNALI (LOWER) | TRISULI RIVER |
have included the short length of the
Sun Kosi above Dolalghat in with the description of the Bhote Kosi. The
sun Kosi flows eastwards in Nepal through the great valley between the
Mahabharat Lekh mountains and the Himalaya. It forms the watershed for
most of eastern Nepal and gathering strength from tributaries draining
the highest mountains in the world it emerges onto the northern plains
of India where it joins the Ganges.