Bhote Koshi Rafting and Canyoning
- Duration
- 2 days
- Max altitude
- 1,200 m
- Difficulty
-
Moderate
Difficulty scale
- Easy Short walking days on good trails below about 3,000 m. Suitable for anyone in ordinary health, including families.
- Moderate 5 to 6 hours a day with some steep sections, reaching up to about 4,000 m. A reasonable level of fitness and a few weeks of preparation walking recommended.
- Strenuous 6 to 8 hours a day, high passes or altitudes above 5,000 m, and remote stretches. Good fitness, prior trekking experience and proper acclimatisation days are essential.
- Very strenuous Long days, multiple high passes or technical sections, sustained time above 5,000 m. For experienced, well-conditioned trekkers only.
- Best season
- Autumn (Sep–Nov) · Spring (Mar–May)
- Group
- Private
- From
- $245.00
Overview
The Bhote Koshi drops about 15 m per kilometre through a narrow granite gorge near the Tibetan border, three hours from Kathmandu. It is continuous grade 4 in the main season, which makes it the most demanding commercially run river in the country and a genuinely different proposition from the Trishuli.
The second day is canyoning: abseiling down a waterfall gorge on a fixed rope, with jumps and slides where the pools are deep enough. Neither day needs prior experience, but both need you to be reasonably fit and comfortable in moving water.
Trip highlights
- Continuous grade 4 whitewater in a granite gorge
- About 12 km of river with almost no flat water
- A full day of canyoning: abseils, natural slides and jumps
- Riverside camp or resort at 1,200 m near the border
- Three hours from Kathmandu, so no flying involved
Day by day
The itinerary
-
Day 1: Kathmandu to the Bhote Koshi, then the river 1,200 m 7 to 8 hours, about 3 on the water hrs Tented camp or resort room, meals included Lunchanddinner
Early pick up and about three hours north east on the Araniko Highway towards Kodari and the Tibetan border, climbing into the gorge.
Arrive at the riverside camp, kit up and take a full safety briefing. The Bhote Koshi briefing is longer than the Trishuli one because the consequences are larger: swim position, what to do in a hole, how the safety kayakers will reach you.
Then about three hours on the water. In the main season this is grade 4, continuous, with very little recovery between rapids. There is a gentler put in further downstream and your guide will use it if the level is high or the group is nervous, and will say so plainly rather than quietly.
Back to camp, hot shower, dinner.
-
Day 2: Canyoning, then the drive back to Kathmandu 1,200 m 8 to 9 hours, about 4 in the canyon hrs Breakfastandlunch
Breakfast at camp, then into a side gorge for the canyoning.
Wetsuit, harness, helmet and a full briefing on the rope work. The descent is a series of abseils down waterfalls, from a few metres to around forty, with natural water slides and jumps into pools where the depth has been checked. Every abseil is on a fixed line with a guide at the top and one at the bottom, and you can walk around any individual jump you do not want to do. Nobody is talked into anything.
The gorge is cold, which is what the wetsuit is for, and the whole thing takes about four hours including the walk in and out.
Lunch, then the drive back to Kathmandu, arriving in the early evening.
What's included
Included
- Included: Private tourist vehicle from Kathmandu and back
- Included: One night at a riverside camp or resort
- Included: All meals from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 2
- Included: Licensed river guides and safety kayakers
- Included: All rafting equipment: raft, paddle, helmet, buoyancy aid, wetsuit
- Included: All canyoning equipment: wetsuit, harness, helmet, ropes and hardware, with guides on every abseil
- Included: Safety briefings for both days
- Included: All government taxes and administrative charges
Not included
- Not included: Accommodation in Kathmandu before and after
- Not included: Dinner on day 2
- Not included: Any beverages
- Not included: Tips for your river and canyoning guides and the driver
- Not included: Towel, swimwear, a change of clothes and shoes you do not mind soaking
- Not included: Travel insurance. Check specifically that your policy covers grade 4 rafting and canyoning, because many exclude both
- Not included: Anything not listed under what is included
Know before you go
Suitability & requirements
- ⚠ Prakash: name the rafting and canyoning operator and their safety accreditation here, and confirm the actual abseil heights and minimum age they work to, before this page goes public.
This is a step up from the Trishuli and it should be treated as such. You should be a competent swimmer, reasonably fit, and comfortable with your head going under water. Minimum age is usually 16 for the grade 4 section.
Tell us before you book about any heart or respiratory condition, epilepsy, recent surgery, shoulder or knee injury, pregnancy, or a fear of heights that would make a 40 m abseil a problem. We would rather redesign the trip than have you discover it in the gorge.
The river is unrunnable at monsoon levels, so this trip operates roughly October to early December and March to May.
Your team
Led by a licensed guide
Every route is led by a government-licensed guide from our team. Licences are on record with us before departure, and you'll meet your guide once your trip is confirmed.
Guide language(s): English, Nepali
Group-size pricing
Walk together, pay less
Every trip is private, so the guide, permits and transfers cost the same however many walk. Sharing them is why the per-person price falls: arithmetic, not a sale.
| Group size | per person | You save each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 trekker | $295.00 | base rate |
| 2 to 3 trekkers | $245.00 | $50.00 |
| 4 to 6 trekkers | $230.00 | $65.00 |
| 7 or more | $215.00 | $80.00 |
Per person, including permits, park fees and taxes. Nothing is added at checkout.
Weather
What to expect, month by month
- Autumn (Sep–Nov)The most reliable trekking season: clear air, stable weather and cold nights, right after the monsoon clears.
- Spring (Mar–May)Warmer than autumn, with rhododendron forests in flower and slightly hazier mountain views as the season goes on.
Traveller reviews
What trekkers say
Why book with us
Every trail, one licensed team
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