Karnali River is one of the finest huge-volume rafting river in Nepal. It is tremendous, remote, wild and full of canyons and plenty of wildlife. Karnali is Nepal’s longest and biggest river and along with its tributaries, it has plenty of opportunities for rafters of varying skill levels. The ‘wild west’ as some people like to call it, is the place where Karnali enters Nepal, descending from Tibet’s heavenly Mount Kailash. Other contributors are and icy masses of Mt. Kanjirowa and other little peaks. This base segment of the waterway certainly satisfies that name – the territory that it travels through is wild and sparsely populated – with unblemished wilderness and rich landscape.
You begin where the rapids are wild, with the water flowing into lower gorges but not long after sharp twists and elbow turns. As valleys give way to a progression of ravines, the stream speeds up. Rapids become more intense, one driving into another, constantly streaming down to Seti River. The slope facilitates easy navigation as the waterway winds through some radiant unspoiled view, inevitably rising onto the fields and coursing through Royal Bardiya National Park. Nearing the end of the rafting session near Bardiya National Park, you can consolidate your rafting experience with a safari trip and possibly detect a portion of the park’s one-horned rhinos and subtle tigers or you can either drive back or fly back to Kathmandu.
The rafting session lets you view a number of canyons and waterfalls on the side. For 180 kilometers you won’t see a solitary indication of human intervention. Karnali Rafting takes you through one of the last places in Nepal where you can see old forests and have a genuine shot of seeing Nepal’s natural life.
