The Karnali, Nepal’s mightiest river, is arguably the finest multi day river trip in Nepal, and a classic Himalayan expedition. The Karnali's headwaters come off of Mount Kailas in Tibet, the center of the universe for both Buddhist and Hindu religions, and then slice through the Himalayas in a series of magnificent isolated gorges and forest. This is Nepal's largest and longest river, flowing uninhibited through the least populated region of the country.
For the eight days and 180 kilometers we won't see a single sign of the modern world. It's one of the last places in Nepal that you can see old growth forest and have a real chance of seeing Nepal's wildlife. Expeditions have seen Langur and Rhesus Monkeys, leopards, bear, martins, deer, crocodiles and gharials, even tigers. The river also supports some of the finest fish habitat in Nepal, with giant catfish and Golden Masheer prowling the depths.

Whitewater ranges from easy going class three, to bone crushing class five, depending on the time of year. Regardless of the month, the Karnali always offers good, powerful rapids with miles of beautiful scenery, pristine beaches and deep river gorges.

Safari Option: The Karnali river conveniently flows into Royal Bardia National Wildlife Preserve, indisputably the finest wildlife preserve in Nepal. Bardia today is what Chitwan was twenty years ago. Stays at the luxurious Tiger Tops lodge and tented camp can be arranged ahead of time. While at Royal Bardia we will enjoy a variety of activities ranging from elephant safaris, canoeing amongst marsh mugger crocodiles, jungle walks and bird watching.

Day 1
Arrive in Kathmandu, take a deep breath and you are ready to confront the confusion of Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport. After clearing immigration and customs hang onto your gear, ignore the porters who will try to carry your bags and charge ridiculous amounts even if they only touch your bags, and continue through the restricted section to the passenger pick-up area outside the building. This can be pretty confusing with taxi drivers looking for fares, hotel touts desperately seeking customers and a large number of people just getting in the way - welcome to Asia! Don't worry, an Ultimate Descents representative trained in anti taxi-wallah judo will meet you at the airport with an Ultimate Descents sign and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon there is time to face the hustle of this amazing city and explore Kathmandu. Walking around this ancient city is like being in the world's biggest outdoor museum! We recommend a good guide book (cheaply available in Kathmandu's many book shops) and then grabbing either a taxi or rickshaw or heading off on foot to visit some of the incredible temples, stupas, and squares that make up this most vibrant of capitals. From observing prayer wheels turning at the Buddhist stupa of Bodanath, to perhaps gaining a glimpse of the Living Goddess in Durbar Square, there are endless ways to pass the day. A great way to finish it off is with a cold drink on one of the many terrace cafes people watching. Kathmandu has more eccentric characters per square km than any other country on Earth. At 6pm this evening we'll have a pre-departure briefing in then head off to one of Kathmandu's finer restaurants for a meal together.

Day 2
After a hearty breakfast at Mike's Restaurant it's time to head off to the airport for an Hour long flight to Neplagang out in Nepal's “Wild West”. From Nepalgang we board our rafting bus and head off for 6 hours of action packed transportation thrills. We stop for rest breaks, and the scenery as we traverse the Terai is varied and splendid as we climb up the Churia Hills. The true test of a river guide is their ability to make bus rides not only bearable, but outright fun. Ours succeed brilliantly. The road is in good shape to Kalyant and then we have 2 hours of challenging driving to get to the river at Dungeshwar just below where the Lahore Khola comes into the Karnali. This part of Nepal sees very little tourism and the villages and farms you see along the road are much the way rural Nepal has been for hundreds of years.
By late afternoon we reach the Karnali River and rig the rafts, and drift off downstream a short distance to the first nights camp.

Day 3-8
A raft trip down the Karnali isn't just a vacation… it's an education. Our river guides spend the first part of the morning explaining the finer points on how to paddle through whitewater and stay in the raft as it bucks and contorts through rapids. For those who missed a point in the previous lesson there is a lesson on how to swim through whitewater, using your flotation device to keep your head up and your feet to push off rocks or pesky kayakers who happen to be surfing in the middle of a rapid. The guides will also teach you what they look out for when they run a river, the innocuous looking rise in the water that hides a hole, or the way you can use a pillow of water rebounding off a rock to push the raft where you want it. Whitewater rafts are amazingly versatile and stable crafts, and in the care of an expert raft guide it is possible to run challenging lines safely and confidently. Your guide is a professional, someone who has devoted their life to learning and running rivers. Under his or her careful indoctrination the raft crew learns how to work as a team, practicing on the numerous smaller rapids we encounter on the first two days of the river. By the time we get to the really big rapids, the crews will be more than prepared. Even though this is a challenging river, the natural progression of rapids actually makes it an ideal trip even for first time rafters.
Camping on the Karnali is awesome. The massive floods of the monsoon deposit huge tracks of pure white sand along the river which is ideal to camp on. When the local Nepalese living in the area do manage to find one of our campsites, the rewards are mutual. Imagine a grizzled old man carrying a Kukhri knife, small satchel, and a 150 year old flint lock rifle walking along a beach he has walked along a dozen times before in his constant ramblings for food. Then one day he steps onto the beach and there, sprawled out across the sand, are three rafts, half dozen brightly colored plastic kayaks, and the whitest people he has ever seen in his life. From the Iron Age to the Space Age in a few feet of sand…It's like being five years old and the circus comes to town. Puzzlement quickly gives way to curiosity as the bright colors and friendly faces of the river camp make him welcome. We are just as amazed and impressed by his life as a hunter-gatherer as he is by our incredible assortment of high-tech river gear and loaded food barrels.

We will have at least one layover day where we stay at the same river camp for two nights. HELLO BEACH PARTY!!! Volleyball, sand sculpture, foot bag, frisbee, sun bathing, eating or just relaxing are favorite activities for the layover day. You can also take advantage of the layover day to trek to a peak or nearby village, or take part in the kayak workshop the safety boater's offer. Several of the beaches we camp at offer waterfalls or mud baths, and if you're into fishing, the Karnali offers some of the best fishing in Nepal. If you're an avid fisherman, be sure to bring your kit along - you won't be disappointed.

The most sustained challenging section of the river begins with God's House, and continues in a series of canyons for about seven kilometers and 16 odd rapids. This is what we are all here for ? it's a real “thrill and minute roller-coaster ride” with rapids on every bend. The whole river narrows down into the bowels of the earth and we run such classic drops as Juicer, Flip and Strip, Totali Ghat, Snapshot and Freight Train before stopping at a sweeping sandy beach for the night. Below here contorted sandstone cliffs tower on either side as we continue through the Red Rock Canyon and still more rapids.

The confluence of the Seti river means that we're past the major rapids on the Karnali. The lower section of the Karnali is home to fresh water dolphins, marsh mugger crocodiles and gaurials, the giant fish eating crocodiles with the long, graceful jaws. After days of whitewater it's nice to take a rest and watch the scenery pass.

Day 9
From our last campsite nestled in the rock formations of the lower canyon we drift down to Chisopani, the first town we've seen for eight days. Chisopani isn't much of a town; basically just a couple of dahl baht shops and a damn impressive bridge, but even so it's hard to get re-accustomed to the sounds of civilization. After eight days without any motors, car horns, or screaming children, even a little town like Chisopani serves to remind us just how quiet the last eight days have been. Most people want to crawl back up the river at this point. But alas, the river only flows one way, so from Chisopani we transfer two and a half hours to Nepalgang for a one hour flight back to Kathmandu and our hotel.

Day 10
After a rather leisurely breakfast we take you back to the airport for your return flight.

(Safari Option)
Day 9-11
Staying at the luxurious Tiger Tops Lodge and Camp is a great way to finish off your trip. Set in the heart of the Royal Bardiya National Park you have some fantastic opportunities to see the prolific bird life, not to mention occasional sightings of the Royal Bengal Tiger, rhinos and an amazing array of other wildlife. Naturalists are on hand with their seemingly endless supply of knowledge to answer your queries regarding all the species of animal in the park. The lodge is made entirely of local materials and blends in beautifully with the environment. There is a range of activities to enjoy from elephant safaris to jungle walks, to just plain old relaxing in the serene surroundings of the Lodge. Meals are all-inclusive and are a wonderful combination of Western and Nepali dishes. Accommodation is in spacious safari tents with twin beds and separate hot and cold showers. Since you do have to book in advance we strongly recommend that you try and think how you will feel at the end of the river journey and decide if returning to Kathmandu will really be the option that you will want! On day twelve we transfer you to Nepalgang Airport (about 1 ? hours away) where you will meet with your return flight to Kathmandu. That afternoon we suggest that you spend some time doing some well deserved retail therapy. A group farewell dinner is always welcomed and it is a final chance to relive the previous two weeks with people that do believe you when you explain just how big that rapid was!!!

Day 12
(Optional) After a rather leisurely breakfast we take you back to the airport for your return flight.