The first day of this epic Tamur River Rafting and Kayaking expedition. You have two options to get to the river depending on your budget.

Option 1 – Catch the bus with the guides and gear and travel approximately 20 hours to the start point.  0r…

Option 2 – Wait a day and catch a 45 minute flight to Biratnagar first thing the following morning where the gear bus will collect you.

If you choose the bus option, at around 1pm, the gear bus, staff and clients opting to travel by bus will depart. They will drive overnight to reach Biratnagar airport in the morning, to collect the clients who opted to fly (or if everyone is on the bus, they will continue direct to Dobhan). It is a very long drive, and quite uncomfortable, so if you have the budget, we do recommend that you fly instead. If however you are on the bus, be prepared for a long bumpy ride – it’s quite the adventure in itself! 

Today the clients that opted to fly will catch the first flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar which takes 45 minutes (so much quicker than the 20 hour bus journey!). Biratnagar is one of the main towns in the far East of Nepal.

Once you reach the airport, our gear bus will be waiting outside ready to drive to Dobhan. Here we will be greeted by a local family at their tea house which is where we will stay and have the evenings meal. 

The local people  are a mix of castes and tribes and very interesting to get to know. Nepali’s are renowned for being the most friendly people on the planet, and during this trip you will discover why. 

Depending on the season, we may be lucky enough to sample the local Thumba. A fermented millet beer that really touches the spot!

The teahouse we will stay at will prepare your evening meal. We will stop for meals, but it’s a good idea to have a few extra snacks in the bus with you as shops get less and less as we head into more remote areas. 

Trekking!!!

Today we begin our trek from Basantapur. Days are long and the trail can be difficult in places, this is a real expedition remember! You will be responsible to carry your day pack, but our main bags that are not necessary for the trek will have gone on to meet us at the river. So remember to pack in preparation for this. 

This trail has been and is still being developed so what used to be the first day of the trek, we now get a jeep through, as no one like walking a long a dusty jeep trail. This has shortened the trek slightly, but the remaining days by far make up for this. 

You can expect to get a taste of the real Nepal and some spectacular Himalayan mountain views including Mount Everest and Kanchanjunga. The highlight of the trail is the stunning lake at Gofa Pokhari. With the highest pass we cross being 3000m above sea level. 

There is not a huge amount of tourism in this area. The trekking trails are only really used by locals getting from A to B. So we are always greeted by friendly faces excited to see newcomers and interested in our adventures. But that also means that accommodation and facilities are quite basic and whilst we will try to make you as comfortable as possible things may not up to the standards that you are used to. 

For the plant lovers out there, walking through the Rhododendron forests, the national plant of Nepal is really something special. This whitewater rafting trip on the Tamur, certainly offers more than just whitewater. 

On our last night of the trek, we will camp at the put in of the mighty Tamur river. And the GRG crew will rustle you up a feast. Now you’ll see what all the fuss about our food on TripAdvisor is really about!

Rafting / Kayaking!!!

This river boasts non-stop whitewater, and one of the most remote expeditions on the planet. Whether your in a raft or kayak we guarantee this is the trip of a life time. And there’s no warm up – your straight into to BIG continuous Grade IV rapids!

You will want to have a reasonable level of fitness and confidence to take on this river in a kayak.

And it doesn’t stop there, things are pretty much continuous for the first 20km! It is the 6th biggest rivers in Nepal and you will certainly see why. Get ready for your heart to be pumping. In total we run will 120 Grade III/IV rapids in 130km of water – Epic!

We’ll camp on white sandy beaches and have driftwood camp fires most nights whilst watching the most spectacular sunsets. Your guides will make you different food each night, you won’t go hungry! (Any dietary requirements just let us know and we will make it happen) On clear nights it is even possible to see the Milky Way.

River days, with no internet, no roads, nothing…simply bliss.

The first 2 days and the final day are described as some of the best whitewater in the world, and we couldn’t agree more. The middle section of the river is more chilled and flattens out a big. A chance for beginner kayakers to have a go if they like. 

The second last day, is in our opinion, the best day of the whole trip. We’ll encounter 50 rapids in this day alone with the highlights being Ashram, Bas Below and Double F**k!! Tonight we will camp at the confluence with the Sun Kosi river. Often we will meet a Sun Kosi group here who have been on a seperate expedition and have a little celebration party. There’s a great little village here (where we can stock up on beer if necessary!) 

On the final river day, where we paddle the Sun Kosi river, it is a gentle float to the end. We can stop at a local Hindu temple,Baraha Chhetra, and get a quick blessing before we end this special trip. Back in the raft for an hours float to the take out. 

We will take out at Chatra around 1pm, and head to our local hotel for a traditional Dal Bhat and a celebration!  We will then transfer you back to Biratnagar airport for a quick 45 minute flight back. You will reach Kathmandu around 7pm this evening. 

For those taking the bus, we will head to our friends hotel for a quick Dal Bhat lunch, pack the bus and be on the road at 4pm, 

If you decided to catch the bus rather than the flight back, you will reach Thamel, Kathmandu around 9am in the morning depending on road conditions and traffic having traveled all night. Just in time for a well earned shower and cooked breakfast!

Come meet the crew tonight in the famous Tom and Jerries bar fora few beers and games of pool, and a celebration,   of the expedition we have just completed.