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Marshyangdi River |
The Marsyangdi is the mother of all rivers. In the local
dialect, it means raging one and rage it does! Few rivers rival
the Marsyangdi for exhilarating whitewater and unparalleled
mountain views. It is steep, powerful and not to be
underestimated. With some of the wildest commercially run white
water in the world, sustained sections of steep technical
rafting test our teamwork throughout the trip. Usually a
turquoise blue in color, the rapids wrap themselves around
weirdly sculpted boulders and steep chutes plunging into deep
green pools as the river drops down from the Annapurna range.
With the awe inspiring, breathtaking backdrop of the Manaslu and
Annapurna ranges, it is a photographer's dream.
It may be a dream of a whitewater run, but it is a logistical
nightmare. Even still, our guides fight among themselves for the
honor of running it. The huge boulders require instinctive and
Expert River reading skills to identify the right lines. The
rapids are so continuous and technical that we run the rafts
empty of gear for maneuverability. In true Nepali style, we
employ porters to carry our gear. Don't worry; we still manage
to squeeze on board our extensive first aid kit and the
exceptional Drift Nepal lunch box. If you ever see a group of
wizened river rats drowning in a Pokhara bar, you may hear the
Marsyangdi described variously as an adrenaline overload, most
beautiful river I have ever done, orgasmic, a jewel of a river
or liquid madness.
Duration : 04-05 days, Grade : 4-5 |
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Itinerary in Detail |
Day 01 : |
Drive 8 hours to Besisahar from
Kathmandu and then to Khudi to set up
Camp. After reaching Besisahar |
Day 02 : |
Trek start from Khudi to Ngadi then back
to Ngadi by raft for your night camp.
After breakfast, we start trekking for a
couple of hours to our put in point
Ngadi. |
Day 03 : |
Start adventure-rafting trip from Khudi
and raft up to the sandy beach below
Besisahar. From today you have to be
prepared to continuous bumping into the
challenging rapids and it doesn’t stop
after the 1st day. |
Day 04 : |
As done before and camp in Bhotewodar.
After breakfast we hit directly into
whitewater again. At Phaliya Sanghu the
whole river is squeezed between vertical
walls, which rise 200 ft to a suspension
bridge across the river. For a short
section after Phaliya Sanghu the river
relaxes, the rapids are more open and
nowhere as powerful. We end the day at
Bhotewodar, where we camp on the banks
in the cave of a Shiva temple. |
Day 05 : |
The river becomes very mellow and goes
through a high walled gorge with birds
and vegetation that can only be
described as breath taking. We reach our
take out point at Bimal Nagar by
lunchtime where our transport is waiting
to take us back to Pokhara or Chitwan or
Kathmandu. |
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