Nepal boasts some of the best white water for expedition paddling in the world but for many people, travelling to Nepal is a daunting thought. As a third world country it can be hard to navigate. It’s all good knowing where you want to go, but getting there can sometimes pose a problem. So what’s the solution? A white water adventure tour!

5 Reasons A Tour Is The Best Way To Get On Nepal’s White Water

Unlike your traditional ‘follow the red flag tours’, tours like these are specifically designed for paddlers. Keen to do some white water river expeditions that take you away from tourists and into the wilds! If you’re still not sure, here are five reasons a white water tour is the best way to get on Nepal’s white water rivers!

There’s a river for everyone…

Regardless of whether you’re into kayaking or would prefer to paddle down on a raft, every river is accessible. Ranging from grade 2 to 5 and with over 3000 rivers in the country, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to river expeditions in Nepal! River and Soul are a company that run white water expedition tours and you can spend up to two weeks on the river and on many of the tours, no experience is required! Which is great for those who may have been out the game a little while, never paddled high volume rivers or are completely new to the sport!

5 Reasons A Tour Is The Best Way To Get On Nepal’s White Water

For those more experienced and looking for gnarley rapids, designed to test your skill there are tours for you too. The mighty Sun Koshi is a 9 day long expedition river and will push your limits and take you out into the sensational wilderness of Nepal. The benefit of doing this on a tour? They can get you there (which is particularly tricky) and get you back as well as everything else in between.

5 Reasons A Tour Is The Best Way To Get On Nepal’s White Water

There’s no time wasting by getting lost…

As we all know there’s no sign posts on rivers, you rely on good scouting, gps and maps to know your put in and take out points. If you’re on a time limit, like most of us are – Sadly we all can’t live the dream to travel and paddle all year round – then you want to take that stress out of it. On a white water tour the experienced guides and leaders have control. They’ve ran these rivers many times, they know the best campsites, emergency procedures and take out points. So you can spend less time stressing, planning and arguing if you’re in the right place and more time playing the waves, taking on the rapids and enjoying the ride!

5 Reasons A Tour Is The Best Way To Get On Nepal’s White Water

You’ll come back with more than just stories of the rivers…

On a white water expedition tour you’ll have guides, safety kayakers and packraft paddlers with you. All of whom, are Nepali. Many of them will have been brought up next to the river you’re paddling on, in the rural regions or mountain towns. They all have stories to tell and soon they’ll not just be your paddling guides, they’ll be friends. Your river guides have all the knowledge about the rivers, the environment, the nature, wildlife and more that you’ll experience when on the river. You’ll learn so much more about the area you’re in and what you’re looking at. It’s so much better to be able to ask questions and find out the answer, rather than just paddling by. So not only will your Nepal tour be packed full of white water adventure, you’ll experience the culture of Nepal as well. Stories of wild rivers in Nepal are great, but the unexpected stories you’ll end up with, will surprise you!

5 Reasons A Tour Is The Best Way To Get On Nepal’s White Water

You’ll always be well fed…

We all like our food, don’t lie! There’s nothing better than a warm feast after a full day’s paddling. This can be hard to do on an expedition trip in a foreign country. Usually we have as much kit and food as we can packed into our kayaks, there’s no packraft floating down behind us carrying the nights feast. So to save space we live off of dehydrated meals. Let’s be honest, after a few days, these suck. On a white water tour in Nepal there will be no dehydrated meals. You’ll have a freshly cooked feast every night and peanut butter and chocolate spread is always available! Some nights it may be pasta with a variety of salads, others it could be traditional Nepali food! On a white water tour you’re completely taken care of, food and drink is one less thing you have to worry about and one more thing to enjoy! Whether you’re out for 2 or 9 days, they will have you covered.

You can leave your equipment at home..

Taking a kayak on a plane has to be one of the most unnecessarily difficult experiences in the world. So being able to go on a kayaking expedition without having to bring a kayak might sound weird, but wow it’s so much better. There’s no problems at airports, no lost kayaks and no worries of possibly losing your boat if you go swimming. An adventure white water tour will have a wide selection of kayaks for you to choose from, they will be able to arrange it for you before you arrive and all other equipment will be provided as well. When it comes to white water tours, you do get what you pay for. River and Soul Adventures offer white water tours with all the equipment provided and these guys have a pretty good standard of equipment. If you are a keen kayaker/paddler it is worth bringing your own buoyancy aid and helmet. But everything else can be left at home, which is great!

As you can see white water tours don’t sound too bad and for countries like Nepal, they definitely take the stress out of planning a river expedition! River and Soul Adventures is a company that runs comfortable, adventure & expedition white water tours in Nepal. They know their stuff and are the best people to take you away from the tourists and into the wild white water of Nepal! If Nepal has been on your paddling bucket list (and it should be) then get in touch and get out there!

5 Reasons A Tour Is The Best Way To Get On Nepal’s White Water