Experience of exploring the Karnali will tell you that it is one of the most incredible journeys of life. The River, in volume, is the largest and longest in Nepal. And people rarely explore the upper sections. Along the lower section the river takes a sharp turn from the south to north, often called the Western Bend. At this point, the river can access an incredible adventure through deep gorges and remote regions begin.
The upper Karnali, better known as the Humla Karnali rises in Tibet from the holy peak, Mount Kailash some very experienced expedition groups can run upper sections. These normally start with a charter flight to Simikot and then sixteen to twenty days to the take-out at Chisopani. The Lower Karnali can be run in five to seven days and still proves a major river journey that has got to fall into the category of being one of the best in the world.
Route Highlight
- Put in point: Dhungeshwor (altitude 560 m)
- Take out Point: Chisapani (altitude 195m)
- 180 km. distance on the river
- From Kathmandu to Surkhet: 600 km.
- Distance: Kathmandu-Chisapani: 570 km.
- Difficulty: class 1-5
- River days: 7
- The total duration of the rafting: 10 days
- Volume in November: 300 M3/sec
- Best period: Begin October till end December / half February till end May.