Thuli Bheri Cata-kayak Expedition

Per our Thuli Bheri kayak expedition itinerary, we will either drive or fly to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu and stay overnight there. The distance between these locations is 494 kilometers. You can reach Nepalgunj from Tribhuvan International Airport in around 40 to 50 minutes. After you’ve reached there, you can go on a brief excursion around Nepalgunj. However, you won’t raft or kayak on the first day. After you’ve had your dinner either at the hotel or in the town, you can spend the night at a hotel.

The next morning, we will fly to Juphal Airport, leaving Nepalgunj. The journey will be scenic and short. Then, after reaching Juphal , we will start trekking up to Dunai, which will take around 2.5 – 3 hours to reach. We will set our camp there at Dunai. You can soak in the beauty of the surroundings at your campsite till evening and have a campfire as well. While the brief trek will serve as an adventure still, you won’t kayak on this day either.

The next day, we will continue our trek to Tarakot and set up our second camp there. The trek will become an adventure, given the plenty of ascending and descending along with an altitude gain. As you journey, you will see lush rhododendron and pine forests, Gurung and Magar villages, etc. Once you reach Tarakot, you can relish freshly campfire-prepared meals in the camp and stay overnight under the night sky and stars.

We will start our kayaking expedition this morning, flow down to Dunai, and set our first water camp at the bank of the river. The river has a grade of Class II-III. After a few hours of kayaking, you will camp at Tibrikot, a quiet riverside where herders graze their goats. You can then campfire, explore the surroundings, and have hot, freshly prepared food and drinks there.

On this day, you will warm up your kayaking paddles in the Class II-III river rapids. The steep river side will give you a good warmup and you can relax while still not being deprived of a wholesome adventure. Through some normal rapids, we will continue to kayak through the secluded riverside and canyon walls. Some instant distance above the Tibrikot, we will spend another night(camping) under the night sky.

Then comes Golden Canyon Rapids (a Series of continuous rapids). The rapid being up to Class IV, this days’ adventure makes for a worthwhile memory in your entire trip. We will scout three rapids among them. Some of the places require portaging the kayak and the cargo through the mule’s path. At Sirbinde, we will set up another camp. You will spend overnight hearing the serene rapid flow of the river and sleeping peacefully under the night sky.

Through some 5+ rapids, kayaking down from Sirbinde will provide some beautiful high-class rapids, some of which also need scouting and portaging. Compared to the kayaking adventures on days earlier, you will find yourself immersing in a challenging trip in the water on this day. At around 3.5 hours, we will reach Chugad, another camping site for that day. While the river keeps widening, you will find yourself in continued peaceful surroundings.

Starting from Chugad and scouting some rapids, we continuously kayaked down the rapids to Awulgurta, where we set up our next-day camp. Awulgurta is another quiet location which is in the meadows of the Himalayas. Travelers can engage in other activities like birdwatching writing in a journal or simply embracing the beauty of your natural surrounding after kayaking, since you will have plenty of time before you go to sleep for the same.

You will bypass a gorge as you continue rafting down the narrow footpaths for up to one hour on this day. We have to portage for about 2.5 hours. We will then set up another camp here at Tallobagar near the Helicopter pad. Likewise, since the location is far from the city, you will only be transported to the world outside the natural one here if there are any emergencies.

From Tallobagar to Radijula, we will scout rapids, then portage and kayak down some high-class rapids for about 4 hours. You will take on the journey across rock corridors. In addition to this, you can also enjoy the Himalayan lifestyle. Then, we will stay another night in Radijula. As you camp in the terraced riverside, you can enjoy the panoramic, undisturbed view of the ridgelines.

On this day, we will start from Radijula. This is the final day of your kayaking adventure. Kayaking will be much smoother and simpler on this day as compared to the days before. After scouting one rapid there, we will continue to flow down to Sallibazar, our camping site for today. Kayakers can enjoy warm tea alongside the river with fire and sound of the natural tranquility.

This is the layover day. We will experience extra activities like real Sona Bath, which is actually effective for removing colds from the body. Sona Bath is taken to relax the body from soreness and fever and is made with herbal essence. If time allows and if you’re interested in doing so, you will also get the chance to interact with the villagers. We will stay overnight there.

From Sallibazaar, we will return to Nepalgunj in around 10 hours and stay overnight there. You will have enough time to relax, or you can also choose to explore the marketplace if the time allows, or if you’re not too tired from the journey. Travelers can get the perfect chance to interact with locals on this day. You can also enjoy the local cuisine while roaming the marketplace.

From Nepalgunj, we will return to Kathmandu by bus or airplane. This is the day we end our Thulibheri Kayaking Expeditions tour. If you’re going to Kathmandu by airplane, you will be able to visit the marketplace, especially since you will stay in your hotel either in Thamel or in a hotel in the big city. This day makes for the perfect time to shop for souvenirs and relish in different types of cuisines. You deserve it, after a long yet fruitful journey to Thuli Bheri Cata!