If you are looking for a change for the usual, mundane vacation activities, the best thing to do is go for something that satisfies the adventurous spirit in you. And if you have the zeal, challenge the rapids. Go for white water rafting and experience the thrill of rushing down fast-flowing mountain streams a froth with huge waves, dashing against dangerous boulders and dizzy rapids, while you cling for dear life dependent on a fragile, inflatable rubber raft or dinghy.
White-water rafting has come of age in India.
With its numerous rivers, mostly in the Himalayas
, providing perfect destinations for this sport, India has a natural advantage over the other countries in the world calling the adventurous in you to unwind yourself during your vacations in India.
Major Destinations
The mighty river Ganga plays
host to river running. The 70-km stretch from Devprayag
to Rishikesh
is the venue of this relatively young sport. In the last few years, river rafting has become increasingly popular and several camps have come up along this stretch. The rapids have been graded according to the difficulty of the run.
In Garhwal district of
Uttaranchal state, the Alaknanda
and Bhagirathi rivers, the main
tributaries of the Ganga, meet at
Devprayag, where their foaming waters provide
excellent river-rafting opportunities. As the Ganga
traverses down from Devprayag, it offers
some fine stretches for the amateur rafter. In
Kumaon, the river Sharda (or
Kali Ganga) flows down from Nepal to meet the
Gori River at Jauljivi
. This stretch of water is suited for more experienced river rafters, as the rapids are grade 4 or above. However, in the lower reaches, the waters are calmer and even novices can enjoy this stretch.
Other sites for white-water rafting that have
been identified include Barkot to Lakha
Mandal and Damta to Yamuna Bridge on the
river Yamuna, Mori to Tuni
on the river Tons, Kalisor
to Srinagar and Srinagar
to Bagwan on river
Alaknanda, Ghansali to
Gadolia on the river Bhilangana,
Chandrapuri to Rudraprayag on the
river Mandakini, and many stretches along the river
Bhagirathi
, both for professionals and amateurs.
River rafting is also organized in the other
parts of India. The Indus and Zanskar rivers, which
flow through the arid ranges of Ladakh, offer
gentler trips with gradations ranging from one to two. River
Chenab has a 130-km stretch from Kishtwar
to Ramban
where the rapids are graded from one to six.
Sikkim also offers good
river stretches for rafting. The Teesta and
Rangeet are two major rivers on which river rafting
is possible in this tiny state of eastern India. Two major stretches
are Makha-Sirwani-Bardang-Rongpo on the
Teesta and Sikip-Jorethang-Majitar-Melli
on the Rangeet
.
Best Time
There is no fixed time to indulge in this sport. India being a large country, most of the rivers provide different times of the year to participate in it. Practically you have a stretch of around 8 months starting from May to November to participate in your favorite pastime during your vacations in India.
