Rafting in River Drangme Chhu
07/04/2013 13:41
Duration: 17 days / 16 nights
Places covered: Paro - Bhumtang - Trashigang - Guwahati
Detailed itinerary:
Day 1 Arrive in Paro then drive three hours to Thimpu the capital city. Overnight in Hotel. Day 2 A long days drive to Tongsa (7 hours), stopping and exploring Punakha Dzong on the way and exploring Tongsa Dzong on arrival. Day 3 Paddle the Ema Datzi canyon of the Mangde Chhu river. In 1997 this was undisputedly the favorite river of the whole expedition, as it was one of the few that all of us could paddle without indigestion. While the whitewater wasn’t as puissant or continuous as some of the other rivers we ran, it was one of the finest stretches of whitewater we’ve ever seen, in an absolutely dazzling river canyon. While the road follows the river for the entire run, the river quickly disappears into a sheer sided bedrock canyon, heavily overgrown with dense jungle. It’s a river canyon straight out of a fairy tale, with the emerald green water contrasting the shiny black walls and verdant jungle. The canyon walls are dotted with wild honey combs, and in the upper section we saw a band of rare Golden Langur Monkeys. It’s the type of place that you keep expecting to see a leopard eating something unlucky. This river begs for a group of expert to advanced kayakers, and with the right crew it will be a classic challenging paddle raft trip. Overnight at Ugyen’s family Dzong at Enduchholing (Palace of the first King), with a private festival for the group. This will include traditional religious mask dances and a sumptuous feast. Day 4 Drive 7 hours to Bhumtang. Overnight Hotel. Day 5 Drive to Trashigang. This section of road is absolutely stunning and changes from high passes to semi-tropical rainforest. Overnight Trashigang Hotel. Day 6 The upper section of river is steeper and lower volume with some stunning challenging sections of continuous whitewater. With the road running beside the river we’ll be able to run most of this section form a river base camp. There will also be a chance to explore some of the smaller villages near the river. Day 7 River rafting Day 8 River rafting Day 9 This is the crux of the expedition and once we leave the road access at the top of the river there is no other access till 100 km later down on the northern plains of India. We’ll be totally self-sufficient carrying all expedition gear on our rafts as we explore one of the last untouched rivers in the world. Day 10 River rafting Day 11 River rafting Day 12 River rafting Day 13 River rafting Day 14 River rafting Day 15 River rafting Day 16 A drive across India brings us to Guhawati where we will overnight and celebrate the trip. Day 17 Fly Guhawati to Delhi where our expedition finishes.