"An absolutely fantastic trip. All the guides were excellent. I will certainly recommend the company. The best rafting experience this side of the milky way!"

Craig Maggs, Sun Koshi '09

Nepal - an introduction

If you have never been on a river journey in Nepal before, you're in for an amazing experience. Very little in Nepal resembles life anywhere else in the world. This is a place of deep religious customs, the most radical topography on earth, and one of the least developed infrastructures in the world. Most of the populations of Nepal are subsistent farmers who live many days walk away from the nearest road. There is no better way to see Nepal than on a river trip, which by its very nature is the essence of escapism. Be warned - once you start this journey, it may be hard to quit.

Climate:

One of the fascinating things about Nepal is that in the space of a hundred miles you can go from the coldest and most bitter conditions on Earth to the sweltering heat of the North Indian Plain. Nepal has everything from the brutal wind-swept Himalayan peaks to humid tropical jungles. In general, it is best to plan for a subtropical to temperate condition on the rivers. The Karnali is on the subtropical Pahar zone, which is quite warm and pleasant. The Sun Koshi winds its way between the Mahabarat Lekh mountains and the main Himalayas and is also warm.

The temperature in the daytime ranges from 25-32 degrees Celsius, with evenings being 8 to 10 degrees cooler. Expect a typical northern hemisphere season with the monsoon thrown in. Most people are surprised to find that Nepal is actually the same latitude as Florida or Egypt, the extremes in temperature and climate are all due to altitudinal variations.

Health:

The most important and simple thing you can do to prevent serious illness in Nepal is to arrive properly immunized. Antibiotics and other medications are available in Nepal without a prescription and at a fraction of the cost in comparison to the rest of the world. You do, however, need to know the chemical name (not the brand name) of what you want, as well as the dosages and side effects.

Dysentery, either amoebic or bacterial, is the normal ailment that travelers to Nepal are stuck with. With this in mind, be careful of where and what you eat in Kathmandu or Pokhara during the trip. Sanitation is a top priority on our raft trips and almost (without exception) all illnesses which occur on the river are brought from Kathmandu or Pokhara.

If you have any relevant medical conditions, please make sure they are listed on your booking form. Also, make them known to your guide and the trip leader when you meet them in Kathmandu.

Visa Regulations

As per the latest visa regulation of Nepal, the following provisions have been made effective with regards to the revised tourist and business visa fees and changes in the current trekking permit issuing system:

Multiple entry tourist visa can be obtained from the entry points of Nepal or from the Nepalese diplomatic missions located abroad by paying US$40 for 30 days. If visitors wish to extend their stay in Nepal, they can do so by paying an additional US$30 for 15 days and the visa extension fee for more than 15 days is US$ 2 per day or equivalent convertible currency.

If a visitor, who has already visited Nepal under a tourist visa, intends to come again within 150 days of the same visa year, he/she can obtain an entry visa by paying US$ 50 for a period of 30 days at the entry points or at the Nepalese diplomatic missions located abroad.

Visitors who wish to stay in Nepal for more than 60 days can extend their tourist visa by paying the equivalent sum of US$50 in the Nepalese currency, for a period of 30 days, at the Department of Immigration.

Foreign investors can obtain a business visa with multiple entry facility, for a period of one year and five years, from the Department of Immigration on the recommendation of Ministry of Industry by paying the equivalent sum of US$100 and US$ 250 respectively in the Nepalese currency.

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