White Water Nepal – The Karnali River

With the onset of so much development and roads on the Sun Kosi River, we have decided to set our focus more on sending clients to the Karnali and Tamur rivers, allowing our guests to get remote and disconnect, in a familiar theme with many of our other destinations such as the Grand Canyon and the Zambezi. The Karnali River is in the “wild west” of Nepal and offers some of the best rapids in the world, stunning beaches and the opportunity to view wildlife at close range. Mugger crocodiles and even leopards have been spotted on previous trips. It is world class rapids such as “Godshouse” Flip and Strip, Juicer, Freight Train and Sweetness & Light most people go for. BIG WARM WATER! No, it is not cold Himalayas. At the same latitude as Florida, experience sun drenched beaches and gorgeous waterfalls on your journey. Many guests take the opportunity after the trip for a few days exploring Bardia National Park, Nepal, premier wildlife sanctuary with it’s elephants, rhino’s and the rare Bengal tiger. Slip away for a few days relaxation at this stunning park before traveling back to Kathmandu and the vibrancy that engulfs this special city.

The lower Karnali. How gorgeous is this?

A Cultural And White Water Wonder – The Tamur River, Nepal

With so many trips vying for our attention, adventure travel can pose a major dilemma on which destination to choose to travel to a destination, just that little bit different. Nepal is that destination and the Tamur is that trip. The Tamur is one of the tributaries of the famed Sun Kosi river that is fed from Mt Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world. The adventure of any trip to Nepal, begins in Kathmandu, that most fascinating of cities, with its sacred cows sleeping in the middle of roads, rickshaws transporting people around this vibrant town and the bright lights and great restaurants of Thamel. Boarding our aircraft, we fly to the east of Nepal where you’ll get stunning views of the world’s highest peak. Our adventure takes on a whole new meaning as we hike for 4 days with our team of 100 porters, who carry everything for our expedition through traditional villages overlooking stunning Himalayan Peaks. At Dobhan, where we start the river portion of the journey, we are met by some of the most challenging whitewater in this Himalayan country. With more than 130 Grade 3-4+ rapids over the 120 kilometre duration of this trip, … Continue reading →

A Sadhu (holy Man) in the heart of Kathmandu

Capturing Memories Of Your Rafting Vacation

Having immersed yourself in your rafting holiday, who might be there to capture YOUR memories for you? An integral part of any river trip (numbers permitting) is to have a video kayaker along, whose sole purpose is to capture trip memories for you in the form of still photographs and a 30-45 minute DVD of your trip for you to show your family and friends on your return! Just think, when they are just starting to get bored of all of your stories, you can show them, just how much fun it is on a river trip! With the onset of many inexpensive and excellent quality waterproof cameras, many of our trips also have Go-Pro cameras offering HD quality photos and video from the front of the raft facing back at the crew, or alternatively, some other great views can be obtained putting the camera on the guides helmet at the back of the raft. In addition, we take small waterproof pelican cases so you’ll have the opportunity to capture your own special images on the trip. Just remember, if there is something that might make the DVD amazing for you, ask the cameraman to grab that shot for you. … Continue reading →

Mikey Amos, one of our talented cameramen in Morocco

A Must Do On The Zambezi River – Devils Pool On Livingstone Island

On our Zambezi white water rafting trips, many guests ask us what activities are simply a “must do”. Before of after your rafting on the Zambezi river, a trip to Livingstone Island should be a priority. The place where Dr David Livingstone set eyes on Victoria Falls or Mosi Oa Tunya as they are known in the local Bemba dialect has long been a draw for travelers for it’s un-rivalled views of the falls. Many people including the owner of Water By Nature, Hamish got married on the island. In the low water season however (from approximately August – November) visitors can bring swimwear and swim on the edge of the falls guarded by a rock lip and your guides, in what is, the worlds MOST IMPRESSIVE infinity pool! We recommend an afternoon excursion to Livingstone Island and all of our guests receive a complimentary transfer to and from The Royal Landing at The Royal Livingstone Hotel where the trip departs from. No matter whether you are flying in from the United States, the UK or Europe, this is one trip, not to be missed.

Cuisine On A White Water Rafting Trip?

Eating a wonderful meal in the outdoors is a must. Forget beans on toast and “spam” your river guides transform into wonderful chefs preparing cuisine we have been told “restaurants would be proud of”. As any past guests of Water By Nature will attest to, from sundowners of Canapes, prawn cocktail or wine and cheese and an ice cold beer, to our very own “cake guru” Steve Hammond’s dutch oven cakes, you should not plan on losing any weight on your holiday! Given the range of food on offer in many of our destinations such as Morocco, Nepal and the Zambezi, many meals the guides prepare are from scratch. On a recent trip to Morocco, the guests were blown away by riverside pizzas and chips, made with their own choice of toppings. Breakfasts are no exception. Fresh fruit each morning, cereal and those wanting a cooked breakfast, French Toast, bacon and eggs or perhaps Eggs Benedict will satisfy your taste buds. Lunches include fresh salads, cold meats and fruit. Given the nature of a river trip and taking gear rafts with you, there is no need to scrimp on comfort and the same applies to the food. Send us your … Continue reading →

A Stunning Insight Into Moroccan Rafting

Rafting is perhaps not the first thing that people associate with the Kingdom of Morocco. Most people will associate it with the vast Sahara Desert, camels and the vibrant and fascinating cities like Marrakech. Around 5 hours north east of Marrakech lies the picturesque and fun Ahansel River. It has many of the qualities of a European Alps style river, but without the crowds. Starting beneath the imposing La Cathedrale and traveling via a series of stunning campsites littered with cedar trees and rhododendrons down to the lake of Bin El Ouidane offers those wanting to explore this wonderful region, time to walk to ancient Kasbahs, meet people and sample wonderful food prepared along the way by our guides. A recent group visiting from the USA, many of whom had done the Grand Canyon, felt this trip was even more impressive in it’s beauty. Advertising agency executive Duncan Shaw, celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Marybeth, was blown away by the food on the trip. Canapes, wine and cheese, cake made on the river and pizzas made from scratch individually for all guests was something that was unique for them all. On the Deserts & Rivers option of this … Continue reading →

The REAL Zambezi Legends

So many stories come out about the Zambezi River, the flips, the swims, the campsites the helicopter flight back to town, but there are some hidden gems in this place that make the trip unique and above all, possible. Mukuma and our team of legendary porters carry all our equipment into and out of the river before and after your trip. The rafts are rolled into a “sausage” and the lads run the 750 feet into the gorge as if it were flat. Once the rafts, lunch, stern frames and safety equipment are in, the crew dash back to our vehicles and are transported to Rapid number 10 (our first overnight camp at Songwe Point) and carry in all the camping equipment for our expedition. Many people have trouble walking this steep trail with wooden steps down to the river as we saw with some of the Comic Relief participants, but Mukuma and his team do an average of 6 trips each to get all the gear into the camp by the time the guests have finished rafting their first day. If guests are doing one of our 4 day river trips, the Zambezi Blast and Ultimate Adventure, the porters … Continue reading →

Ten Great Adventures After Your Zambezi Rafting Holiday

If you have chosen to raft the Zambezi River for your next adventure holiday, you have made a wonderful choice. What we’d like to share with you now are some of the amazing adventures you can take part in either before or after your rafting trip. It can sometimes offer a reduction in the cost of your flight if you fly out a day or two earlier to Livingstone in Zambia from either the UK or the United States. We’d like to point out some wonderful adventures you can take part in: 1. The “Devils Pool” on Livingstone Island: One of the best and most iconic activities on offer. Swim in the world’s most impressive “infinity pool” right on the edge of Victoria Falls. This activity is only open during low water (August – November) and includes a visit to Livingstone Island. 2. Cheetah Encounter: Many guests have rated this as one of the highlights of their trip. You’ll be collected from you hotel and be taken to the Cheetah centre where they work with this endangered species. Take one for a walk! 3. Lion Encounter: Walk in the bush with African Lions. No leashes or restraints and no enclosures. … Continue reading →

Camp Hygiene & Health On Your Whitewater Rafting Vacation

Quite frankly, there is nothing worse that not feeling well on your holiday so we have devised and implement a few procedures on all of our trips, to make sure that everyone stays as healthy as possible. This can be equally as important as your safety on the river. 1. Wash your hands! Yes, we were all told it by our Mums, but it is very important on river trips. On all of our trips we have one hand wash system set up at the toilet and another at the kitchen. We recommend that you wash your hands at the loo and again in the kitchen before handling food. Its the sure fire way to stay healthy! 2. Dish wash set up. We have a tried and tested method of washing dishes to ensure that plates cutlery and pots are all clean before we use them again. The wash system starts off with a warm river water rinse, then it goes into a hot soapy wash to remove any remaining grease and food residue, then we rinse in a weak chlorox solution in 2 separate systems to remove dish wash soap and to sterilise the plates before we dry in … Continue reading →

White Water Rafting The Grand Canyon – The Colorado River

Without a doubt the most famous whitewater rafting trip in the world, the Grand Canyon conjures up images of dwarfed rafts beneath the canyon walls that reach a mile deep a certain points. Many different options exist to travel through the canyon, by raft. Motor raft, dory, oar raft or paddle raft. The latter options tend to take longer and offer trips from 13-14 days to travel the 226 miles from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek. The trip has been a favorite for many North Americans through the Grand Canyon National Park, but far less Europeans venture for this classic 2 week adventure. It is well worth it. Far from being a trip just featuring whitewater rafting, the Grand Canyon offers so much more. Groups take part in fascinating hikes, some short and some longer and more adventurous walks, all of which are purely voluntary. Maybe your idea of “canyon heaven” its sitting down on a spectacular beach reading your book on your kindle, or chatting with your fellow rafters. Although Arizona is essentially is a desert, as well as the Colorado River being the main artery through the area, incredible side creeks such as Thunder River, Deer Creek, Havasu, … Continue reading →