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

Types Of Craft On A White Water Rafting Vacation

There are many varying craft on offer on white water rafting trips to enhance your adventure. Each offer a different means to run rapids on a river, giving you safe options to challenge some of the biggest whitewater in the world, such as on the Zambezi or in Nepal. Other craft are there for your safety. Safety kayaks and safety catarafts primarily run rapids first and wait at the bottom of rapids in strategic locations in case you should pop out of the raft. Paddle raft: This raft will have 6-8 paddlers plus a guide, who will give commands from the rear of the raft. An extremely manuvreable craft which involves excellent teamwork. A common boat used on the steep creeks of California. Stern Raft/Paddle Assist: This is an adaptation of the above craft, however the guide will sit at the back with a set of oars which allows extra power and stability in big water rapids such as in Chile and the Zambezi. Oar Raft: A boat that is traditionally used for equipment such as food, coolers, but on occasion, these craft can be used to take passengers too. This is common on the Grand Canyon although traditionally most … Continue reading →

Paddle rafting at it's best on the steep creeks in California.

Ten Great Attributes Of A Zambezi Multi-Day Trip

A Zambezi whitewater rafting trip, need not last just the traditional, one day. Adventures further down river reward rafters with stunning views, remote campsites, more challenging white water than the day trip, plus the chance, depending on which trip you choose to see wildlife at close range. On a 7 day trip to Matetsi river mouth, frequently our rafting guests get to see crocodiles and hippopotamus amongst the braided sections. Then prepare yourself for the thrill of a lifetime, getting a flight back to Livingstone, via the magnificent Victoria Falls. You get to start your trip below one of the Seven Natural Wonders Of The World. You don’t have to walk out of the Batoka Gorge You get to camp on amazing HUGE sandy beaches Trips are run in the “dry” season. You won’t get rain (in general!) but you will get VERY wet in the amazing rapids You can choose to go on safari to Chobe National Park, where you can get to see some of the best wildlife is Southern Africa. You can get to choose to do some incredible adventures in and around Livingstone, such as walking with Cheetahs, lions or doing an elephant walk. You get … Continue reading →

Amazing place to start your trip, beneath Victoria Falls

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

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 →

Comic Relief Zambezi Hell And High Water Challenge

It was so great to see one of our favourite rivers in the world featured as part of Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day Challenge on BBC1 on 14th March. An amazing effort on the part of the celebrities to raise in excess of £1,100,000. The Zambezi Challenge saw celebrities Jack Dee, Dara O’Briain, Chelsee Healey, Radio 1 DJ Greg James, Spice Girl Melanie C and Olympian Phillips Idowu paddle more than 100km down the Mighty Zambezi River. Given the time of year chosen to run the challenge, the participants paddled mainly above Victoria Falls as at that time of year the rapids from Number 1-10 are considered too dangerous. The optimum time to raft the Zambezi River is from August until November in the “dry season” when the river is low, the weather hot and the gorge is not as green as we saw it on Comic Relief. Water By Nature have been offering charity events on the Zambezi for more than 15 years, working with Guide Dogs, Breast Cancer, Lupus to name just a few. If you’d like to fundraise for your preferred charity the longest serving Charity Event Organiser on the Zambezi, Global Adventure Challenge can assist you … Continue reading →

Dr David Livingstone’s Bicentenary 2013

Agreed by many as one of the most influential explorers of the Victorian era, Dr David Livingstone holds a special place in the history of Africa and in particular his memorable words when he first laid eyes on what he named Victoria Falls (Mosi Oa Tunya in the local Bemba language) “A sight so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” March 19th 2013 is the Bicentenary of Dr David Livingstone’s birth in Blantyre and what an opportunity to explore one of the rivers at the forefront of his travels as the Mighty Zambezi. Livingstone was the first European Explorer to travel across trans continental Africa from Luanda to Mozambique. He was a light traveller and this gave him extra kudos with local Chiefs, as well as his reassurances that he was not a threat. The British backed his second expedition to the Zambezi, however he was unable to safely navigate the Cabora Bassa rapids in Mozambique, which he had not seen on his first trip to the region. Despite being viewed as a “failure” by many back in the UK, the trip was a very worthwhile project for the scientists working with Livingstone to collect … Continue reading →