9-Day Arun River Rafting Expedition

9 Days on One of Nepal's Most Remote Rafting Rivers

Days 1 to 2  |  Arrival and Kathmandu

Land at Tribhuvan International and spend two days in the Kathmandu Valley, with its medieval carved-wood temples, UNESCO heritage sites, and sacred stupas. Our team finalizes the river permits for the Arun while you explore. Kathmandu is a good place to start, since you are about to enter one of the oldest river valleys in Nepal.

Days 3 to 5  |  Into the Arun Valley

Fly from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar (518 meters), where the air is warm and the Himalaya is visible above on clear mornings. Trek to the put-in at Savaiya Khola through villages of the Rai and Limbu, Tibeto-Burman peoples who lived in this valley before any written record of Nepal. The river comes into view on the last stretch of the walk. Then launch, and let the Arun set the pace from the first day.

Days 6 to 7  |  The White Water

The Arun drops through the Mahabharat ranges in sustained Class III and IV rapids, between granite canyon walls and ridges the river has been cutting for tens of millions of years. The water is high-volume and cold, fed by glacial melt from the ranges above. Camp each night on riverside beaches several hours on foot from the nearest road.

Days 8 to 9  |  The Confluence and Return

The last rapids bring you to Barahkshetra, one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites in eastern Nepal, where the Arun meets the Sun Koshi and Tamur rivers. Take out at Chatara and transfer to Biratnagar for the flight back to Kathmandu and your last night before your international departure.

Day by Day

Days 1 to 2  Arrival and Kathmandu

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport for a traditional Sherpa welcome and transfer to your hotel. Kathmandu is a good place to start a trip into one of Nepal's oldest inhabited river valleys. Day Two is a proper introduction to the city before you leave it: Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River, the most sacred Hindu site in the country, where cremation ghats have been in use on the riverbank for centuries; Boudhanath, the great stupa at the center of Nepal's Tibetan Buddhist community; and the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu and Patan, with their medieval Newari architecture, stone temples, and palace courtyards. Meanwhile we confirm the permits for the Arun and book the domestic flight to Tumlingtar for the morning of Day Three.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Days 3 to 5  Into the Arun Valley

Take the morning flight from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar, a small airstrip in eastern Nepal at 518 meters. The flight takes about 40 minutes and lands you in a different climate, warmer and more humid, with the white wall of the eastern Himalaya to the north on clear mornings. From the airstrip you continue on foot. The trek to the put-in at Savaiya Khola passes through Rai and Limbu villages, Tibeto-Burman communities whose ancestors settled this valley long before the Kathmandu kingdoms existed. Their houses and terraced fields, in villages built around the river instead of a road, are a reminder that most of Nepal does not look like Thamel.

You see the Arun before you reach the put-in. It is a big river, wide and brown-green, coming down from the north, where it has already run hundreds of kilometers from its source in Tibet. After a safety briefing, a gear check, and introductions to the whole team, you launch. The first stretch shows you the river's character: longer calm sections than the Trishuli, broken by sets of rapids that hit hard and need every paddler's full attention. Camp on the first beach by late afternoon.

Stay: Tented Beach Camps

Days 6 to 7  The White Water Challenge

On this section the Arun enters the Mahabharat ranges and the landscape changes completely. The valley narrows, the walls rise, and the river, which has been running through open country, now cuts through ancient granite in sustained Class III and IV rapids, the most technically demanding water of the whole run. The canyon walls here are some of the oldest exposed rock in the Himalaya, pushed up by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates while the Arun kept cutting down through them.

These rapids lack the famous names of the Kali Gandaki's Refund or the Trishuli's Upset. The Arun's challenge is sustained: rapid after rapid through a canyon where the roar of the water drowns out everything else and the walls are close enough that you feel the cool air coming off the rock. Camps on this section are on narrow beaches tucked into bends in the canyon, with no road, trail, or settlement in sight from the water, only the river, the rock, and the sky above the rim.

Stay: Remote Riverside Camps

Days 8 to 9  The Confluence and Departure

On the final day the canyon opens and the river changes as the Arun nears the confluence. Barahkshetra is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites in eastern Nepal, where the Arun, the Sun Koshi, and the Tamur meet in a triple confluence that Hindus have held sacred since before recorded history. Pilgrims from across the eastern hills have come to the temple complex on the bank for centuries. The rafts drift past it on the last stretch before the take-out at Chatara.

Pack the gear and transfer to Biratnagar, the commercial capital of eastern Nepal, for the flight back to Kathmandu. Then either spend a last night in the city or transfer straight to Tribhuvan International Airport for your international departure.

Stay: Biratnagar Hotel or Kathmandu Hotel or International Departure

The Sherpa Standard

Every SherpaHolidays trip is fully supported. Here is what that means on this one.

Accommodation and Meals

• Kathmandu: Hotel on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
• River Camps: Tented beach camps throughout the rafting section, with high-quality sleeping mats and a full camp setup.
• River Meals: All meals on the river: breakfast, a riverside lunch, and dinner at camp, cooked fresh by the river kitchen team.
• Airport Welcome: Traditional welcome garlands and a full trip orientation when you arrive in Kathmandu.

Leadership and Logistics

• River Lead: An experienced, English-speaking trip leader who knows the Arun well.
• Paddle Guides: Professional guides in every raft on all river sections.
• Safety Kayakers: Dedicated safety kayakers following every raft through the Class III and IV water.
• Support Crew: A full team for camp setup, gear maintenance, and equipment transfers.
• River Gear: International-standard self-bailing rafts, life jackets, helmets, and dry bags.

Transport and Logistics

• Domestic Flights: Kathmandu to Tumlingtar and Biratnagar to Kathmandu, both included.
• Private Transfers: All ground travel in private air-conditioned vehicles.
• Permits and Fees: All river permits, national park entry fees, and sightseeing entrance fees.

What Is Not Included

• International airfare to and from Kathmandu
• Nepal entry visa fees
• Lunch and dinner while in Kathmandu
• Personal swimwear, river footwear, and medications
• Comprehensive travel insurance, which is a condition of every booking. Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, and repatriation. We can recommend providers.
• Tips for river guides, safety kayakers, and support crew
• Single supplement (for those taking a private room)

Five Highlights

A River Older Than the Mountains

The Arun is one of the few rivers in the world that is older than the mountain range it flows through. The Himalaya rose around it instead of blocking it, and the river kept cutting down through canyon walls that record 60 million years of tectonic collision. You paddle through that history in the Mahabharat section.

Tibeto-Burman Villages Along the Bank

The Rai and Limbu communities of the Arun Valley are Tibeto-Burman peoples who were here before the Kathmandu kingdoms. Their villages sit on terraced hillsides above the river, with no tourist facilities, no guesthouses, and no souvenir stalls, and the rafts pass close enough for you to see daily life on the banks. Now and then someone stops work to watch you go by.

Sustained Class IV Through the Canyon

The Arun is a different river from the Trishuli or the Kali Gandaki. Its challenge is sustained rather than concentrated: rapid after rapid through a narrow granite canyon, with the walls close on both sides and the water too loud for conversation. There are no famous named rapids on the Arun, just continuous, serious water for the full length of the canyon section.

The Sacred Confluence at Barahkshetra

The Arun ends at Barahkshetra, where it meets the Sun Koshi and Tamur rivers. Hindus have considered this triple confluence one of the most sacred sites in eastern Nepal for centuries, and pilgrims from across the eastern hills come to the temple on the bank. The rafts drift past it on the last stretch before the take-out, a quiet end to the trip.

A Remote River

The Arun sees a fraction of the traffic on Nepal's more accessible rivers. You reach it by domestic flight and a trek instead of a drive from Kathmandu. The beaches in the canyon section have no road access, and on the water the nearest settlement is often several hours away on foot. The remoteness comes from the geography, and it gives the Arun a quiet that the busier rivers do not have.