10-Day Kali Gandaki Rafting Tour Nepal

10 Days on the Kali Gandaki

Days 1 to 2  |  Arrival and Kathmandu

Land in Kathmandu for two days in the valley, the cultural and spiritual center of Nepal and a fitting start for a river that has been a pilgrimage route for thousands of years. See UNESCO heritage sites, medieval Newari architecture, and sacred stupas while our team finalizes the Gandaki region permits.

Days 3 to 5  |  Into the Deepest Gorge

Drive from Kathmandu to the put-in at Kushma and start down the river. The Kali Gandaki goes straight into Class III and IV water, and the gorge walls rise on both sides as the river cuts between the two highest mountains in its reach. Big Brother and Small Brother, the first named rapids, are high-volume stretches that set the tone for the rest of the run. You spend five nights camped on riverside beaches.

Days 6 to 8  |  The Wilderness Run

The gorge deepens and the rapids get more technical, including Refund, the rapid guides talk about most. Between the gorge sections the jungle closes in on the banks, and the beaches are wide white sand with no road access. Afternoons on the beach turn up Shaligram fossils in the black rocks along the waterline, sacred objects that pilgrims have gathered from these banks for over 3,000 years. In the riverside forest, watch for langur monkeys, hornbills, and river eagles.

Day 9  |  Pokhara

Run the final rapids to the Mirmi dam and transfer by private vehicle to Pokhara. The lakeside city sits at the foot of the Annapurna range, with Machhapuchhre, the sacred Fish Tail peak, reflected in Phewa Lake on clear evenings. First hot shower in five days, and a celebration dinner by the lake.

Day 10  |  Return and Departure

Take the morning in Pokhara, then drive back to Kathmandu along the Trisuli River valley. Spend a final night in the city or transfer directly to Tribhuvan International Airport for your departure.

Day by Day

Days 1 to 2  Arrival and Kathmandu

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, at 1,340 meters, and transfer to your hotel with a traditional welcome. The Kathmandu Valley is a good place to begin: a basin ringed by hills, inhabited for over 1,500 years, with more UNESCO-listed monuments per square kilometer than almost anywhere else. Day Two is a proper introduction: Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River, the most sacred Hindu site in Nepal; Boudhanath, the great white stupa at the center of the Tibetan Buddhist community; and the medieval Durbar Squares of Kathmandu and Patan, with their carved wooden temples, stone sculpture, and palace courtyards built by the Malla kings over four centuries. The Kali Gandaki is a pilgrim's river, and these sites are a fitting start before you reach it.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Days 3 to 5  Into the Deepest Gorge  The White Water Begins

Leave Kathmandu for the drive west to Kushma, the put-in for the Kali Gandaki descent, through terraced hillsides and small market towns, with the first views of the river from the road above. At the riverbank you get a full safety briefing, a gear check, and an introduction to the paddle team and safety kayakers. The first rapid comes quickly, and it is a proper one: the river drops fast, and the gorge walls start to rise on both sides almost as soon as you launch.

Big Brother and Small Brother are the first rapids with names and histories: high-volume stretches of Class III and IV water where the current squeezes through narrow channels and the hydraulics call for precise paddling. Between the rapids the river opens into calmer stretches where you have time to look up at the gorge between Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri and see how far the walls rise above you. Each night you camp on a remote riverside beach, often with no road within several kilometers and no sound but the river.

Stay: Tented Beach Camps

Days 6 to 8  The Wilderness Run  Gorges and Wildlife

The middle section of the Kali Gandaki is the most remote. The jungle thickens on the banks between the gorge sections, and the beaches here are clean white sand, with no roads or settlements for long stretches. This is where you see the most wildlife: langur monkeys in the forest canopy along the river, gray-headed fish eagles working the water, pied kingfishers, hornbills, and sometimes the larger raptors that nest in the cliffs.

Refund is the rapid on this section that guides talk about most. It earns its name through volume, drop, and a technical line that you have to read correctly from well upstream. It is Class IV at standard levels and Class IV plus in high water. Run cleanly, it is one of the most satisfying stretches of the whole descent.

The Shaligrams appear on the beaches in the afternoon. They are black ammonite fossils, the remains of sea creatures that lived in the ancient Tethys Sea when the rock that became the Himalayas lay under an ocean. The Kali Gandaki has been cutting through that fossil-bearing layer for millions of years. Hindus have collected the fossils as sacred objects since at least the first millennium BC and worship them as physical manifestations of Lord Vishnu. You find them on the same white sand beaches where you pitch your tent.

Stay: Remote Riverside Camps

Day 9  Last Rapids  On to Pokhara

Run the final rapids to the Mirmi dam, where the river is tamed by infrastructure and the descent ends. Pack the gear and transfer by private vehicle to Pokhara, a 30-minute drive to a city that could hardly be more different from the gorge you have spent the past five days in. Pokhara sits at 800 meters beside Phewa Lake, with the Annapurna massif and Machhapuchhre, the sacred Fish Tail peak, rising directly above the water. On a clear evening you can watch the mountains reflected in the lake from the restaurants along the shore. After five days of river camping, the hot shower feels like real luxury. Then dinner on the lakefront, with whatever you need after nine days on the move.

Stay: Pokhara Premium Hotel

Day 10  Pokhara to Kathmandu and Departure

A slow morning in Pokhara. The lakeside is good for coffee and for doing nothing in particular, which suits the last morning of a river trip. Then drive back to Kathmandu along the Trisuli River valley, about five hours on the river road through the hills. Spend a final night in Kathmandu or transfer directly to Tribhuvan International Airport for your departure.

Stay: 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 and Pokhara: Premium hotels in both cities on a bed and breakfast basis.
• River Camps: Five nights of tented beach camping with high-quality sleeping mats and full camp setup by the support crew.
• River Meals: All meals on the rafting days: breakfast, a riverside lunch, and dinner at camp, freshly cooked on site.
• Airport Welcome: Traditional welcome garlands and a full trip briefing on arrival.

Leadership and Logistics

• River Lead: An English-speaking lead guide with long experience on the Kali Gandaki.
• Paddle Guides: Professional guides in every raft on all river sections.
• Safety Kayakers: Dedicated safety kayakers following every raft on all Class III and IV stretches.
• Cultural Guides: Local guides who explain the Shaligram fossils, the riverside temples, and the Magar and Chhetri communities along the route.
• Support Crew: A full team for camp management, river cooking, and equipment transport.

Transport and Logistics

• Private Transfers: All overland travel in private vehicles: Kathmandu to Kushma, and Pokhara back to Kathmandu.
• Permits and Fees: All river permits, national park fees, and sightseeing entrance fees.
• River Gear: International-standard self-bailing rafts, life jackets, helmets, and waterproof dry bags.

What Is Not Included

• International airfare to and from Kathmandu
• Nepal entry visa fees
• Personal meals in Kathmandu and Pokhara
• 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

The World's Deepest Canyon

The Kali Gandaki runs through the deepest gorge on earth, carved between Annapurna I at 8,091 meters and Dhaulagiri at 8,167 meters. The canyon drops over 5,500 meters from the surrounding peaks to the river below. You run it by raft, with the walls rising on both sides and the sky narrowed to a strip of light overhead.

Sacred Shaligram Fossils

The black ammonite fossils called Shaligrams turn up on the white sand beaches of the Kali Gandaki, eroded from the old Tethys Sea rock that the river has been cutting through for millions of years. Hindus have revered them as physical manifestations of Lord Vishnu for over 3,000 years, and pilgrims still walk these banks to collect them. You find them in the afternoon on the same beaches where you camp for the night.

Class IV Rapids with Names

Big Brother, Small Brother, and Refund are the three rapids on this route that guides talk about by name. All three are serious water that needs proper technique and a crew that has been briefed and is paying attention. Running them well is very satisfying, and in high water they are harder still.

Five Nights on Remote Beaches

The camps on this trip are on private beaches with no road access, often miles from the nearest settlement. The support crew has everything set up before the rafts arrive: a fire, dinner, and the sound of the Kali Gandaki in the dark. After a day of Class IV rapids in one of the world's deepest gorges, it is a good place to end the day.

Ending in Pokhara

The trip ends in Pokhara, beside a lake that reflects the Annapurna massif and Machhapuchhre on clear evenings. After five days inside a gorge, the open space of Pokhara is a welcome change: a hot shower, dinner on the lakefront, and the mountains in full view above you for the first time since you started.