Bhote Koshi River

The Bhote Koshi drops out of Tibet through a narrow gorge and loses height fast, which makes it the steepest commercially rafted river in Nepal: continuous class four and five rapids over a short distance, run in a single hard day rather than the multi-day float of the Trisuli or Sun Koshi, and used as the training and testing river by Nepali operators. The same gorge carries a bungee jump from a suspension bridge some 160 metres above the water, and a canyon swing from the same span. Resorts on the river bank run both. The highway here was badly damaged by the 2015 earthquake and by subsequent landslides, and the border crossing at Kodari has been affected, so access and conditions change.

What you actually see

• Continuous whitewater - class four and five over a short steep run.
• The bridge jumps - bungee and canyon swing from 160 metres.
• The gorge - the narrow valley the river cuts from the border.
• River resorts - the camps on the bank running both activities.

When to go

October to December after the monsoon for the biggest safe water, and March to May in spring. Monsoon flows are too high to run. Winter is cold for rafting though the jumps operate.

Honest expectations

This is difficult whitewater and not a beginner's river; swims here are serious. Operator standards, equipment and guide experience vary a great deal. The highway is prone to landslides and closures. Water levels can cancel trips.

Nearby

The Tibetan border lies north; Kathmandu is southwest.