Kali River and the Ganges
After finishing the Paddle Expo with Peak UK we packed up the Kayak School and headed to India. Our first trip was with Geoffrey and Seraina from Switzerland and we were heading to the Kali River to spend 5 days kayaking.
From the village of Jauljibi it was the perfect way for Geoffrey and Seraina to get used to the kayaks. The first day brought some nice waves and with plenty of turns in the river which gave them the ideal way to get used to dealing with strange currents and big boils plus the kayaks being laden down with 5 days worth of food and camping kit
The Kali is a truly stunning river with a very remote feel! With Nepal on the left and India on the right we caught glimpses of village life where there are no border controls and with just a short dug out canoe ride both countries can be easily accessed.
Roads are few and far between making it one of the best and most secluded river expeditions in this part of the Himalayas. Stunning beaches provide great camping with plenty of drift wood for a fire and with little or no light pollution the stars were bright and by the time the moon got to its fullest we had no need for our head torches.
We were fully on “river time” where it was simply: eat, sleep, kayak and repeat. The final 3 days saw some fantastic whitewater with big waves to punch, long rapids to run and some huge holes to avoid. We were kayaking it at the optimum level, good volume from the end of monsoon giving us a real rollercoaster ride but with nice mellow water in-between.
At the take-out Puran was waiting for us and with the truck packed we headed back to Rishikesh. The drive back was fantastic, there is always something that catches your eye and it would not be India without seeing a few things out of the ordinary and of course you realise that this could only happen in India!
After a day of chilling, relaxing and eating at the various restaurants in Rishikesh we spent the rest of the time kayaking the BIG volume and warm waters of the Ganges River. In the evening we would check out the video footage and talk about line, technic and tactics on running certain rapids, wave trains of just taking a very big hit in the middle of the Golf Course rapid.
Our time had come to an end with Geoffrey and Seraina. We said our goodbyes and put together a plan for Ute, Stanzin and myself to go and explore more of the Kumaon area. It had really made an impact on us and we were looking forward to kayaking and exploring some new rivers…