Zanskar River Expedition - The Grand Canyon of Asia - August 21st to September 1st

Drive to the Zanskar River. Photo Dave Prothero

The Zanskar River is located in Ladakh in Northern India. The Doda and Tsarap Rivers join near Padum and form the Zanskar. The Zanskar flows north east through the Grand Canyon of Asia to where it joins the Indus river near Leh.


Karsha Beach Camp. Photo Anvesh Singh Thapa

Once rafters and kayakers enter the Gorge they are committed to reaching the end. The walls of the gorge are near vertical and up to 600 meters high in places. There is virtually no flat water as the river moves at ferocious pace. The rapids are long and continuous. Camping spots are rare and usually found only where side streams or tributaries enter the Gorge. The Gorge constricts down to 5 meters in places yet the river is four times the size and volume of the Indus when they meet.


In the Gorge. Photo Dave Prothero

The people of the region are of Tibetan and Indo-European origin. The majority, about 95% of the population practice Tibetan Buddhism. The region is characterised by high mountains, glaciers and a typically barren landscape which is very inhospitable and inaccessible. Apart from the river which can be rafted in the summer and walked on when frozen in winter the area is only accessible by one road. The largest town and capital Padum has a population of 700 and apart from that it there are just scattered villages and an occasional Buddhist Monastery (Gompa).


Ladakhi Man.

The Zanskar River Expedition is a 12 day holiday starting and finishing in Delhi. It includes return flights to Leh, 3 nights in Leh, 3 days of driving through the Ladakhi moonscape to reach the river and 6 days through on the Zanskar on raft or kayak. For more information please click here or contact us


The Gorge begins to Narrow. Photo Anvesh Singh Thapa

Kali River Trip

Going Good in My Duckie

The trip began as one of the most scenic road trips I’ve ever done. Winding our way up through the Panchuli region we got a fly-by glimpse at many aspects of rural Indian living, from fashion and farming to innovative road construction methods. We traversed low lying Himalayan hills and rivers, taking in spectacular views of Nada Devi to climb high in the valley to our river put on, all the while taking our chances with the hectic local traffic which often included homemade richshaws.

Local School Kids at the Put On

With our paddle and gear rafts, safety kayaks and my lonely little duckie loaded with enough tents, clothes, booze, food, games and gear to keep our party of 21 safe, happy and fed we launched our 6 day adventure on the Kali River in a heat that was beautifully bearable from the conflunence of the Gori Gunga and Kali Rivers.

The Chennai Boys Going Big on Chooka Rapid

Getting to grips with navigating my own craft on the water provided most of the entertainment for everyone else on the river. In fact I was having such a hilarious time getting thrown out of the duckie in every possible direction at most available opportunities, some of the brave rafters decided to join me in the 2 man raft to tackle the bigger rapids that got progressively more frequent as the days went on.

Breaking over the Top of a Large Wave with Nikki in My Duckie

A highlight of the trip though was successfully breaking over the peak of a massive mid river wave (without flipping) while the others waited close to the banks, cameras at the ready, all set to clear up the carnage for what we all thought was going to be an inevitable BIG flip. Shamefully I was no better at staying in the thing on the last day than I was on the first, I think my swims totalled somewhere close to 25 for the whole trip. That said, with the sun toasting my pale Irish skin, the odd swim was refreshingly chilling!

Relaxing around the fire. This photo was achived using a slow shutter and a head lamp.

Every meal time I was amazed as to how our two cooks managed to emerge with a huge spread of tasty Indian cuisine. In fact it seemed as though, if we weren’t paddling on the river or enjoying beach life at our night time camp spots we were eating! Snacks, soup, 3 course meals, bigger breakfasts than my mother ever made me… it was endless and it was all good! Night time around the camp fire with rum and coke in one hand and toasting marshmallows with the others, there was no shortage of messing and music under the full moon sky.

Eli on the cataraft, Dimberghat rapid.

Knackered as I was after a week negotiating big bouncy wave trains cutting there path through a remote jungle, afternoons of cricket and Frisbee and nights by the fire I was sorry to leave and board the train for my return trip to Delhi.

All the team

India: The Adventure Destination

The Indian Himalaya is one of the great adventure travel destinations in the World today. These huge mountains stretch from Pakistan in the west to Burma in the east covering a distance of almost 2500km. This vast area is diverse in its people, culture, geography and weather. Due to the many micro climates in the region, perfect weather conditions for adventure tourism can be had 12 months of the year. The Indian Himalayas can be most easily divided into two Regions the areas to the west and east of Nepal. Both areas offer great trekking, rafting and kayaking but yet they are so different and diverse.