Introduction

The tingling feeling in your stomach while riding on the turbulent river is what makes white water rafting an adventurer’s haven. India is known as land of rivers since ages which give immense opportunity to rafting enthusiasts to showcase their skills in maneuvering the raft over the river. Originating from the heights of the great Himalayas, these rivers speed down with all fury and its takes a true adventurer’s guts to ride on them. Also, they put to test your strength, both physical and mental, and it is in this that the whole excitement of rafting lies.

The magic behind River Rafting is the never-ending feeling of ecstasy that one experiences in these untamed rivers. The rivers in the upper Himalayas are among the best in the world for river rafting sports, with many sets of rapids that can dare the body and spirit of anybody. Cutting against the rocky banks, crashing into rocks, and breaking into white water rapids, foaming, swirling, and falling in a thunderous din, this all sums up as an unforgettable experience.

White water rafting is not just an adventure sport, it’s a way of life to many. Over the last few years it has emerged as one of the biggest adventure sport in India. Many professionals working in big corporate companies come down to the various rafting destinations in the Himalayas to break free from their tedious work schedule.

The river Ganges is one of the most popular rafting destination in India. Several camps are organized along the 70-km stretch from Devprayag to Rishikesh. Rapids have been graded according to the difficulty of their run. The rivers Yamuna, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi offer many stretches, both for professionals as well as amateur rafters. Many professionals go on various expeditions in the higher regions of the Himalayas. Other ranges in Ladakh and Sikkim also offer great river stretches for rafting. Many other rivers such as beas, ravi, chenab, sutlej and sipti in Himachal Pradesh offer exciting rafting experience. The himachal tourism development corporation provides the equipments required for rafting and also organizes many rafting competition in these rivers.

The best time to go for rafting in Uttrakhand is from November to May. However in the winters the rafting might not be possible in the higher destinations, but the stretch near rishikesh of river Ganges is the best to raft during this period. However in Himachal Pradesh the rafting season is from September to November end. The season again starts in march and goes on till the start of monsoons.