The wild snow-fed rivers of Himachal Pradesh are paradise for extreme kayakers and novice rafter alike. There are many Himalayan rivers to explore; the Chenab also known as Chandrabhaga in Lahaul, Ravi near Chamba, river Satluj near Shimla and Beas river in Kullu valley. Of them all the Beas has been more favorite and explored.

The Beas is a popular Indian river about 200 miles to the northwest of the Upper Ganges in Himachal Pradesh. Like the Upper Ganges, the Beas is mostly snowmelt from the high peaks of the Himalayas. A road follows the river from the mountsin resort town, Manali (Elevation 2050 meters). Here it is relatively small and makes a steep descent through the the upper Kulu Valley. Below the valley, the river drops into a very difficult gorge (sometimes called the Larji Gorge) before opening up in the lower valley.

From Manali to Mati Bagh is a difficult experts run but then it starts getting more manageable as it goes into the valley. It's class 4 then class 3 down to where the river drops down in the lower gorge This section is even tougher than the upper gorge and has much more water. A big tributary comes in from the left at Larji in the lower gorge. There is a dam at Pandoh.

The river is in a partial rain shadow but still often gets too high and is usuallv avoided during the monsoon season (July thru Mid-September). The Beas is also not advised during the winter (December through March) when it is a bit nippy. June is hot. The latitude of the Beas is around 31 degrees, equilvalent to the lower southern United States.