Rajat Banerji | September, 2002

Whitewater rafting on the Ganga is a world of thrill and wonder

	The Himalayan ice caps

The icy-cold water, born only hours earlier from the Himalayan ice caps, the rush into the whitewater rapids, is enough to send a thrill down the spine.

While much been said of the ills of this river in its lower stretches, the hill-section of the Ganga retains much of its natural state. Here the water is clean, as is the air. Sages from time immemorial have utilized these reaches of the Ganga, while en route to the pilgrim centres of Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Upstream from Rishikesh, the river banks are littered with hundreds of beaches. Many daring and hardy entrepreneurs, bitten by the adventure bug, have set up rafting camps after taking obtaining governmental clearances, such as licenses and permits. In all, there are close to 30 rafting camps along the water's edge in this reach of the river.

Thus it comes as no surprise that during the rafting season - which is most of the year - the river is a busy waterway. Old rafts, new rafts colourful rafts and not-so-colourful ones drift silently down the river, with its tourist crews emitting the occasional war cry.

Thrills and spills
"People come here to get a share of thrills and it's our job to ensure that they have their fill and return home safely," says Tarun Kanojia of Camp Rapid Fire. They're situated on a massive 100-metre-long beach, a mere five-minute trek from the road.

Rafting is a flourishing industry today

Rafting in the Ganga opened up in the late 80s, though a few pioneers did pitch their tents a few years prior to that. Events such as the Four Square National Whitewater Rafting Challenge and plenty of media coverage, gave this sport the necessary nudge forward during its infancy.

Today, it is an established industry that draws people to the foothills of the Himalayas from far and wide. In addition, Rishikesh is the gateway to this part of the Himalayas and sees massive numbers of visitors bound for the upper reaches of the Himalayas either for sightseeing or pilgrimage.

Bharat Gothoskar and Neerav Shah, young executives from Mumbai, spent a day rafting some 36 kilometres. "We had traveled to Auli for skiing. On the way back, we decided to take out a day for rafting," says Gothoskar. "While skiing had its share of thrills and spills, rafting is a different experience altogether," adds Shah.

Paddle, pause, paddle
The routine is fairly simple: river guides, are 'Captains' of the rafts and explain the tricks of the trade to prospective rafters. 'Forward all', 'right back, left forward', 'right forward, left back', 'chappu-chalao' (paddle-away like mad).

The mandatory dip in the river is a must - as are the life jackets and safety-headgear. Then begins the action. Paddle, pause, paddle. When the rafts enter the rapids, the 'captains' are clear in their commands. At the end of the rafting run, most are happily exhausted and are rearing for the next day's adventures.

"The first lesson we impart is for all to respect the river," says Ajay Maira, whose outfit Outdoor Adventures India is considered one of the quality camps. Others, such as Ajeet Bajaj's camp Snow Leopard and Bobby Sandhu's River Runners, attract the cream of the tourist rafters.

Some of these camps even employ river guides from countries such as UK and New Zealand. Embassy staff from Delhi, corporate clients, 'inbound' (overseas) tourists, are regulars. They offer a variety of activities, from rafting to treks to mountain biking. Some camps encourage the courageous to body surf down the safer rapids.

What could be better?
Most of these outfits offer weekend packages - three days two nights, for instance. Many also offer longer-duration packages for the die-hards: up to five days.

A typical expedition would consist of 8-10 people and would start 175-200 km upstream of Rishikesh. Raft from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, with a short lunch break. In the evening, the river guides and captain will pitch your tents and prepare dinner, while you tend to aching backs and blistered hands. Relax all evening, have a freshly prepared dinner, sleep well at night, get up early, wind up camp, have your breakfast, paddle, pause, paddle, pause till 4.00 pm. Four or five days running.

Life probably doesn't get much better than this.

Rajat Banerji is the managing editor of cleanganga.com

For more information, visit the following sites:
Ganga: http://www.cs.albany.edu/~amit/ganges.html
Whitewater rafting: http://www.caravantraveltalk.com/whitewater-river-rafting.htm
Kedarnath: http://www.badrinath-kedarnath.org/
Badrinath: http://www.badrinath-kedarnath.org/
Rishikesh: http://www.shubhyatra.com/htm/uttarpradesh/rishikesh.htm
Auli: http://www.indianvisit.com/ivnew/destinationguides/adventure/auli.htm