Five days of Himalayan whitewater — gentle introduction runs on the Wang Chhu, then the Mo Chhu and Dang Chhu around Punakha.
Highlights
First runs on the Wang Chhu below Thimphu
Mo Chhu rapids beneath Punakha Dzong
Dang Chhu gorge run
Evening beside the river at Punakha
What is included
Licensed river guide and certified safety kayak team
All rafting equipment, wetsuits and dry bags
Four nights in Thimphu and Punakha hotels
All meals, including riverside lunches
All permits, SDF and transport
On-river photography and drone permits where required
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Wang Chhu introduction run Drive to the Wang Chhu below Thimphu, which is where the trip begins, and spend the first day on the gentlest water on the itinerary. The runs here are class II at most and wide enough to raft in a line without touching. The afternoon is on the water for most guests, which is the point: nobody raft…
Day 2 — Mo Chhu — grade II and III The Punakha run, and the first real whitewater of the trip. The Mo Chhu below Punakha Dzong alternates between wide gravel flats and a series of class II and III drops, with the dzong's white walls directly above the put-in. The guides run the rapids boat by boat rather than continuously, taking th…
Day 3 — Dang Chhu and the upper Punakha Upstream to the Dang Chhu, which is the most technical of the three rivers — narrower, steeper, and carrying more wood. The section run depends entirely on the water, and the guides will not run it if it is too high or too low, which for a river this size is most days in a good season. Below it, th…
Day 4 — The Pho Chhu at Khuruthang The southern river, and the wildest setting of the four — the Pho Chhu runs out of the mountains at Khuruthang through a gorge with no road and very little company. Two runs on separate reaches of the same day, separated by a walk out and a long lunch on the sandbars. This is the most remote any of…
Day 5 — Recovery float and departure A final, easy morning float on the wide section above Punakha at walking pace — the best way to remember the river without fighting it. Kit returned, and the afternoon free in Punakha or a drive back toward Thimphu depending on your onward travel. The whitewater season runs from March to June, when…