Nepal is said to have the highest concentration of un-touched and wild lands in it's Himalayan Region. It's definitely on my list of places to paddle.

From www.blog.kokatat.com by Griffon Expeditions

“Everyone has “that run” that they always wanted to do, but for all sorts of reasons have never actually done it… That run for me has been the Tamur River in Nepal. I’ve tired twice to get on it; the first time I broke my leg weeks before the expedition departure date, the second time I actually made it to Kathmandu all ready to go – only to find out that a landslide had taken out the road, and we couldn’t even get to the beginning of the trek to the put-in. This year we decided it was time to remove the jinx – we’d warm up on the Sun Kosi – buy fresh supplies at the take-out then head straight for the Tamur.

Situated in Eastern Nepal, the Tamur drains the slopes of Kangchenjunga – the 3rd highest mountain in the world. A three day trek is required to get to the river. This year a dirt road has been pushed into the put-in town but we decided to enjoy the trek rather than an estimated 18hrs on a punishing road. We packed all our rafts, kayaks, food and river gear in a 4WD truck, and prayed we’d see it again. After 3 days of spectacular ridge top hiking with stunning views of Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga we arrived at the put-in with a huge sigh of relief… the boys had done an excellent job coaxing the truck along a horrendous road, and all our gear was carefully laid out on the beach.

What an amazing river! The rapids began immediately, and didn’t let up for the first two days. Powerful class 3 and 4 rapids formed by huge water worn boulders are interspersed with short pools. The jungle comes right down to the waters edge, and wonderful sandy beaches deposited by the monsoon floods make wonderful campsites. On day 2 we spotted grey langurs (monkeys!), azure kingfishers and an awe inspiring fish eagle. Why had I not done this run sooner?! In 15 years of expedition river running I’ve rarely paddled such a beautiful and fun river. The 4th day had to be one of the best whitewater days anywhere in the world – and that’s saying something! We lost count somewhere over 45 significant rapids, but nothing harder than solid class 4; just rapid, after rapid, after rapid. Collapsing in exhausted satisfaction on the confluence beach back at the Sun Kosi we polished off the last of our Nepali rum, and watching yet another starry night by the campfire began plotting a return to my new favorite river.” Kokatat Whitewater Ambassadors Chris and Sharyn Jones run whitewater expeditions in the Himalayas each year and are the directors of Griffon Expeditions Ltd.

To see a few more great photos from the trip go to www.blog.kokatat.com.