Do we need our own boat? No. Raft will be provided by Organizers.
What river gear do we need to provide ourselves? Pedal: Yes, you need to bring your own pedal. Full long johns wetsuit and paddle top should be okay. Dry top is necessary. You must bring your personal safety equipment.
What camping gear do we need to provide ourselves? Camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, mattress, dry bag). Dry pair of clothes for camp site. Head lamp, Sun cream, Personal first aid kit. And food for 5 nights, 5 days, cooking equipment.
What is the entry fee? Is that per Team or per person? Entry fee USD 1200 per team
Does a boat have to have 6 people, or can it have 5, 4? The race is R6 and one safety kayaker, if you require a safety kayaker then we can supply one for your team on your request, it will cost.
What if someone gets injured are we allowed to substitute someone in during the race at camp? The organizer will evacuate the injured paddler or the team. You will have the option either to continue with fewer paddlers or stop the race.
Where do we meet and when? All the team must arrive on 19th November, in Kathmandu, and transfer to respected hotels. 20th November: registration and meet and greet, pre-departure meeting and greet at Kathmandu. It’s also the day form preparation and shopping for the race, if you manage your time well bit of a sightseeing as well. The venue and exact time will be notified later to the registered team. 21st Nov: early morning after breakfast we leave, the team who wish to fly they can leave next day early morning flight to Nepal Gunj or to Sukhet so they can catch up with team who are going overland drive. It’s better if you plan for arrival on 19th November at Kathmandu.
Are there practice days scheduled? No practice day scheduled from the organizer. The team can themselves paddle for a few hours the day of opening ceremony at Rakam (Let’s say the teams can launch some kilometers above the starting point for the warmup and demo).
If your team needs to practice and acclimatize, you can reach Karnali river as many days prior the event. There are many operators who run expeditions.
Another plan: the team can come 4-5 days earlier at Kathmandu. The team can also practice on the nearest rivers: Trishuli river (3 hours’ drive) and Sunkoshi/Bhotekoshi (2.5 hours’ drive).
What are the provisions for spectators and support teams? Are they allowed in camp? Camp one and Cam two there is road access, there is no road access for camp 3 and 4, and they all can do to finishing point on day 5 at Daulatpur Ghat, attend the grand finale. In between they can do side trips, 2 days rafting, spend some time in Bardiya National Park, do wildlife safari, if you are lucky may see One Horn Rhino, Royal Bengal Tiger, Wild Elephants, hundreds of birds, etc. We will give you recommended itineraries with prices so it is easier for you to pick.
Are we allowed more than one safety boater? No, we allow only one safety Kayaker, please make sure he or she is competent Grade 4+ kayaker, comfortable on big volume rivers. If any team does not have one, then on request we can supply one but there will be an additional cost.
Are there media packets available that we can supplement our packets with and share with our potential sponsors to heighten awareness? Yes. There are videos available on YouTube regarding the conservation of The Karnali river, which we can provide personally too.
Are there age limits? Above 18-under 60 years old.
Are specific evacuation points established? There are assigned campsites at the end of the day’s race. We have our safety manuals which have details of emergency rescue and evacuation points.
Is there a map and description (for example avoid the right side of this rapid, there is an undercut rock there) of every class II, III, IV, V rapid. Where is it posted? Those would be briefed by the safety kayaker during the race and during the race briefing. And you can get the general information about the gradient and grades of the rapids in Whitewater Nepal book which is available online or hard copy.
Is there any drone or aerial footage that we can study of the river? There are videos on rafting in Karnali river on YouTube. We can provide links to them if needed. Also, please visit the videos section on our website.
What airport do we fly into? The entry point to Nepal is through Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.
Is there a shuttle company you can recommend getting us from the airport to the put in- same question for takeout to the airport? Shuttle service is available at the TIA airport, which will take you to the hotel and vice-versa.
Are there any cultural mandates for women? (Head covered? No bathing suits in cap etc?) They all need to be culturally appropriate. At the campsite, long sleeved shirt and trousers or a sarong to cover their knees would be fine for ladies; and t-shirts and shorts are good for the boys.
Do we have to bring our own Kayak? What type is it? Yes, bring your own, big volume plastic kayak, good for downriver race and as safety kayak, will not allow fiberglass kayak.
How far is it from Kathmandu to put in? There are two options to get to the put in and come back to Kathmandu. Total distance 720 Km, one overnight in Kohalpur in a hotel.
Option one: Overland – The organizers will cover this cost. The bus leaves on 21st Nov. Ktm – kohalpur (510km – 14 hrs.) overnight in Kohalpur Drive Next day 22nd Nov. Kohalpur – Rakam Karnali (210km – 8hrs drive). Total drive (720km – 22hrs hrs); overnight in Kohalpur. Option 2: Flights – participants must pay for their own. KTM – KEP (Nepaljung). US $129, one way. Take early morning flight on 22nd Nov. and to Nepalgunj and meet rest of the group on 22nd am and drive together. Option 3: Flight – participants must pay for their own. KTM – SURKHET. US$ 213 one way People who wish to attend Karnali Conservation Symposium must fly on 21st Nov morning flight to Surkhet, and Surkhet to Rakam 126 km drive and will take around 5 hrs. drive.
What are the cost of domestic flights? The cost of the flights of two nearest airports to the venue are: Ktm to Nepalgunj – US$ 129 one way Ktm – Surkhet US$ 213 one way
Do we take our overnight gear in our boats or is it taken to camp for us? It will be a self contained expedition style race, which means you have to carry everything what you need for 5 days. You bring your own food, camping gear, stoves, dry bags, waterproof containers for food etc. Each boat will have a harness where you put all your stuff on it. Bring enough cams straps to secure your gears on the harness. Your team must carry all necessary gears, and food on the harness for all 5 days camps.
Does our team need a visa? Yes. You can apply in your own country or you can get a visa on arrival!
What do we need in this competition? Good physical fitness, positive attitude, courage to encounter wilderness, competent on big volume grade 4 rapid running skills and good sportsmanship.
Due to the shortness of time, maybe you can help our team find a sponsor or any kind of help? (We would appreciate it) Sorry. We can’t support you in searching for any sponsor. However, we can write a letter of recommendation.
Do you provide any accident insurance or evacuation insurance? No, you have to have your own team insurance for any emergency and evacuation.
