Why are we the Chosen Outfitter for many?

We have been running trips and tours for the discerning traveller throughout the Indian Himalayas since 1995, yet the experience of our travel personnel dates well beyond that, to years of leading trips throughout the Indian Himalayan belt. We believe that an adventure travel outfit is only as good as its guides. Good equipment, food and guides is what makes an outdoor trip an experience to savour.

01

Aquaterra Adventures has been to a great extent, responsible for opening more rivers to river running today, made possible by several path breaking trips on rivers like the Tons, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, Lohit and Zanskar river to name a few. Since our inception we have operated more trips and expeditions on rivers, never before offered on Indian rivers.1. An Aquaterra Adventures lead climb, summitted the 7035 metre high Satopanth in late June 2010.

02

Aquaterra Adventures opened up its international range in 2010, with trips in Nepal on the Karnali, Bhutan, and Kilimanjaro climb and the Zambezi river in Africa. It went on to the the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river to Chile and the Futaleufu Patagonia adventure 2011-12.

03

In Dec 2008 and 2009, we ran the first commercial expedition on the Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh from Nacho and So Nala downstream, respectively. In Dec 2010, Aquaterra Adventures is operating the first raft descent of the Subansiri river from So Nala.

04

In October 2008, we ran the first commercial expedition on the Sutlej river from Rampur Bushair in Himachal Pradesh, dropping 1250 feet in the first two days.

05

“Outside” Magazine lists the Brahmaputra river trip, established as a regular commercial trip by Aquaterra Adventures, as one of the TOP TEN Adventures possible in India.

06

In the “Outside” magazine special March 2007 “The 30 Best Trips Ever” issue, our Tons valley trips have been featured, another feather in our cap. A 50 min film was also ready and was completed for international distribution!

07

We followed up our 5th Brahmaputra edition with the first open commercial descent of the Subansiri river, in December 2006. Another feather in our cap, firmly establishing us as pioneering river running expeditioning in the Indian Himalaya.

08

Celebrating a decade of offering the most varied range of adventure travel in India, Aquaterra Adventures completed the second raft descent in 19 years of the Tons river, in May 2005, it was also the first Indian descent. Running a continuous 120 km Class 4+ section of the Upper, Middle and Lower Tons, a full crew of 2 rafts, 2 catarafts and 2 kayaks completed this amazing journey. Featured on a “Paddler” magazine article in January 2006. We followed it up with the biggest trip ever on the river, with a 36 member team of the Hong Kong Outward Bound, completing the same trip in June 2006.

09

A trip to open the Sutlej River gorge for the first time as a fixed departure expedition, which ran in February 2004.
We ran the first complete descent of the Lohit River in Dec 2003, with an international team of Indian, Canadian and British paddlers. This river had never been run in its entirety. The trip comprised the likes of our river guides, Anvesh and Rana, Paul Skinny Jones, Lara Tipper, Pete Caterall, Jeff Boyd, Vicky Barlow, Rob Litherland, Bryan Smith, Tod Gourley and Mark Heard. We made this possible.

10

We ran our third edition of the Upper Brahmaputra river in Arunachal Pradesh in Nov – Dec 2004, making us the only outfit to offer one of the world’s biggest rafting rivers, as an option to the adventure enthusiast.
We made the first Indian descent on the hardest section on the Tons river (Khunigad – Tiuni) in April 2003.

11

We followed it up by running the first fixed departure expedition on the Lower Tons, an exciting 75 km journey down this Class 4 section of the medium volume Lower Tons river.

12

In 2002, we opened the wild Brahmaputra river to anybody who cared to join – with the biggest rafting expedition (total strength 55 persons) as well as the first open fixed departure on the Upper Brahmaputra, conceived and run entirely by Aquaterra Adventures. And in style too, with the big names in adventure, expedition running, publishing, equipment, journalism, photography all adding to the salad bowl.

13

“Paddler Magazine”, world’s No. 1 Kayaking and rafting magazine, chose to co-sponsor “The Great Brahmaputra Descent”

14

“Hyside”, world’s leading manufacturer of rafts, donated a cataraft to us as support for an outstanding effort. ‘Adidas and Salomon’ provided apparel. This was the first time the entire river run was filmed successfully, to be made into a 52 minute documentary for international distribution. Aquaterra Adventures was entrusted to carry very expensive film equipment safely down a big volume, Class 4+ run, and we delivered like no one else before.This path breaking effort is being covered extensively by the big names in print – ‘Paddler”, ` ABENTEUER and REISEN’, `New York Times’, `Action Asia’, `India Today Plus’, `Outlook Traveller’, `Holiday Asia’, `Economic Times’ besides several others.

15

We are the only outfitter that runs a guaranteed to run fixed departure expedition on the Zanskar river, and down its spectacular canyon.
Our river guides were part of first descents on the Lohit, Subansiri, and first commercial exploratory on the Spiti, Tons and Upper Alaknanda rivers. Each year, many of our expeditions bring people closer to the outdoors.

16

Our river Camps on the Ganga and Tons rivers offer 10 months of camping, river running, kayaking, rock climbing, abseiling and allied activities.
We have run over 45 trips for the American Embassy School, New Delhi in the past 14 years, to destinations as varied as Rajasthan, Dharamsala, Chamba, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Tons valley, Ladakh, Meghalaya, Assam, and to our rafting base on the Ganga. We have also run several cultural exchange programmes for students from all around the globe.

17

When New York Times features writer Marcia Lieberman had to travel into the remotest parts of the Zanskar valley, she chose Aquaterra Adventures to outfit her 40 day expedition and followed it up with a trip into the Spiti valley the following year.
Chosen outfitter for filming of “A Road to Ladakh”, a short film by Ashvin Kumar in 2002.

18

Chosen outfitter for large scale outfitting for India’s first adventure reality game show “RAAAH” in Spiti valley, a shoot with over 70 persons in 2001.
We are empanelled as consultant with Uttaranchal Tourism for the promotion of eco-tourism, adventure sports and wildlife tourism since 2001.

19

Consultant for adventure travel related projects for Rajasthan Tourism (1997), GMVN (1995) and KMVN (1998), units of UP Tourism

20

The 2004 Frommers Guide, 2004 and 2000 Fodor’s India Guide, (endorsed by the American Society of Travel Agents) recommends us as a leading adventure tour operator. Also, 1997 Let’s Go India Guide recommends us as a leading adventure travel outfitter.