Turning Downstream on the Subansiri River

Turning Downstream

Everybody get down!” yelled Vaibhav to his laid-back crew. I looked up to see the raft just ahead of ours get sucked into a big hole where it began to surf on the recirculating water. As the river thundered over a submerged rock, the pourover created a strong backwash that latched onto the 14-foot raft and prevented it from breaking free. The boat gyrated wildly as it surfed the powerful hydraulic. Bow paddler Rohan Guptan was the first to go.

Rock 'n' Rolla on the Kali

Rock ‘n’ Rolla

As I approached the roaring rapid, I looked down stream and saw Canadian safety kayaker Daveprothero vigorously pumping his fist in the air: it was the signal that the rapid was safe and we could run the meatiest part of the wild water-water just ahead. As I lined up my small boat to hit the guts of the rapid,I watched Captain Rana guide his raft into the white-water mayhem in front of me. One moment the raft was cruising through the big waves, next second it disappeared

Fast and Furious on the Zanskar

Fast and Furious

As the sound of distant blasting and pneumatic drills faded, replaced by the reassuring gurgle of the fast-flowing river, Sanjay said simply, ‘Now we are on our own.’ Our expedition through western Ladakh, along one of India’s most spectacular yet unheralded rivers, was about to enter the Grand Canyon of the Zanskar.

Hitting the Wall: Ganga River

Hitting the Wall: Ganga River

Popularly referred to as the national river of India, the Ganges takes its name from the Gangotri Glacier where it originates in the western Himalaya. Draining a staggering 1,000,000 km2 basin, the Ganges is unquestionably the largestriver on the Indian subcontinent. Beginning in Uttarakhand asthe Bhagirathi River, it joins the Alaknanda River near the town of Deoprayag to form the Ganges before embarking on a 2510 km eastward journey until it finally empties into the Bay of Bengal inside Bangladesh.

American Whitewater - River of Dreams, the Kali-Sarda River

American Whitewater – River of Dreams, the Kali-Sarda River

An expedition down the Kali-Sarda can quite aptly be described as “a trip right out of The Jungle Book”: perfect weather, warm water, pristine wilderness, no roads, plentiful wildlife and big sandy beach campsites crisscrossed with fresh leopard tracks! I was expecting a fun-filled week dominated by aquatic adventures, but it was the beauty of the wilderness experience that took me completely by surprise.