For many of us, last year’s river rafting course at Shivpuri was an eye-opener. Besides learning key skills of river rafting, we also learned about different river rafting options in India. During the course, it dawned upon us that India has some of the best river rafting options in the world.

Our instructor was keen to pass on a little bit information along with the key skills to us. As I have this habit of maintaining dairy, I noted everything that my instructor said. This is what information I could gather during my camping in Shivpuri:

There are numerous rivers in the 3,200 kilometers stretch of Himalayas that have a perennial flow. This abundance of mountain rivers makes India a world class whitewater destination. The whitewater river rafting can be performed on river Beas in Himachal Pradesh, Sutlej in Uttar Pradesh, Alaknanda/Bhagirathi and Ganga in Uttaranchal.

In Sikkim, the Teesta and Rangit rivers, besides day rafting trips, promise great kayaking potential, also from October to April. The river Subansari, the biggest tributary of the Brahmaputra also offers a spectacular 4-5 day expedition through deep gorges and some of the remote parts of the state. The best season for these rivers is November to March.

I also came to know that the most difficult and exciting whitewater rafting option is on the Zanskar River in Ladakh. I intend to go for it sometime in near future. Coming back to our camp in Shivpuri, I would say that it was a lifetime experience for us. It really requires raw courage to derive raw thrill from battling against whitewater rapids. We were told that there were different grades of rapids in the river Ganges. Grade one to three does not require swimming skills but grade four requires as one has to swim back to catch the raft.

The Ganges has 12 rapids over 36 kms from Kaudiyala to Rishikesh and hence it is aptly called as the whitewater river rafting capital of India. Our daily affair with river rapids in Shivpuri is an experience that beats many other exciting affairs in our lives. Everyday, it was after sunrise that we used to start our affair with the river. Wearing lifesaving Jackets and under the able guidance of our guides, we battled against the rapids. Whenever our raft took a spin at the fast rapid we all cried out of excitement. It is really a thrill to watch the waves making roar and rising up to slap you in the face and drench you wet. I was so thrilled to watch the activity of river, which for sometime was silent and then suddenly turned violent. While passing through the course of river one can enjoy the sights on either side of the river.

Oh! Yes! Paul, my friend and an accomplished travel writer, who visited Uttaranchal, has written a travelog over water sports in Uttaranchal. He has talked about his venture and fun that he had while trying the river rafting. No wonder, he must have had lot of fun. In fact, even I have some very fond memories about the fun that I had in trying the exotic sport. It was a total delight!

Besides river rafting, I also tried many other water sports that are detailed on the next page. It was a pleasure, as each one of them was unique and holds a special space in my heart.