Visit Kali Gandaki Nepal

River Kali Gandaki Nepal

The Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi is the gorge of the Kali Gandaki (or Gandaki River) in the Himalayas in Nepal. Gorge depth is difficult to define due to disagreement over rim height, but by some measures the Kali Gandaki is the deepest gorge in the world.  The upper part of the gorge is also called Thak Khola after the local Thakali people who became prosperous from trans-Himalayan trade. Geologically, it is a downfaulted graben.

The gorge separates the major peaks of Dhaulagiri (8,167 m/26,795 ft) on the west and Annapurna (8,091 m/26,545 ft) on the east. If one measures the depth of a canyon by the difference between the river height and the heights of the highest peaks on either side, the gorge is the world's deepest. The portion of the river directly between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I (7 km downstream from Tukuche) is at an elevation of 2520 metres, 5571 metres lower than Annapurna I.  The river is older than the Himalayas. As tectonic activity forced the mountains higher, the river cut down through the uplift. This region is known for shaligram fossils, revered as one of five non-living forms of Lord Vishnu.

Kali Gandaki in Monsoon

The Kali Gandaki river source coincides with the Tibetan border and Ganges-Brahmaputra watershed divide. The river then flows south through the ancient kingdom of Mustang. It flows through a sheer-sided, deep canyon immediately south of the Mustang capital of Lo Manthang, then widens as it approaches Kagbeni where high Himalayan ranges begin to close in. The river continues southward past Jomsom, Marpha, and Tukuche to the deepest part of the gorge about 7 km south of Tukuche in the area of Lete. The gorge then broadens past Dana and Tatopani toward Beni.

The Kali Gandaki gorge has been used as a trade route between India and Tibet for centuries. Today, it is part of a popular trekking route from Pokhara to Muktinath, part of the Annapurna Circuit. The gorge is within the Annapurna Conservation Area.

River Rafting in Kali Gandaki

Rafting don’t need experience, if you have healthy passion for exploit, don’t mind being wet for whole day, have a wisdom of humor then Kali Gandaki River rafting absolutely will provide you a shakeing, roller-coaster ride through a very big bathtub, an exciting tussle with natural force.

During the rafting, you will be warped, turned, shaken and essentially hurdled all over the place.  The days mostly begin in a similar style, usually with something energetic to eat which you might throw up later.   After a briefing about tackling the river, you are free to paddle, raft, admire the view, see villages, eyeball rapids, spot wildlife and wait the slaughter!  Kali Gandaki River has some 60 rapids within 72 km of its distance. Over the rafting trip, you are forced to nominate yourself with rapids like ‘Little Brother’, ‘Big Brother’, ‘Rafters Refund’ , ‘walk in the Dark’ at the end of descends; all of them are quite enough to flip a raft.

How To Reach Kali Gandaki

The Kali Gandaki River rafting starts from near Beni, which is 4 hours drive from Pokhara. The route is 90 kilometers long and takes 3 days to complete. On the first day, you will camp in the confluence of Modi Khola and the Kali Gandkai River. On the second day, you will camp below the village of Purti Ghat with the trip ending in Mirmire.