Rafting in Nepal

• Leave your camping site cleaner then when you arrived. Litter is a hazardous pollutant. All trash should be separated each day and treated properly. Burnable items like paper, cardboard, should be burned on site. Biodegradable items such as food waste should be buried and non-disposable items such as plastics, aluminum foil, batteries, glass, cans, should be packed and carried to a suitable waste treatment site. Villagers often collect empty containers for reuse in their homes. You may give bottles or jars to adults but do not leave them behind at campsite and do not give them to children. Raft guides should organize a sweet of the beach before departure each day.

• There should be toilet tent in every trip. Toilet pits should be dug well away from camp and below the monsoon high water leave. Toilets should be located at least 50 meters away from any water source. Holes for pits should be dug at least 50 meters away from any water source. Holes for pits should be dug at least 18 inches deep. Sprinkle dirt in the hole after each use to keep the flies away and recover the pit with dirt before the group leaves the camp. A bag should be provided in the tent to collect and burned on site. Make sure that you wash your hands after each use.

• One of major ecological problems in Nepal is deforestation. Make sure that every trip should use an alternative fuel source for cooking such as kerosene or gas. Firewood should never be bought from village. Wood for an occasional campfire should only be driftwood collected from the riverside.

• Minimize the use of detergent of soap the river.

• Please use iodine or other means of sanitation instead of bottled mineral water.

• A void collecting and purchasing of wild animal parts as it is illegal.

• Never give gifts (pens, candy, money, etc) to begging children. This only demeans the people and breaks up the fabric of the local society. Donations, charity, should be properly channelised so as to benefit the entire community. It is customary to leave a small donation when visiting monasteries/temples.

• Rivers are classified from 1 to 6. 1 being flat water and 6 being considered a serious risk to life or not runnable. Class 3 and 4 are usual limits of commercial rafting. Since the difficulty of river changes with flows, rafter should be properly briefed on what sort of rapids they will be running.

• The rafting agency should be registered with concerned agencies/association and with Government.

• The rafting Agency is requested to organize a pre-departure meeting and explain about – dress code, campfire, environmental conservation, bagging, Nepali custom, culture and tradition, hygiene, personal safety, etc.