Choosing a Raft Guide

In Nepal there are hundreds of rafting companies littering the streets of Thamel and Pokhara, but how know which company and more importantly which guide to go with? Once you are on the water, your guide is the most important part of the package so it’s not a decision you want to make lightly and often cheapest isn’t always the best, especially when it comes to your safety.

 

While being a raft guide can be a lot of fun there’s a lot more to it than dosing around on a beach, shouting the occasional command down the raft and keeping the clients entertained. To be a good and safe raft guide can take years of experience, and even then it can still be unpredictable as the rivers are different every time you run them. When choosing who to go rafting with make sure that you have a chat with the people taking you down the river. Find out what qualifications they have, where they have worked and how long the have been rafting. As their river experience is the most valuable asset you will have once on the river.

 

In Nepal, the qualifications to look for are WRT (whitewater rescue technician), SRT and of course First Aid and CPR (and make sure they carry a decent medical kit). Although qualifications are of course important, you can’t put a price on local river knowledge and the experience the guides have running these rivers. Many of the guides in Nepal have grown up alongside these rivers so have in depth knowledge of them.

 

Your guide will basically be your new best friend on the trip! They will be responsible for getting you to the river, getting the raft sorted out, giving you safety instructions, teaching you to raft (if beginners), getting you down the river in a fun and safe way, getting the camp and food sorted and generally keeping you entertained (and alive!) over the course of your trip. So it is very important that you chose a guide that you trust.

 

Also, make sure the company you book with have safety kayakers, no matter which river you run or how experienced you are it is always a good idea to have them there as a back up. Ask the company what their safety to raft ratio is. It is also a good idea to ask a few questions about the equipment you will be using, for instance how new is the raft? Are they self-bailing? What transport will we be using? Do I need to rent any additional equipment for the trip, e.g. sleeping bags? At least with all these covered you should be pretty safe.

 

Recently there has been a big push in Nepal to get local women into rafting and kayaking. Ask your agency whether they hire women as this is a great way to promote equal rights in Nepal and is giving women throughout the country a great push to get out there and it adventure sports ago.

 

Generally when you meet with these companies you will get a feel whether you can trust them or not. The best way to choose a company is to get a recommendation from someone who has just been rafting. But most importantly make sure you are comfortable with who you choose and hopefully you’ll end up having one of the best experiences of your life!

GRG’s is a rafting company based in Thamel, Nepal and makes it their policy only to use experienced raft guides, make or female and has safety kayakers on all of their trips. (in fact their motto is ‘safety first!’).For more information have a look at their website on http://www.grgadventurekayaking.com or to meet the guides before you book a trip please feel free to email on info@grgadventurekayaking.com or drop by the office for some chiya!