Overview
This Trishuli rafting and Bandipur tour pairs an easy day of white water with a night in one of Nepal's best preserved hill towns. You leave Kathmandu early, drive west on the Prithvi Highway to the river and go straight into a guided raft on the Trishuli's grade 2+ to 3+ rapids, then sleep at a riverside tent camp at Malekhu. The next day you continue west and climb the short ridge road to Bandipur, an old Newar trading bazaar where vehicles are kept out of the main street, with time for a sunset walk to Tundikhel. Day three takes you back to Kathmandu. It suits first-time rafters, families and friends who want a short break with both action and heritage.
The itinerary
- Early start west out of Kathmandu on the Prithvi Highway
- Three to three and a half hours to the put-in, usually at Charaudi
- Safety briefing, then straight onto grade 2+ to 3+ rapids with a lunch stop on a sandy bank
- Overnight in a riverside tent camp at Malekhu, with dinner
- A relaxed start by the river, with no rush
- Drive west along the highway to Dumre, then 8 km up the ridge road to Bandipur
- After arriving, walk the car-free bazaar of old Newar merchant houses
- Then a walk to Tundikhel for mountain views if the sky is clear
- Optional early climb to Thani Mai temple for sunrise over the valley
- Breakfast in the bazaar before leaving
- About 143 km back east along the Prithvi Highway
- Drop-off at your hotel in Kathmandu
What the price covers
Standard | |
|---|---|
| Private vehicle with driver for all 3 days | ✓ Included |
| Night 1 at Malekhu, with dinner and breakfast | ✓ Included |
| Night 2 in a 3-star hotel in Bandipur, with breakfast | ✓ Included |
| Rafting on the Trishuli with a licensed river guide | ✓ Included |
| Lunch on the rafting day | ✓ Included |
| Other lunches, and dinner in Bandipur | ✕ Not included |
| Tour guide | ✕ Not included |
| Travel insurance | ✕ Not included |
| Tips and personal expenses | ✕ Not included |
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Things to carry
- Quick-drying clothes and a swimsuit for the river
- River sandals or old trainers with a firm strap
- A towel and a full change of clothes for after rafting
- Comfortable walking shoes for Bandipur's stone lanes
- A warm layer for the ridge-top evening, plus sunscreen
Good to know
Complete guide
This short road trip pairs Nepal's most popular rafting river with one of its best-kept hill towns. It takes three days from Kathmandu, keeps the driving in manageable pieces, and gives you a night by the river and a night in an old merchant bazaar.
What the Trishuli rafting and Bandipur tour covers
Day one starts early. You drive west out of Kathmandu on the Prithvi Highway, and the usual put-in at Charaudi is about 85 km and three to three and a half hours away. You go straight onto the river after the safety briefing, raft through the middle of the day and spend the night at a riverside tent camp at Malekhu. On day two you carry on west along the highway to Dumre and climb the 8 km side road up to Bandipur, with the afternoon and evening free in town. Day three is the drive home, about 143 km back to Kathmandu.
There is also a four-day version of this trip that adds Gorkha, the hilltop palace town of the Shah kings, after Bandipur. Choose that one if you want a second heritage stop and a less compressed first morning.
A day on the Trishuli
The Trishuli is Nepal's classic first river. The Nepal Tourism Board grades it at 3+, and rafting companies describe a mix of grade 2+ and 3+ rapids with calmer stretches in between, where you can look up at the terraced hills and the road running alongside. On a typical day run you raft for a couple of hours, stop for lunch on a sandy bank, then carry on to the take-out, which on the standard day section is near Kurintar.
It is a sociable, splashy day rather than an extreme one. No experience is needed. Your river guide gives a full briefing on paddling, commands and what to do if you fall in, and everyone wears a helmet and a life jacket. In the monsoon the water rises and the rapids can reach grade 4+, which is why we avoid the peak rains for this trip.
Bandipur, the old merchant town on the ridge
Bandipur was built by Newar traders from Bhaktapur as a stop on the old India to Tibet trade route, and the bazaar still looks the part: tall brick houses with carved windows, a long covered veranda along the main street and paved lanes where vehicles are restricted. The town lost its role when the district headquarters moved to Damauli in 1968 and the highway passed it by, which is a large part of why the old street survived.
Your time there is for walking. Tundikhel, the flat open ground on the ridge, is about ten minutes from the bazaar and looks north over the hills. On a clear morning or evening you can see a long line of the Himalaya, from Langtang and Ganesh through Manaslu to the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri. Thani Mai temple sits on the hill above town for sunrise, and Siddha Gufa, a large cave, lies below it for those who want a longer outing.
Roads, pace and who it suits
The Prithvi Highway is the main road between Kathmandu and Pokhara, and it is busy with buses and trucks. Delays around the valley rim and at road works are common, so we give drive times as a range and travel in daylight. Day one is the longest, because of the early start and the rafting straight after the drive. Day two is short and relaxed.
This trip suits first-time rafters, families with older children, friends and couples who want a mix of activity and a quiet heritage town without committing a week. It is not ideal if you dislike road travel, since the whole trip is by vehicle. If the river is the only thing you want, the single-day Trishuli river rafting trip is the simpler option.
When to go and how to extend it
The Nepal Tourism Board lists October to mid-December and March to early May as the main rafting seasons. Autumn usually brings the clearest views from Bandipur, while spring can be hazier. Winter days are fine for Bandipur but the river is colder. If you would rather keep going west after Bandipur, the Bandipur, Pokhara and Kathmandu tour adds Pokhara and its lakeside. Tell us your dates and we will help you choose the right length.
