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Marshyangdi , raging river deplete the northern slope of the Annapurna mountains. It was only opened to rafting in 1996 and yields some of the most exciting class iv-v white water in Nepal. One of the best class 4 kayaking rivers in the world-continuous, exhilarating whitewater with magnificent mountain backdrops. Recommended for expert kaykers and rafters.

The Marshyangdi is the mother of all rivers. In the local dialect, it means 'raging one' and rage it does! Few rivers rival the Marshyangdi for exciting whitewater and supreme mountain views. It is steep, powerful and not to be underestimated. With some of the wildest commercially run white water in the world, continued sections of steep technical rafting test our teamwork throughout the trip. Usually a turquoise blue in color, the rapids wrap themselves around bizarrely sculpted boulders and steep chutes thrust into deep green pools as the river drops down from the Annapurna range. With the awe stirring, breathtaking backdrop of the Manaslu and Annapurna ranges, it is a photographer dream. It may be a dream of a whitewater run, but it is a logistical frightening. Even still, our guides fight among themselves for the honor of running it. The huge boulders require natural and expert river reading skills to recognize the right lines. The rapids are so continuous and technical that we run the rafts empty of gear for maneuverability. In true Nepali style, we employ porters to carry our gear. Don't worry; we still manage to squeeze on board our extensive first aid kit and the exceptional Drift Nepal lunch box. If you ever see a group of wrinkled river rats drowning in a Pokhara bar, you may hear the Marshyangdi described as an Adrenaline overload, most beautiful river I have ever done, Orgasmic, a Jewel of a river or Liquid Madness!

If it’s adventure you seek, you’ll find it on this trip with one day of easy trekking and five days of intense rafting. Only recently opened for commercial rafting (many rapids have not been named yet), the Marshyangdi is one of the next generations of rivers in Nepal, steeper and with a much more continuous stretch of rapids.

This river demands 100% assure from both crew and guide. It is totally different from the big volume rivers like the Sun Koshi and Karnali, the rapids are technical and require a very different approach. Big volume rivers need power and a good line, the Marsyangdi needs fast reactions from the crew to get through this pin ball machine river. The Marsyangdi quickly forges raft crews of complete strangers into true teams.

The panorama is magnificent with every bend of the river opening up fresh vista of some of the world's highest mountains, but these are behind-as someone said "great views but you need rear view mirrors"