Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the mid 1970s.
Rafting is one of the earliest means of transportation, used as a means for shipping people, hunting, and transferring food. But now it became a popular medium of sports and adventure activities.
Whitewater rafting can be a dangerous sport, especially if basic safety precautions are not observed. Both commercial and private trips have seen their share of injuries and fatalities, though private travel has typically been associated with greater risk. Depending on the area, legislated safety measures may exist for rafting operators.
White water rafting in India is almost exclusively confined to the northern rivers which flow southwards from the Himalayas, gushing between densely forested mountains and through steep gorges. Rivers such as the Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Indus, Zanskar and Teesta offer `raft-worthy’ rapids, and a trip down a river can be a great way to see the countryside.
Most agencies allow anybody- as long as you’re over 14 years of age- to book on river rafting trips. For basic trips, which pass through quieter waters, it isn’t even necessary to know swimming, although those who can’t swim may not be allowed on certain stretches of the river. Expectant mothers and people who suffer from epilepsy or other serious ailments, will usually not be allowed.
The Himalayan rivers, being the main river rafting routes, are virtually inaccessible during the winters. Some, like the Zanskar, are frozen over, and most of the others are too cold too allow rafting. Getting soaked could lead to a long and perhaps dangerous bout of hypothermia- or worse.
The monsoon brings heavy rain to the lower reaches of the Himalayas, and melting snows in the mountains result in higher waters in all of the rivers. Summers, therefore, though a good time to go river rafting, can be a little unsafe, especially for novices who haven’t travelled on a river in spate. For novices, August and September- when waters are lower and more manageable- are the best months to go river running; veterans can opt for expeditions earlier in the summer. Spring or early summer is also usually suitable for river running.
The Teesta is one of the few rivers where river rafting is confined to the winter months, between October and April.
The challenge of the turbulent rivers is no less than that of the rugged mountains. The icy heights of the Himalayas are the source of some of India's mighty rivers. Fed by innumerable streams they race along tortuous boulder strewn beds, cutting deep gorges and breaking into silvery white rapids.
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