One of the most isolated river corridors in Bhutan, is also the longest multi-day
river trip possible in Bhutan. Opened recently, the river trip has not had
more than a handful of descents, and offers one of the best wilderness river descents
in Asia. Offered with our partners in Bhutan, this expedition fulfills all classic
Aquaterra Adventures’ expedition criteria –excellent wilderness, challenging
whitewater, expert leadership in a region very few have ever travelled into.

Landlocked Bhutan is situated in the eastern Himalayas and is mostly mountainous and
heavily forested. It is bordered for 470 kilometers by Tibet (China's Xizang
Autonomous Region) to the north and northwest and for 605 kilometers by India's
states of Sikkim to the west, West Bengal to the southwest, Assam to the south
and southeast, and Arunachal Pradesh (formerly the North-East Frontier Agency)
to the east. Sikkim, an eighty-eight-kilometer-wide territory, divides Bhutan
from Nepal, while West Bengal separates Bhutan from Bangladesh by only sixty
kilometers. At its longest east-west dimension, Bhutan stretches around 300
kilometers; it measures 170 kilometers at its maximum north-south dimension,
forming a total of 46,500 square kilometers, an area one-third the size of
Nepal.

The Drangme Chhu river drains a large portion of central and eastern Bhutan. The
word Chhu means "river" or "water" in Dzongkha. The river rises in the western portion

of Arunachal Pradesh, India, and flows southwest first into the Bhutanese district

(or dzongkhag) of Trashiyangtse and then into Tashigang. The south flowing Kulong and

the west flowing Gamri join the Drangme near the town of Tashigang. Continuing to the

southwest, the river forms the boundary between Tashigang and Mongar, and then between

Pemagatsel and Mongar.

Along this stretch is the confluence with another major tributary, the south flowing
Kuru, and a name change to the Manas River. Shortly before turning south and
leaving Bhutan, the river is augmented again with the waters of the south
flowing Mangde Chhu River. The lowest point in Bhutan is at the point where the
Manas Chhu river crosses into India (Assam) near the town of Manas. The river
empties into the Brahmaputra River some 50 miles (80 km) south of the Bhutanese
border.

We spend a couple of nights at the Manas sanctuary viewing wildlife before heading back.

TRIP ITINERARY

Day 01 : Fly New Delhi to Guwahati. Pick up from Guwahati airport and drive to Samdrupjongkhar.
Night at local hotel in Samdrupjongkhar.

Day 02 : Long and windy drive to Trashigang via Khaling, Yongphula and Kanglung ( Sherabtse College).
Night at Trashigang (Camp or Local lodge)

Day 03 Paddle the Gamri Chhu. Night at camp

Day 04 – 09 Drangme Chhu to Manas - This is the crux of the expedition! Once we leave the road
access at the top of the river there is no other access for 100 km. We’ll be totally self-sufficient carrying

all expedition gear on our rafts as we explore one of the last untouched rivers in the world. Although the river

had its first descent in 2009, it is still relatively unknown with only a handful of descents, as the monsoon floods

often change rapids and we will still need to treat it as a classic very little-known-of-descent.

Day 09 Our last day on the river - Take out and go stay at the Bansbari Lodge for the night

Day 10 Safari Tour in the Manas National Park

Day 11 Drive to Guhawati, and fly to Delhi for flights home.