My first ever exhilarating River Rafting experience...

As we took our positions in the inflatable raft seated over the Beas River at Kullu, everyone screamed out in excitement. The cool breeze flowing across the Kullu valley flanked by the dazzling Himalayan ranges embraced us with love. The eyes humped out after seeing the aggressive flow of water gushing down the valley in a shallow gorge. The depth is less but the flow of water is extremely fierce. The driver paddled the raft forward, splashing the water on our faces. The touch of that ice-cold water not only created trembling waves that flowed across our body for the rest of the ride but also left us puzzling about the condition of Beas River.

DX Rules the River

Beas River originates from the Beas Kund at Rohtang Pass, Manali and flows across the Kullu Valley before it adjoins Sutlej River at Mandi. Yes! You heard it right, its Mandi, beautiful place recalled for its tragedy (Click here to watch).

With its rocky-wavy track and running watercourse, Beas River is highly suitable for the rafters. It offers high degree of enthusiasm to every rafters, be it a beginner or experienced.

Let's pose before we take off

While on the way to Manali from Kullu, you can see many shops displaying their raft to capture the tourist, some even wave and stop the vehicle. They offer three types of rides; short, medium and long.

·    Short ride is for 3 to 4 km, running for about 15 minutes. It cost Rs. 500 per person.

·     Medium ride is for 6 to 7 km, running for about 30 minutes. It cost Rs 800 per person.

·    Long ride is for 10 km, running around 45-50 minutes. It cost Rs. 1000 per person.

River rafting shops provides you with all the essential gear for this adventurous sport. The person who is well-versed in rafting takes guard with you.

Beware of Rocks

Being the first-timers, we settled for a short ride. The raft waded along the adequately clear stretches and easily handled turns. The short route is considered safe that even non-swimmer or hydrophobic can take part in this outing.

Hold on tight, we are about to enter the danger zone

We paddled across the stream maneuvering the curves of Beas River. Approaching a rocky gorge, the driver cautioned everyone to hold on tight, the raft sets off a new pace narrowing down the stream dashing the rocks on the way. The icy water surged in and quivered us for every rocky interference. Nothing is as special as experiencing your favourite and much-awaited adventure sport along with your loved ones and friends.

Kab Tak Giney, Hum Dhadkane

Dil Jaise Dhadke Dhadakne Do

Kyun Hai Koi Aag Dabi

Shola Jo Bhadke Bhadakne Do

Hearing the verses from my favourite movie/song Zindagi Na Milega Dobara written by Javed Akhtar, I questioned myself, "What next, Bungee or Scuba?"

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