Water Rafting in River Teesta, Darjeeling

Although known as the Queen of Hills, Darjeeling is getting increasingly popular for several water sports and one that leads is White Water Rafting. River Teesta and Rangeet gush down the mountains of Darjeeling and create foaming white water and stretches with varying rapids that are excellent for rafting for both beginners and seasoned rafters. 

River Teesta originates from Tso Lhamo lake in North Sikkim at an altitude of over 5,330 meters, while Rangeet originates from a glacier of Mount Kabru in the lower Kanchenjunga region. 

Both finally meet at a place which is close to Teesta Bazar. This meeting point is known as Triveni. Check out Teesta & Rangeet Confluence to know more about the meeting point. While rafting also takes place at Triveni, the most popular place for rafting is on river Teesta is Melli. 

If you look at the picture, you will see a delta at the corner of the confluence formed by sand. This is from where the rafting is launched in Triveni. This sandy beach is a popular campsite for the rafters. 

Many tourists actually combine rafting with camping. The valley and the landscape around the rivers create an amazing scene. From the meeting point at Triveni, Teesta flows down south and meets the plains at Sivoke, where the Coronation Bridge connects north-eastern states with rest of the country. 

As you raft down Teesta, the mesmerizing view of the dense forests along the slope of the mountains, the vegetation, the many different birds, fishes on the water, combined with the excitement of rafting through the torrents and foaming waters create an unforgettable experience. There are small villages on both sides of the river. You can therefore see many cultivated lands. Overall an awesoeme feeling. 

White Water Rafting in Teesta has been introduced by DGHC (Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, now GTA) in 1991 and has been consistently gaining popularity since then. It's fun and exciting. In rafting, there are 6 grades or levels of difficulty depending on the rapids or the current in the river. Grade-1 (with flat calm water) is the easiest. 

Due to series of rapids and varying intensity of flow, most part of Teesta where rafting is done has been graded in a scale of 2 to 4. Grade-2 would have small roller coaster rapids but easy to negotiate, Grade-3 requires a trained guide & some technical ability, while Grade-4 would have some serious and large rapids, and should be attempted only by seasoned rafters. 

The Rangeet river on the other hand has more turbulence compared to Teesta. Its multi dimensional rapids can be very challenging at times. Both these rivers are fed by melting snow in the summer months and rain water in the monsoon. They are perennial rivers. 

While many tourists and beginners go down to Teesta Bazaar, take instructions from the guides and set out for fun white water rafting, it helps if one has some prior experience of river rafting, kayaking or boating. However at Teesta, there are provisions and courses earmarked for both swimmers and non-swimmers.  

The Popular Rafting Courses in Teesta 

Most popular place in Darjeeling where most tourists go for white water rafting is Teesta Bazaar. Rafting starts at Tarkhola and the popular rafting course goes up to Kalijhora. 

It takes about 1.5 hours by taxi or shared jeep to reach Teesta Bazaar from Darjeeling town. Here are the most popular courses for rafting: 

For non-swimmers: 

1) Melli to 29th Mile (1.5 hours) 

2) Melli to Kalijhora (3 hours) 

For swimmers only: 

1) Tarkhola to Melli (2 hours) 

2) Tarkhola to 29 Mile (3 hours) 

There are longer sections also. For example Bordang to 29th Mile takes about 4.5 hours and involves grade 2-4 rapids. 

Best time for rafting in Teesta 

You should avoid the monsoon (July to September). All other months are good for rafting. The best time for rafting in Teesta (Darjeeling) is between December to June. But note that during winter, water can be ice cold. 

Some important points to note 

·  One has to sign 'Assumption of Risk and Release' bond before undertaking the rafting trip. 

·  Foreign tourists require to carry their passport which needs to be shown while signing the bond and also while crossing the Teesta Bridge. 

·  You should wear shorts and carry extra pair of shoes/sneakers, sun screen lotion, water bottle, an additional set of dry clothes etc. 

·  If you have heart problems, epilepsy etc, it is advisable not to undertake the trip. 

·  You must not drink alcohol at least 6 hours before the trip. 

How to do white water rafting and camping on Teesta? 

If you want to go down from Darjeeling, do rafting and come back, then you can get complete packages from several operators. They offer packages including transport, camping/overnight stay (if required), all equipment including life jackets, food, experienced guide, lessons etc. 

Another way is to go down to Teesta Bazaar (2.5 hours by taxi or shared jeep from Darjeeling town center) which is the main hub for rafting. Here you will find the River Rafting Center of GTA Tourism. They organize the rafting on Teesta river (Phone: 03552 - 68261 / 68297). The company Action Adventure Pvt Ltd and Rescue Group has an outlet at Teesta Bazar and they too organize white water rafting in Teesta (Phone: 03552 - 68236). 

 Damns have been constructed on river Teesta which control the water flow. As a result the rapids have reduced significantly. So the timing for rafting must match with opening and closing time of the stop gates. Therefore Darjeeling based operators need to coordinate with the local operators at Teesta to take bookings for rafting. 

You can also book rafting through the GTA Tourist Information Center on Mall Road (Silver Fir building, Ph: 0354 - 2255351). You can also go down directly to Teesta bazaar for rafting. A local operator there also operates rafting when the rapids are high. Minimum group size is 4. 

Hotels at Teesta Bazaar 

One of the good hotels at Teesta Bazaar is Chitrey Wayside Inn which is located near river Teesta (Phone: +91 3552-268261). It's run by the state government and has a bar & restaurant. The balcony overlooks the forested bank of river Teesta. The rooms are spacious and clean. The attached bathrooms have hot & cold water.