Mulkot turning into rafting hub

By Baburam Devkota,Sunkoshi, Jan. 17: The Nepali month of Magh has begun and so has the season of rafting on the Sunkoshi River.

Thanks to the BP Highway, which connects the capital Kathmandu to the Terai plains, the river, particularly its section at Mulkot in the Sunkoshi Rural Municipality, Sindhuli, is extremely popular among rafters.

Manoj Shrestha, one of the owners of Taj Resort here, said that “things got packed” during the peak season, which begins from January and lasts till the beginning of the monsoon season. 

“We barely have time to breathe,” Shrestha, who began the Resort four years ago with four other hoteliers to operate rafting services, told The Rising Nepal. “Fridays and Saturdays are particularly busy as many come on 

weekend packages from Kathmandu and the Terai.”

In this season, Sunkoshi sees over a thousand rafters on any given weekend, he claimed. “The numbers are not bad even in the off season,” the 

businessman said.

According to Shrestha, those coming to raft could purchase packages priced at around Rs. 3,500. This amount covers a breakfast, two meals and a room. Shrestha informed that his Resort had 10 boats for people to use to raft from the Kusheshwor Mahadev Temple in Sunkoshi Rural Municipality–1 to Mulkot.

Shrestha assured that the river stretch was safe to raft on and shared that present Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal had boated down it on separate 

past occasions. 

The Nepal Tourism Board and the Department of Tourism had also conducted a test on the 35-kilometre Kusheshwor-Baleni section of the river six years ago to study the feasibility of operating rafting on it.

Deepa Bohara, chairperson of Sunkoshi Rural Municipality, said that the local government found the Sunkoshi River appropriate for water sports and had allowed organisations to operate rafting here. 

“Once upon a time, rafting was considered something only foreigners did. But now, Nepalis also love the sport and want to do it.” 

She also said that the rural municipality would assist rafting businesses in bringing and welcoming tourists, establishing hotels, homestays and other institutions for hospitality and train the rafting guides.