The Subansari River Rafting Expedition

The Subansari “Gold River” is the biggest tributary of the Upper Brahmaputra and descends through verdant rainforests in the tribal state of Arunachal Pradesh. It drains the waters beyond the Great Himalayan Range spanning from Tsona Dzong up to the Great Loop of the Tsangpo in Tibet slicing through the Eastern Himalayas to flow into India at Asaphila through the rugged isolated hinterland of Arunachal.

It has a run of 170 km in Tibet, 250 km in the Eastern Himalayas and 86 km in the plains of Assam before joining the Great Brahmaputra at the mystic confluence of Majuli – the largest inhabited river island in the world. The river has no road artery linking it on either side of the Great Himalayan Range spanning about 150 km. Very difficult terrain with vertical rock faces with only very sparse inhabitation in the belt has kept and continue to keep the upper reaches of this challenging river isolated.

This beckoning river is challenging and demanding. It has volume, flow and adrenal flowing rapids set in a scenic breathtaking environment astride the Eastern Himalayas with its diverse warm-hearted hill people with their unique traditions and customs spread over a millennia with the inevitable change encroaching upon them rapidly.This beautiful river has been first run twice before by Indian army teams in 1994, only once from our slated starting point. Our 2006 trip was the first open descent of this river, and with a 116 m high hydel dam being built which would span the lower mountain mouth of this beautiful river by Sep 2010, there is little time left to savor this nature’s blessing and part take in this unique experience. You could even pan for Gold while running the Subansiri!For self contained team of kayakers, we can organise a higher put in from Taksing, with helicopter induction, on request.