ThePADDLER 148
10 . Tsarap Chu and Zanskar – Ladakh , India
Few places on earth can match the grandeur and sheer magnitude of the Zanskar Gorge . Known as the Grand Canyon of Asia , it is sandwiched between two mountain systems – the Karakoram to the north and the Himalayas to the south . The whole region is full of amazing sights – strange gompas perched on soaring hilltops dwarfed by snowcapped mountains . I base myself out of Leh , the capital and Stanzin ’ s home . Ladakh is a Tibetan Buddhist region , and it reminds me very much of Tibet with the overriding difference that the people are free . Free to travel , free to worship and free to say what they like without a communist government controlling everything !
Getting to the Tsarap Chu River takes you over two passes at 5,300m ; the water is a silty brown from the glacier sediment , and the put-in for the river is at 4,280m ! Running rapids , portages , scouting , and even surfing waves puts enormous strains on your lungs when kayaking on the roof of the world ! After a few days , you get to Phuktal Gompa , a monastery carved into the cliffs above the river . The Buddhist monks are always pleased to meet kayakers and offer plenty of butter tea to help keep your energy levels up .
From Phugtal Gompa down to Padam has the best whitewater on the expedition , and it is certainly a rollercoaster of a ride ! Once the Tsarap Chu meets the Stod River , it becomes the Zanskar , and within a couple of hours , you enter the gorge . What follows are three days of big waves , stunning scenery and navigating a four-metre wide gap . Things have changed recently with a road being built , so new rapids formed from the sharp rocks that have been blasted out of the canyon wall . The Tsarap Chu and Zanskar Gorge is one of the best river expeditions in the Himalayas and should be on any expedition kayakers list !
There are quite a few rivers that did not make my list but came very close , such as : Beas Gorge in Himachal Pradesh , India Toms River in Uttarakhand , India Pindar River in Uttarakhand , India Zambezi River in Zimbabwe / Zambia , Africa White Nile in Uganda , Africa Rio Upano , Ecuador Rio Mishualli , Ecuador Rio Alumine in Patagonia , Argentina Soča River in Slovenia Oetz River in Tirol , Austria Lech River in Tirol / Vorarlberg , Austria Rio Petrohue , Chile Marsyangdi , Nepal - before the dams !
Of course , I love travelling and adventure . When life gets back to normal , I look forward to kayaking more rivers , visiting countries , regions and areas that I have been looking forward to visiting . With so much time on my hands this winter , I have been getting the maps out to see what the next adventure brings .
STEVE BROOKS :
Steve has lived in Austria for over 23 years , from being a place to come and work seasonally on the river to a base camp and finally making Austria his home ! Steve ’ s love for kayaking and adventure is infectious , and this can especially be seen in the kayak school he set up 11 years ago . Based out of the Arlberg region in western Austria , the school runs courses for beginners plus coaching and instructing kayakers through all the whitewater grades , including creeking and river running . Between the kayaking season in Austria , Steve can be found kayaking and leading adventure trips and expeditions in the Indian Himalayas , Peru and Chile in South America . He speaks German like a local and is trying to improve his Argentine Spanish . When he is not kayaking , he searches for that perfect powder run in the backcountry in his home mountain of St Anton am Arlberg or riding his Royal Enfield Bullet searching for undiscovered rivers in the Himalayas . For more information check out :
www . gokayaking . at and
www . gokayaking . at / blog
Natural spring shooting out from the canyon wall