Rafting The Wang Chhu: Notes On Himalayan Whitewater

Tshering Dorji · 27 Jan 2026 · 5 min read

Three rivers, three charactersBhutan has more than two hundred rivers, and the tourist rafted ones fall into three distinct days. The Wang Chhu below Thimphu is wide, forgiving and close to the city — class I and II water, ideal for a first run. The Mo Chhu at Punakha is the serious one, with class III rapids and long calm pools between them. The Dang Chhu runs through a gorge that almost nobody has seen.What makes the water differentThe rivers are fed by Himalayan snow and glacier melt, so the flow is cold and remarkably clear, and the colour is a pale glacial blue-green. Navigation is unusually straightforward: the channels are wide, the obstacles are rock rather than strainers, and the banks are forested right to the waterline.It is a cold river. Put on the dry top before you think you need it, not after you have already decided you are freezing.Safety and rulesAll commercial rafting in Bhutan operates under Tourism Council of Bhutan guidelines, with licensed operators, certified safety kayaks, trained rescue staff and full medical cover. These are glacier-fed rivers with real consequences; independent rafting is not permitted and we would not recommend it even if it were.Best…