River rafting picks up as monsoon sets in over Karnataka
The rafting season in Karnataka, which was delayed by a month due to a weak monsoon
Bengaluru: With the monsoon picking up in most parts of Karnataka, it’s time for river sport and adventure seekers are looking forward to river rafting.
The sport is popular in at least five places in Karnataka and three major rivers are offering the thrill of rafting for adventure enthusiasts this monsoon.
The rafting season in the state, which was delayed by a month due to a weak monsoon, has finally begun to attract participants. Rafting centres in the state include Bhimeshwari, Dandeli, Coorg and Chikmagulur. The rivers Bhadra, Seeta and Cauvery flow in spate during the monsoon months, creating the much needed rapids for this particular sport.
“The government has taken several precautions before leasing out portions of rivers to conduct rafting activities. We are using about 6-8 km length of the Cauvery river near Barapoole and we were able to get a good numbers of participants in the last few days,” said Murali Kumar, an event organiser from Coorg.
Experts in the field of rafting cautioned that the participants must ensure that the company is providing enough security equipment, good quality life jackets and reliable head gear, “because accidents during the rafting season are common. So adequate training for the participants becomes important,” said an adventure instructor.
The state-run General Thimmaiah National Academy for Adventure has now set up a water adventure centre in Vanivilas Sagar dam in Chitradurga District. Activities like kayaking and light boat rides are available. There’s river rafting in Kali river which is dependent on the release of dam water. It’s a one-of-its-kind centre in the country. The other centres will become operational only during the monsoon months.
Adventure enthusiasts look forward to Malabar River Festival in Kerala Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) has organised the Malabar River festival, which will see international participants who come to take part in the white water kayaking. The event will be held in August and the international canoing community and domestic experts are looking forward to taking part in the competition.
River rafting and water sports in Karnataka
- Bhadra River – Magundi near Balehonnur, Chikmagalur district
- Cauvery River – Barapoole in Coor, Bhimeshwari in Malavalli Taluk and Galibore in Kanakpura Taluk
- Sita River – Hebri near Udupi
- Vanivilas Sagar Dam, Chitradurga District