THE LOHIT RIVER EXPEDITION
The Lohit river comes into India at the border with China near India's eastern most inhabited tip, at a place called Kibithu. It is a medium volume continuous Class 4+/5 river in its upper alpine reaches and becomes pool drop towards the latter end of the trip. There have been a few raft expeditions on it. We were part of a trip in February 1994 with the Indian Army and operated the first successful kayak descent of the river in December 2003. This trip is an exploratory kayak expedition suported either by raft / cataraft or land crews wherever possible. The outlined river plan is below.
Itinerary
Day 01 : Fly Delhi - Dibrugarh. Transfer to hotel Little Palace.
Day 02 : Drive 188 kms (7 hrs) eastwards to the town of Tezu. Overnight stay has been arranged at the Circuit House at Tezu.
Day 03 : Drive 205 kms (9 hrs) to the settlement of Walong, known for a pitched battle between the Indians and Chinese in 1962. Overnight Walong Hot Springs Camp.
Day 04 : Relaxed day while the kayaks are arranged to be transported to Dichu. Walk around Walong (& Dong where the sun rises first).
Day 05 : Drive 25 kms to the village of Kibithu. Walk 5 kms to Dichu (99% likely as of now) and paddle to Kibithu to Walong Hot Springs Camp (20 kms). Flag on at Kibithu by the Ho'nable Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
Day 06 : Walong-Samdul Camp (30 kms - easily accessed from the road)
Day 07 : Samdul - Peliang Camp (24 kms)
Day 08 : Peliang - Hayuliang (31 kms)
Day 09 : Hayuliong - Paya (18 kms).
Day 10 : Paya - Parsuram kund (20 kms). Flag in. Drive 47 kms to Tezu. Overnight at the Circuit House.
Day 11 : Drive 7 hrs to Dibrugarh. Overnight hotel.
Day 12 : Transfer to airport. Fly Dibrugarh-Delhi. Trip ends
