While I have had many wonderful experiences on my travels, somehow adventure sports never really attracted me. It isn’t fear that holds me back. While I worry about the safety standards in places like India and Kenya for instance, I worry about my budget in other places like Macau and Singapore. Just over a month ago, in fact, I was standing next to the AJ Hackett set-up on top of the Macau Tower but the high price of the world’s biggest bungee jump crashed my dreams of taking the leap.
When I was recently offered a choice between choosing to attend a traditional Goan ceremony or go for a white water rafting experience, I had no hesitation in choosing the latter. Firstly, it was an experience that was endorsed by Goa Tourism and well, if you can’t trust the state tourism board’s recommendation, you really can’t trust anything else. The white water rafting is still at a nascent stage in the tiny state that translates into cost-effectiveness as well as exclusivity. Really, there was no reason not to take up the offer. Even those who were hesitant initially eventually chose to come for the white water rafting experience.
On an overcast day on June 24, we were escorted to Earthen Pot Restaurant located at Valpoi, a good 100-minute drive from central Goa. This is the meeting point for the rafting experience. There aren’t many signboards leading up here so it’s best to ask locals and/ or have a reliable GPS tracker with you. It is also recommended that you have a decent meal and refreshments before coming here. The restaurant serves food but lacks simple amenities like tea and coffee (that was sorely missed).
We were soon met by John Pollard, an enthusiastic Englishman who really deserves another story dedicated to his love for India and development of Indian water sports. The Yorkshire native has an infectious energy and classic English humour that endeared him to us all. From Earthen Pots restaurant, where you sign the standard clause of not blaming the company for your death, you are driven for 10 more kilometres through lush green vegetation. [pullquote]The pure air that you smell is nothing short of nectar for your lungs.[/pullquote]
Upon reaching the end of the paved road, participants walk (or rather climb down) another 800 metres. It is here that the Mhadei river finally allows us a glimpse of her. She seemed in a fiery spirit when we visited her. Blushing a deep brown with silt and gushing around her curves, Mhadei backoned us to flow through her.
John smiled at her and unloaded two rafts with the help of his local crew. It was time for instructions. We couldn’t touch the temptress without knowing how to deal with her moods after all. There were quite a few of them to my surprise but most of them dealt with instructions on what to do if you fall out of the raft or the raft itself turned over. The basics were fairly simple to remember – remember how to hold the paddle and use it as instructed, keep your feet secure and always follow the guide. It reminded me of my deep dive adventure at Nha Trang in Vietnam and I was hoping for a similar experience.
John was not going to just up and go though. He ensured all of us went into the muddy Mhadei waters where we rescued as well as got others to rescue us after jumping off the raft.
“It doesn’t have to be graceful,” he said by way of encouragement.
When he was satisfied with this, we set off in our raft for a luxurious 10 km ride. This usually takes about two hours and rafting happens only twice a day – once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The state of the river and prevalent conditions on the day of your rafting adventure are also important factors. We were informed that we were the first batch of rafters this season as the morning session was cancelled. It is best to check with the operators here and here. The rafting costs Rs 1800 per person. It is also good to know that white water rafting on this stretch is only limited to 10-12 weeks so the window of exploring this adventure is truly short.
Back to the story. After a tepid couple of minutes, we saw the first rapid not too far away.
“Forward paddle,” John said.
Whoosh!
The raft rammed into the Grade 2 rapid on its outer edge and gifted us with a generous spray of river water. We had truly begun our adventure now.
“Forward paddle,” John said again. We rowed with enthusiasm looking forward to the next rapid. It wasn’t too far away. This one was bigger and John prepared us saying it is called “Big Daddy” and chuckling to himself.
The Level 3 rapid was enjoyed with some more Class 2 and Class 3 rapids named Giant Haystacks and Y Front by John. We skirted around the rapids mostly but sometimes we went right through them to enjoy the split-second pleasure of being drenched in the river’s waters. It was as if an indulgent Mhadei was showering herself on us for deciding to raft through her.
Not only that, she opened her chest of treasures to us as we passed along. The river Mhadei is located in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary which itself is located in the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Western Ghats. Snaking her way through the sanctuary, the Mhadei offered tantalising glimpses of green mountains hanging heavy with clouds in the distance. The surreal landscape was a mix of marshy land and free-flowing monsoon river water punctuated by strange noises from birds in the vicinity and once, from a couple of children who live on the fringes of the river.
It is difficult not to be awestruck by the environment around you while rafting and everyone lapsed into silence for a while towards the fag end. The urban bustle of Goa seemed far, far away. I noticed the Mhadei was carrying us faster than usual because of the strong current. The two-hour stretch took us just about 90 minutes to complete and before long we were at the end point. It was with great reluctance that we finally realised our ride had come to an end.
John as always was there to lighten the situation.
“Don’t fall now please. It won’t be graceful,” he said while we were stepping off the raft at another location where the van was waiting to take us back the short distance to Earthern Pots restaurant.
I thanked John for the experience and I thanked Mhadei for giving us the pleasure of riding on her angry swell safely and making it an adventure to remember.
Pictures provided by John Pollard and Goa Tourism. This experience was sponsored by Goa Tourism. Constant Traveller maintains full editorial integrity in all its posts, including this one.
