Didrum to Reten Horse Trip

Because we travel on the horse, so we will get lots of chances in interact with local nomads and villagers on the way. From Reting we rest the horse and drive up to the Chang-tang, “Northern-plains” to camp beside the stunning lakeside retreat caves of Tashido. This site is perhaps one of the most dramatic in Tibet, with the vast lake stretching to the western horizon (they say it’s still possible to see dragons leaping out during thunder storms) and broad grasslands climbing south to the base of sacred Mount Nyenchen Thangla.

During summer months this area is also a migratory stop for several species of birds, including the rare black-necked crane. Namtso and its surroundings is known for its active nomad culture and spirit.

Kayaks on Mt.Everest

Beginning in Lhasa we acclimatise and warm up on several runs near Lhasa. We then drive through Shigatse to Rongbuk Monastery 7km from Everest base camp. After exploring around base camp, we put on the Rong Chu at around 5000m (which may be the highest put-in anywhere in the world). We then spend the next 5 days paddling class 3 and 4 whitewater to the village of Kharta and the entrance to the infamous Arun River Gorges. This partial circumnavigation of Everest by kayak is a truly amazing journey.

We spend a day exploring the spectacular landscape around Kharta before driving towards Nyalam and the Nepali border. The monsoon season is the best time for this expedition as we are paddling on the dry side of the Himalayas. You need to be a confident class IV kayaker to undertake this expedition.

Please contact Wind Horse directly for an itinerary on this trip. You will need to present us with a CV of your paddling experience before undertaking this expedition.

Rivers of Central Tibet

We’ll experience the granduer of Tibet’s second largest salt lake, Namtso before journeying back across the range to the source of the Reting Tsangpo. The Reting is a wonderful four day journey through the home of yaks and nomads to the famous Reting Monastery. We’ll share our campsites with nomads and have ample opportunity to experience their culture and customs. We then visit Tidrum Nunnery and the hotsprings before rafting the Drigung Chu for two days. We return to Lhasa with a day to spare to paddle the famous Yarlung Tsangpo.

The Reting Tsangpo

We access the Reting Tsangpo by its north fork, beginning as a small alpine stream with amazing views of the Nyenchen Thanglha range near Namtso. The North fork enters the main river on day 2 and we paddle big water through incredible alpine juniper forests and past nomad camps. In high water, big volume rapids are interspersed by lazy flat sections and awesome surf waves for kayakers.

This is the quintessential Tibetan rafting experience. Its wonderful mix of mountains, nomads, monasteries and whitewater is bound to make this new discovery a classic.

The Drigung Chu

To undertake this trip you should be able to swim and you must be fit and fairly well acclimatized (at least 4 days in Lhasa). This run is quite technical so you will be expected to paddle often. This trip is for those looking for an exciting river adventure in a unique environment. Our guides feel this run is the most beautiful river in Tibet!

This trip can be added into any itinerary that includes Lhasa. Please let us know your interest in rafting when you contact us about your customized itinerary.

The Tolung Chu

This trip can be added into any itinerary that includes Lhasa. Please let us know your interest in rafting when you contact us about your customized itinerary.

Film Production Services

Productions we have facilitated include:

Into The Tsangpo Gorge: A Scott Lindgren Production for Outdoor life Network

Blindsight: A gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers on their journey to climb a mountain in the shadow of Everest

Kayakers on the Roof of the World: An Independant documentary about Tibet Wind Horse Adventures’ staff learning to be the first Tibetan kayakers. By Chris Jones and Sharyn Smith

Seven Weeks in Tibet: The story of the first full descent of the Parlung Tsangpo

In 2008 we provided expedition support for Atlantic Productions Everest Expedition filming the story of Mallory and Irvine.

Educational Projects & Tours

We have helped to introduce this land and culture to groups with special academic or cultural interests and have created diverse itineraries for individuals and groups. Our clients include the Smithsonian Institute, the University of Michigan. More recently we have been involved in a collaborative project with Tibet University, Virginia University and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University to develop tourism curriculum for the Tourism department at Tibet University.

Let us know your project or tour and we can create either basic logistics to support your program or we can create the whole program from the beginning, write curriculum and provide expert leadership and instruction. We are well connected with a range of Tibet and Buddhist experts including, Robert Thurman, Kabir Heimsath, David Germano just to name a few.

Photography Trips

We have worked with professional photographers as well as naturalists and would be excited be involved in your project.

In 2008 we worked with Arcteryx phootographer Chris Atkinson to facilitate some wild mountain shots. You will see some of his work on our website and in our art catalouge.

Also have worked with National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita for varies projects.

If you want a professional photographer to lead your group, mentor and teach we can arrange this for you.

Multi-sport Expeditions

Mountainbiking: We often set up mountainbike trips and now have a collection of Giant bikes in Lhasa. The most popular is the classic Lhasa to Kathmandu ride but there are also some far more creative rides that can be done.

Motorbiking is a classic way to see the Tibetan plateau if you are an experienced rider. We regularly run the Kathmandu to Lhasa overland route using ultra classic Enfield bikes from India.

Kayaking: Facilitating kayaking expeditions is one of our specialties and we have run over 25 first descents in Tibet. Check out our River Journeys page but also remember that there are far more rivers and trip ideas than we can even begin to mention on our website. Get on google earth and start exploring!

If you want to taste a range of adventurous activities in Tibet we often put together multi-sort trips including rafting, horse trekking and mountainbiking. Let us knokw your interests and we can create an itinerary for you. It could be a short 3 days trip out of Lhasa, a 21 day kayak and mountainbike trip in East Tibet or a multi-sport extravaganza such as the Raid Gauloise ( ) which involved facilitating 300 racers, support staff and camera crews across Tibet.