Background
Home from a summer in Uganda, I took up Nick Bennett's offer to paddle in Scotland. While there, I asked him for trip recommendations as he's paddled everywhere. He said it had to be Meghalaya. In what felt like minutes (but was likely days) James Smith messaged to say I was in for his next trip, off Nick's recommendation. I'd gone from asking where that was, to having booked my flights, still essentially asking where it was!
I had dreamt of the big volume, multiday rivers of Nepal for years. An Irish whitewater section is at best 5km, so I loved the idea of a river so long and remote you must camp along it. Meghalaya was this same paddling style, but less travelled and less commercialised. James sent me all I needed to know and I trained through the year to keep my paddling fitness up.
Why Meghalaya?
James had been part of the All India Kayak Expedition in 2014. From Kerala to Uttarakhand, they drove 3,500km north, completing first descents on some insane rivers. By documenting what they found they pioneered kayaking tourism for many areas. The north eastern state of Meghalaya is what stood out as a whitewater paradise. Some of them returned every year since to explore for months on end at different river levels. The sections they've found have been documented in countless videos, two feature length films and the Meghalaya Rivers Guidebook.
India is divided into self governing states, similar to America. The mountainous state of Meghalaya is famously the wettest place on earth with 12,000mm of annual rainfall. As Ireland only gets 1,000mm this is hard to imagine, but it's these monsoons which wreak havoc on bordering Bangladesh and its flat plains. As you'd imagine from all this water, the state is exceptionally green, dense with jungles and full of plant and animal life. The capital Shillong is colder, up on the central mountainous plateau, around which huge valleys down to the warmer borders are home to the countless rivers. Due to the rain there is a massive range of river levels, which changes their style, difficulty and dynamic throughout the year. The main kayaking season is October/November, as monsoon levels drop off.
James & Callum Strong were there a lot, so they bought an old 30 Tonne coal truck and spent six months converting it into a camper. It has seven beds, a kitchen, dining area, clean water tank and a gas shower. The All India Overland (AIO) bus as it's called, has been a main character in a lot of big expeditions and is well known in the kayaking world. It's hard to describe how incredible it is inside, and what an honour it was to travel on it during these early days of Meghalaya paddling.
Banjop, a local friend and paddler, drives the bus for the kayaking months and lives in it otherwise. So far it's just the guys and their friends but there are plans for commercialised trips, like the Mum's Do Meghalaya tour they ran. With the area expected to be one of the worlds biggest kayaking destinations in the coming years, it's put them in a prime position.
James was going for a month this year and I'd join for two weeks. I rented a kayak (Waka OG) for €6 a day from Ian, an ex-missionary who owns a slalom course on the Upper Umtrew river. Named Shillong Whitewater Village, this is a base for all paddling tourists and Ian was able to buy lots of great boats from the early explorers to get him up and running.
Everything else was easy. Vaccines, visa, insurance and all that boring stuff. The training went well and before long it was time to leave.
Welcome to India
Dublin - Abu Dhabi - New Delhi - Shillong
Icy delays, airport sprints, long visa queues and Himalayan views. It was a long trip to this hot and humid airport. I was keen to meet the guys who were a 3hr taxi away at Ian's. Unfortunately my kayaking bag had not arrived. I was given a number to call in a few days, not knowing that meant hiking a mountain to get signal at Ian's. A poor start, but off I went.
The highways are incredible. Animals roaming freely, trucks driving against you and cars inches apart at high speeds. Somehow it works, ignoring all the dents. Their thumbs play the car horn like a machine gun, but never aggressively. It's a form of communication that ties it all together. It could never work at home but was fascinating to see.
As day turned to night the roads got much worse. Eventually we arrived at Ian's, with the roar of whitewater confirming this was the place. Food, sugary chai and a fun night of introductions ensued. James, Lee Royle, Nick Roberts & Banjop were here for the full month. Three friends joined for the first two weeks, who were now swapping out for myself, Mark Mulrain and Stu Earnshaw, who'd be here in two days.
Levels were ideal and the guys had just done the Meghalaya Classics: the Umtrew, Kopili and Kynshi. The plan was to try for the same again. I was told long ago these are the best rivers in Meghalaya (possibly the world) and are exactly what I'd hoped levels would allow. Lee let me borrow his spare kayaking gear and I couldn't wait to get on the river tomorrow.
Lower Umtrew
We took a sumo (4x4 taxi) through the jungle to the river. Once dropped off the driver headed to the take out to wait for us.
The river looked fairly high to me, but I was excited. Some great drops and rapids to start, which my forgiving Waka loved. The first rapid we scouted was a right to left push. Up and over a curler to boof into the eddy. It looked intimidating but the line was clear and I nailed it.
The next one not so much. A long lead in to a dirty curler and hole you couldn't avoid. Admittedly no one made it look pretty, and my line was okay, but it was a hard hit.
Most rapids were read and run. Big drops and holes that made me nervous, but nothing too crazy. Just follow whoever is in front of you and hopefully they were right! It was so much longer than I was used to and if you wanted to scout everything you'd never get to the end. You didn't always have the nicest line but you got down, so just keep moving.
I remember stopping in an eddy above one rapid. We regrouped and then headed on. There was a horizon line marking a small drop like all the rapids before. It wasn't until I was right on top I saw this:
This was rowdy. All four of us and our boats got recirculated. I held my paddle with one hand while pushing boats off me with the other. Flailing like a rag doll I did some damage to my shoulder. I pulled my deck and swam to a rock, then the guys got all our gear. Back in the boat every left stroke was sore and I felt shaken. I walked around the next big rapid which took ages, but I knew I wouldn't have made the line.
Halfway down there's a big bridge and village where we'd stop for food. Approaching this someone spotted a leech on their leg. This prompted us all to check and I had one on my ankle. It was huge. Once it was off the cut bled for days, destroying my socks and shoes. No pain or feeling at all though, sneaky things (they put a blood thinner and anaesthetic in you). All the kids in the village ran down to say hello as we had our lunch.
Continuing on, every rapid and the pain in my shoulder scared me. I capsized on silly things and had to roll a lot. I was drinking lots of water but felt like I was approaching heat stroke. Turned out it wasn't that, it was Delhi Belly, which I won't go into detail on but it hit me hard. Sweating, weak and generally done, this run had some low moments.
Finally we made it to the last rapid; 1km of non-stop grade 4. Waves and holes as far as the eye can see with no breaks. You could never have a line for it, just react to what you see and don't get stuck. It was probably the biggest adrenaline rush of the day and terrified me. At the bottom we saw the sumo waiting for us on top of a steep concrete dam. Pulled up the boats and headed home.
It's clear why this run is world famous, but on this day I felt out of my league. The water had been so powerful and I knew the two more difficult rivers were yet to come.
Upper Umtrew
The next day my shoulder wasn't 100% but was better. James headed to town for Kopili supplies, while everyone else was running the Upper. Starting with the slalom course, this goes a few km's downstream from Ian's and is tighter and steeper, but easier than the Lower section. In my mind this was like a test for the Kopili that I had to pass.
I capsized on the slalom course and didn't feel great starting. All in all it went okay, but I felt nervous and out of my depth. I made stupid mistakes, struggled to stay calm and spent too long worrying to actually enjoy it. Leaving the river I thought there was no way I'd be able for the Kopili and tried to figure out what I would do.
That night Stu Earnshaw arrived and I instantly fell in love. I still don't understand how, but he had my kayaking gear! Apparently they were very unwilling to let him take it, and I'm not sure how he knew to try, but I now had my things again. Lee's split paddle had changed angle on me at some unfortunate times so this gave me back some confidence. It was a great night partying now that the team was all here.
The next day we drove north towards the Kopili. The views were unreal with massive jungle valleys in all directions.
On route we stopped in a town for dinner. It was a rural place where food is cooked on an open fire indoors. There are stories of restaurants with means of taking smoke out (chimneys) but these aren't as widespread as you'd think. A cloud of smoke fills the room, but wasn't the worst and the food was lovely. The amazing (and annoying) thing about these more remote areas is that you're now a celebrity. Everyone wants a photo with you because you're white. They're polite about it, but at a point it would be nice to eat in peace. Luckily Lee stole most of the attention as he was the palest and has long ginger hair. If you want to know what it's like to be famous come here!
Kopili
Here we go. A full day of driving brought us to what many people call the worlds greatest river. Grassy banks at the get on, butterflies everywhere and the sun shining. After a day to think about it, I gave myself a big kick up the backside and said I was not going to allow any more stupid mistakes. I was going to bring my A-game and face every rapid with a smile. I can do this. Put on my gear, loaded the boat with overnight supplies and launched in.
This river is incredible. Bright blue water like Slovenia, beautiful scenery and some of the best rapids I've ever seen. Away from the dark, jungle waters of the Umtrew, this felt like paradise. Warm water and weather, wearing just shorts and a thermal. From the start I made sure I knew the line as best I could and gave it my all to hit it. No mistakes. Within an hour I felt great.
The boats were heavier with all the gear, but I was not allowing myself to fall into a negative mindset this time. I remember one early rapid where Stu was ahead of me and got stuck in a bouncy hole. I barely avoided him and eddied out. It was a rowdy one which hurt his hand for the rest of the trip. It reminded me even more to not mess up.
Halfway through the first day we got to the most iconic rapid in Meghalaya; Double Drop. The level was great as we scouted from river left. The line was obvious, even if the hole at the end looked intimidating. James ran it first and all went well. I ran straight up to go next, not wanting to see someone mess up and become scared of it. I lined up at the top, got my go signal and dropped in. Big boof on the first drop, had to push off the wall, then weaved around, lined up for the last hole and punched through. Delighted.
I climbed up and watched everyone else get on equally well. This was such a high point of the trip for me. The river continued with loads of big class 4 rapids. It was a wider river than the Umtrew, so pushier but less technical which suited me. I remember one long rapid where you drove right for the top eddy, beautiful flare down into it, and then drive left for ages. It was long and terrifying, but felt so good to make the line.
Between two rapids, James pointed to our campsite. On massive, smooth rock slabs we pulled up our boats and put on dry clothes. The sun was so strong that you couldn't touch the rock with bare feet, and our gear was dry in minutes. We collected some firewood and got dinner cooking. It was an incredible spot.
The nights had a strange dynamic in the valleys. After the 5:00pm sunset it's jet black, like deep in a cave. You see nothing but the untainted stars. Some of the best I've ever seen. Then at 9:00pm the moon comes out and it's as if someone turned on a light. It woke me any night I'd been asleep.
We ate dinner by the campfire and slept out under the stars. With just ground mats and sleeping bags on rock, it was comfortably warm all night.
Day 2 was more of the same with countless class 4 rapids and some great moves. James would lead with the line becoming more and more lost for the farther back in the group. For this game of Chinese Whispers I tried to keep to the front. Throw and Go is one of the more notable Grade 5 rapids, named for the very high jump you must do to get around it. The level looked good and James & Nick both styled it, the rest of us threw our boats in and jumped!
The highlight of this day was a lovely drop where we set up cameras and did a lot of laps. Slightly on the low side but great fun.
For the last rapid myself, Stu & Mark were told to lead and just go centre right. The river widens massively and that line is very unclear. We assumed it would be a rapid similar to the rest. It was not. As if someone copied and pasted it from Norway, this was a steep, fast, rocky slide that you were on before you knew it. There was a big hole half way down so I aimed right to miss that, then rejoined to head down the rest. It scared the crap out of me, but was so cool. James said they like to see peoples faces after their first time on that one, and I can see why.
After a short flatwater stretch we could see the bus. We had a wash and spent a while jumping into the water under the sun. Looking around, it was truly paradise and I wholeheartedly agree that this river is among the best.
Banjop had made us dinner so we had that with drinks. We'd a great night on the bus with everyone delighted. Now that we all knew the lines, we decided to do the full river in one day tomorrow. After it going so well already, I thought doing it with no overnight gear in the boat would be even better.
A hydroelectric dam dictates the flow and is usually steady, but an unexpected outage reduced the river to a trickle the next day. We paddled to the first rapid but it was barely doable. We decided against it which was a good call. The Salvat brothers ran it that day and had a lot of portaging, a lot of scraping and a newly dislocated shoulder in their group. We were just happy to have gotten our first run with no issues and headed for the Kynshi.
Another one day drive across the entire state. Up to the colder plateau and down to the opposite southern valleys. We gathered supplies on route and it was amazing to see James at work. It's clear he's been here a lot. First a fresh 500L of drinking water, from a random piece of bamboo in a mountain side that he knew of. Then some niche hardware for the bus only he could have found. Then to the market for a massive box of bounce biscuits, rice, some chickmas seasoning and a whole chicken that would destroy his Watershed drybag.
Once the bus could go no more, we swapped to a sumo and drove a few hours down some fairly bad forest roads. It amazed me that we could drive hours into the middle of nowhere, feeling so remote and then pass a bustling village. No matter how far you seem to be from civilisation you will pass someone. Even the Kopili and Umtrew, as remote as they seemed you'd always see fisherman. The population density is mad and I don't understand how you can get anywhere on those roads. Especially in monsoon season.
Eventually the sumo could also go no more and we hiked the last section with our boats. This was a long slog in the dark. It had been a very long day, but we finally reached a beach on the edge of the Kynshi. We cooked some food and slept under a tarp as it started to rain (foreshadowing), all the while getting eaten alive by sandflies.
Lower Kynshi
We packed up and were ready to go early the next morning. This is the big one, and I could feel it in the air looking at the dark, clean water. The Kynshi is a big water grade 4+ run, with grade 5 sections throughout. It's bigger and steeper than the Kopili, and far more risky as it's got a remoteness you can sense. It had taken so long to get to the start and we would not see a single person until we reached the take out bridge in three days. Rescue is near impossible within the 100 meter deep gorge and everyone is aware that you must err on the side of caution with everything you choose to do. I gave myself the same pep talk that had been successful for the Kopili and launched in.
The Kynshi is astonishing. The first day we paddled some rapids that really pushed me. Paddling over a horizon line you'd hope it won't be much, but it always was. Big, bouncy, long rapids. Constant firefighting to build speed and push through whatever appeared in your way. Sometimes James would jump out and point at a line with his paddle. Same again, hit the horizon line where he directed and deal with what's beyond. Lines were good and bad, some stylish, some messy. Only thing that was certain is that if you didn't charge down you'd be there a week looking at them. This whole trip had been a new paddling style to me. Too many rapids to perfect them all, just do your best and keep moving.
We reached one horizon line beyond which an eddy was pointed out river right. It was made very clear to us that we had to get in there. It wasn't said, but it seemed like (and was true that) the alternative was probably death. One by one we made our way down the rapid and into that eddy. No issues.
We walked our boats to portage around a stunning 50ft drop: Shillong In A Box (actual name). It had only been done by a handful of people to date, one of which broke a rib and had a horrendous time finishing the river with Aniol Serrasolses' help. It was described as a drop more people would do if it wasn't so remote, but standing at the base I couldn't imagine doing it.
We launched in below. Myself and James right at the base so we could do the small outlet rapid it formed, the others slightly below again. Instantly we saw a horizon line that I could tell was different. I didn't know it, but this was the famous Griff's Gash.
Griff's Gash is the most perfect waterfall there is, like the flow from a tap. The roar is deafening below, but eerily silent on top. It's clear from above that this is a big drop with a powerful amount of water. What's not clear is how retentive the base is, how deep the outlet flow goes and how bad of a time you would have if you swim in there. Mark hopped out on the lip to set up his drone so I took the chance to have a look. It was as simple as it was daunting, straight off the centre with the biggest boof you can. Back in my boat James repeated the line. One by one we went.
As I built speed I could see more and more of the pool below appearing. I was a little late with my final stroke, landing hard and eddying out close to the base. I quickly retreated and couldn't believe the noise. It was tough to climb out in the boily, recirculating water but we all did on river right. Most of us walked up to do it once more. The walk is awful. Carrying, climbing, paddling, repeat and repeat. Eventually we were at the top, wrecked. This time I took it a little slower and made sure I got the boof stroke right. No less intimidating, but way better. I landed fairly flat and shot away from the base.
After some more rapids we camped in a beautiful spot in the gorge. Similar hot rock with natural pools to relax in, then fire and dinner. It was a great evening (except when I sprayed Deet in my eye due to the dark, twice). Looking back up the river it genuinely felt like we were in Jurassic Park.
With jungle cliffs all around, this may be the most remote place I've ever been. There's a hundred times more people have summitted Everest than have navigated these rapids. What solidified the Jurassic Park reference was the roar of the water around us. The birds and jungle sounds were all muffled and it was terrifying. It made me nervous for paddling tomorrow and I had the constant thought that there are monsters out here.
That night we all slept under the stars once again. The day had brought beautiful weather and there was nothing to make us expect any different that night. Fast forward a few hours and it starts raining. I see others get up and look for shelter which there's none of. In tired disbelief I stayed as if it wasn't that bad, but it was. Puddles on my ground mat, pools in my sleeping bag and the saddest look on my face. Thank God for James and his trusty tarp which we were able to huddle under, but everything was soaked. It was a long night and the rain didn't stop.
The next day had tough portages for us all. The normal rapids were huge, so the bigger rapids were inconceivable. Amazing to see, but terrifying. James, Lee and Nick stepped up and ran some big lines, but we all had a long day with many walks. Stu and I did the highest sea launch I've ever done for lack of better options. It winded me and bruised my chest. Everyone got a great laugh and agreed they'd have taken the rapid over that any day. I don't think I'd do it again. It was easily the biggest drop/jump/fall I've ever done.
The rock formations on the river were crazy. Round holes carved out by higher recirculating water, big enough to swim through. Portages required you to paddle through pools formed by these, and you'd see deep into the never ending carved slots.
At one point the river turned into a boulder garden where the smallest were house sized, all tightly squeezed together. Among giants we paddled through narrow gaps, weaving our way as James guided. Cool slot drops, tight technical manoeuvres and all in spaces the boat barely fit. It seemed like a syphon nightmare, but James knew where he was going. Still surrounded by 100m jungle cliffs, we felt like ants in this gorge.
Sometimes the river was wide with several lines, others it narrowed to form monsters like Triple Step. No one ran that this trip, and I struggled to see how anyone could. I know Nick Bennett and Aniol Serrasolses both tried and both swam. No thank you.
One rapid I remember is a long lead in to a river wide hole. Right side is disgusting, far left is better. You enter from the top and constantly push left, through two curlers that try to feed you into the worst of it. I remember thinking it was just a giant version of an identical line on the S-bend of Castleconnell in Limerick. You've to push way more than you think, but doing so it went great. Shortly after we arrived at our campsite.
We got out and started to dry our sleeping gear in the sun. We had a swim in some pools and chilled out, but we agreed to get back on the water and finish it today. James got Banjop to head for the take out early and we continued on.
Soon the monsters were gone and all that remained were fun grade 3/4 rapids and drops. I felt so comfortable now and loved it. The time flew by and we saw the bridge. Just downstream is a guard tower which marks the border. On their original run of this river they tried to continue and got threatened at gun point for illegally entering Bangladesh, so naturally we got out at the bridge.
Coming from such a secluded place it was strange to be back in civilisation. People everywhere and fireworks filling the sky for a festival. We got some snacks while we waited, like the masala flavoured noodles that are everywhere. Same as any instant noodles at home, but you break them up, sprinkle the powder and eat them like crisps. Took a few times over the trip, but this grew on me. A perfect accompaniment to the never ending supply of bounce biscuits.
We were happy to see Banjop and drove back up to the plateau. With the Kynshi done, I was overjoyed and relieved. All stress was lifted and now I could just enjoy the trip.
Nongriat
The living root bridges of Nongriat are one of Meghalaya's most famous tourist attractions (you may have seen them on David Attenborough's Green Planet). Only accessible by descending 3,500 steps into the jungle village. Here locals have coaxed tree roots to grow across rivers over generations. The village is famous for it's double decker root bridge, the only one of its kind.
This place is insane, and the steps are no joke. They take so much longer than you'd expect. The bridges are cool but the town itself is as impressive, knowing everything was carried down those steps!
We continued on up the valley from the bridges and canyoneered our way back to the steps. I had thought the scary times were over, I guess not. We swam, climbed and jumped our way down the boulder filled river. Some of these were uncomfortably high with no option other than jumping, but an incredibly fun day in the sun all the same.
We swam in the final pool for a while, then completely wrecked we headed for the steps. As you can guess, they're harder on the way up. It was getting dark so I ran as much as I could but it took a long time. I passed a lot of elderly people who must have been at it all night. Eventually we were at the top.
The Rest
The final day was spent exploring Shillong. We left the AIO bus on the outskirts of the city and got a public bus in. These are fun because they're 8 seater cars with 15 people in them. Squashed, with no room to breath the driver will still be calling to people, "One more, one more".
Shillong is a busy, modern city with a university. The markets were fun and we went shopping for jazzy shirts. I've never seen a place so dense with people as the ten story shopping mall we went to. Hidden unsuspectingly in a side street, a spiral staircase revealed several corridors per floor, each jam packed with shops that barely fit the owner. It was astonishing, and full of jazzy clothes.
Some of the guys got the famous Indian haircut and shave which includes a head massage to stimulate growth. This is essentially a man slapping your head for ten minutes, but afterwards you do look fresh as a baby. We met Zorba, a local hotel owner and kayaker who helped write the Meghalaya Classics guidebook. We bought the book and he let us know there was a concert in his hotel that night. After some food we got a taxi back out to get ready (seven people in a Nissan Micra) and put on our best clothes.
Banjop somehow sourced us a pickup truck since the taxi had been a squeeze. This was much better, Stu driving us in while we all drank in the back. The concert and clubs were unreal, even if my memory is patchy. The best part is the street food that sets up outside when the clubs close. Barbecues and curries fill the air and everyone chats and eats there for hours. It was an awesome night and we slept full and well after.
The next morning I had to say my goodbyes and take a taxi to the airport. It was an emotional goodbye and hard to believe that it was over. Also hard to believe it had only been two weeks. This trip was incredible and these guys were a massive part of that. We all promised it wouldn't be our last trip and that was it. Back to reality.
Afterthoughts
I struggled to describe this trip at first. It felt like we'd caught lightning in a bottle and it was hands down one of the best experiences of my life. None of it would have been possible without James Smith and I owe him a world of thanks for having me. Same to the guys that made the trip so great and to Nick Bennett for suggesting it.
It's easy to see what the guys love about this place. I found the people to be warm and welcoming and the weather to be mostly the same. When you travel somewhere that's never seen a tourist, you're instantly welcomed. No one tries to scam or overcharge you, and you get a locals experience. Everything here is cheap, and it all feels safe and easy going.
In rural areas the food was usually thali; a platter of curries and dahls with rice. Breakfast, lunch or dinner you can wander into a town, find the woman with some pots and sit down and eat with the locals. I can understand how someone may get fed up with curry for every meal, but not me. I was in my element. I would recommend going veggie as some of the chopping of meat can be a bit rough (axe instead of knife, skull and all). Overall the food was incredible.
The evening restaurant experience is great too; tight classroom style benches packed with people. Always a server with a jar of unidentified red paste (liquid fire) that you signal to get a scrape of on your plate. I constantly called this person over, unable to get enough! What I couldn't mess with were the tiny death chilli's on every table. The tip of one almost ended my life, then you’ll see a local man eating them like Skittles!
The kayaking is world class and takes you to some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Meghalaya is without a doubt going to be one of the most popular paddling destinations soon and I can't wait for more people to see the monsters that live in those valleys. If All India Overland run the trip commercially it is a once in a lifetime experience I'd recommend to anyone capable. It's worth a look at their website, and the guidebook is a great read full of stories whether you go there or not.
Happy adventuring,
Brian
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