A few weeks ago I got a phone call from some old friends, brothers Joe and Dan Rea Dickins; who between them have spent the last few years exploring new rivers in all corners of the world. After some pleasantries we came to the matter at hand; Meghalaya , a state in north east India with untold boating potential. Recognized officially as the wettest place on earth with a native meaning of "the abode of clouds" , it did not take long for me to get on board. The guys first came upon Meghalaya after a recommendation from a friend as they were approaching the back end of their trip in Asia last year. A two month trip that barely scratched the surface followed, bearing more then enough classic descents to ensure they were coming back this year.
So the plan, get to Meghalaya for as long as I can whilst juggling lectures and exams on the horizon....... With a three week window that was reduced to almost two due to visa trouble, I headed east shortly after the guys had left.
Once I arrived at our base in Shillong the plan for our first trip began to take shape. A two day decent of the Upper Khri. The terrain looked steep but manageable with some drops of questionable size thrown in. A two day trip turned into three with another night spent on the walk out.
After being unable to find our ideal get on we made use of an upper tributary adding an extra five kilometers to the decent. After a day spent covering as much ground as we could on what proved to be a little low on water ;day two began to produce. Drops, gorges, and boulder gardens, sometimes all at once turned our attitudes to the river as we started to cover good ground. The level was a bit less then ideal with the larger drops needing a bit more water to clean them up but everything else was flowing at healthy levels. After a portage around a seventy odd foot drop the river gained some volume and we were treated to some nice read and run class four for the last few k.
After a short stay in Shillong to refuel and restock we hit the road again for what we hoped would be a week full of boating. Bound for the Ri Lang, Ri Wang and the Upper Kynshi we made the days travel west. When we arrived at the Ri Lang at what we have hoped to be a park and huck section we were met with a river still near flood, crashing through a gorge with no sign of the gradient slowing down. After some optimistic scouting for another day we decided to just head to the upper Kynshi, a forty k section that should have a more manageable drainage.......
Arriving at the put in late at night we set up the traps and hammocks just as the rain began to fall. The last of the monsoon had not left just yet and we had a night of torrential rain. Come morning the river had rose considerable and lost its dark blue colour for a more familiar Irish brown. We set off with the rain still falling with some uncertainty at what might lie ahead. After a few read and run rapids that pushed our loaded boats around like foam boaters we got to our first portage. With rain still pouring down , now accompanied by thunder and lightening we started hacking our way through the thick jungle until we found a put on half way down the rapid. With the thought in our minds that we had passed the steep section we had marked out on google earth we paddled on thinking it was going to be less walking and more paddling from now on.....
It didn't take long until we really did find the steep section and with the extra water the night's rain had provided it seemed like the perfect spot to stop for lunch. The gps showed roughly a straight kilometer to where we could get on and start covering as much ground as we could before setting up camp for the night. The resulting walk was an eventful one with leaches, cows goats and the small population of a rural Indian village following us on our roundabout trip back to the river.
Back on the river our fortunes started to turn with the sky clearing and the rapids becoming more manageable. As we came to what would be our last rapid of the day we were met with our first big continuous clean run. Blasting down we left with high spirits and soon found an ideal camp atop a hill over looking the next rapid. A dry night followed allowing the river to drop back to what would be a perfect level.
Day two started with what we had marked the second steep section. With much reduced levels it proved a great start to the day. A few kilometers of moving flat followed to what led to the best section of the trip. Ten kilometers of pool drop class four/five. Rapid after rapid kept coming being made all the sweeter by the blazing sun. With only one portage the kilometers flew by culminating in a massive wave train that left us with an essence of Sliverback about it.
Setting up camp between the walls of a gorge with a clear sky overhead we treated ourselves to a fest of taboodles. With only a few kilometers to go to the following day we could afford a lie in and a relaxing night.
With nothing more expected of the Kynshi we paddled on in the morning only for the gradient to keep dropping with a great finish along side Nongkhnum Island, India's second largest river island. Zorba our trip coordinator found us just as we came upon our last rapid taking away any ensuing bushwhack to find the jeep.
With only a few days left till I had to make the trek home and the uncertainty of the length of trip for each river we put on we took some down time to enjoy the place we were in and the amazing culture and sights it had to offer.
Meghalaya has the potential to become an amazing destination for whitewater kayaking into the future. With countless more runs marked on maps yet to be explored , it looks like at least another ten years or more to truly get a grips on all that Meghalaya has to offer. I am already looking forward to the next opportunity to get back to this amazing part of the world.
