Tented Beach Camp

The Tons river flows through Garhwal, the western part of the Himalayan state of Uttaranchal, bordering Himachal Pradesh. With its source in the 20,720 ft high Bandarpunchh mountain, it is the biggest tributary of the Yamuna, and, in fact, carries more water than the Yamuna itself.

The Tons valley lies in the Jaunsar Bawar region of Garhwal, a little known area, unique in culture and history. Another name for Uttarakhand was Panchaldesh, referring to the five Pandava brothers from the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. The Pandavas, and their rivals, the Kauravas, figure especially in the anthropology of the Tons valley, where the villagers actually claim to have descended from the two clans. Their social customs are very unlike the rest of conservative Garhwal. Polyandry, and to some extent, polygamy, are the normal practice. Economically, these customs probably owe their origin to a necessity to keep population down and prevent division of property. A system of bride price, where the worth of a to-be-bride increases with the number of past husbands she has had, is still prevalent.

the Trip

A low to medium volume, Class IV river, the Tons was first run in 1980 by Jack Morrison, followed by a commercial exploratory trip in 1986. Since then, apart from a 15 km commercial section, the river has hardly ever been challenged. The main raft section is around Camp Little Jaguar, Himalayan Outdoors summer camp, near Mori village.

The adventure kicks off from our base camp on the Tons river, with familiarity gained on the 15-km-long commercial section of the upper Tons near Mori. A short overnight hike into the hills adjoining whets the appetite before we begin the 75 km journey, from the small town of Tiuni, down to Icchari, where the river is dammed.

Below Tiuni, we encounter Foreplay, Premature Ejaculation, a series of Class III+ rapids, followed by Channel Rapid, Pillow talk, Thrice Bitten, Deadly Dedsu before we reach the bridge at Atal, the village below which we camp on Day 01. Day 02 begins with several Class 3 rapids after which we flow into a gorge where we tackle the Lone Ranger, Three Musketeers, and the Roaring Bagni.

We paddle through a long gorge where we hear ample chatter of monkeys and the call of cuckoos. The land takes a more gentle and tropical rhythm from the upper, more alpine, valley near the base camp. Palm trees grow at the edge of cliffs and their roots drop 80 ft into the nourishing water of the Tons.

The gorge opens out at the bridge near Minus and the river flows gently for the next 10 kms till we reach Major Surprise, the biggest rapid on the trip. Major Surprise is followed by a series of big rapids before the river flattens out again near the dam at Icchari.

Activities at Camp Gold

• River Rafting
• Rock Climbing
• Bridge Slithering
• Kayaking
• Swimming
• Waterfall Trekking
• Bon Fire
• Cliff Jumping

SEASON
May-June
Oct-Nov

TEMPERATURE
May-June, Oct-Nov: 20-30 centigrade

ACCOMMODATION AND STAFF:

The camp on the Tons has tented accommodation. Each tent has 2 camp cots, a small table & 2 chairs. The toilets have a dry pit arrangement with wooden western style commodes, very clean, very eco - friendly and no squatting is required.The food is simple and wholesome with one Indian and one Western meal a day with a sumptous breakfast.

Using this camp as a base, it is possible to do 02 - 03 hrs long rafting trips on the Tons River; day-long hikes, carrying packed picnic lunches and returning every night to the base camp, lots of bird watching and some fishing as well.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:
There are overnight treks, where you would spend one or possibly two nights out and return to base perhaps by the third day. An overnight trek from the base takes one up to good vantage points for snow capped Himalayan views of the Gharwal.

NOTES:

1. Minimum age 12 years for rafting. Children below this age may raft, but would only be taken at the discretion of their river guide on the calm, quieter stretches accompanied by parent / guardians.
2. The above itinerary may vary slightly, depending on the existing water levels and your guide's discretion
3. Children under 12 years who wish to do the adult raft trip, would need to get an OK from the HO personnel, who take the decision based on the height & weight ratio for safety. Younger children can do a calmer trip down river, as well as kayaking, volleyball, Frisbee, Rappelling, swimming Burma Bridge, and even hikes into the surrounding forest can be arranged with prior notice. A day in amp is rounded off with a campfire and a leisurely evening with your fellow rafters.

How to reach Camp Little Jaguar

1. Delhi to Mussoourie is approx. 300 km / Mussoourie to Tons is approx.140 km.
2. Mussoourie to Taluka (for HKD trek) is approx.170 km.Driving route: Delhi- Dehradun: 6 hours (overnight)
3. Dehradun- Mussoorie-Kempty Falls-Nainbagh-Damta-Naugaon-Purola-Jarmola-Mori
4. Dehradun-Vikas Nagar-Yamuna Bridge-Nainbagh-Damta-Naugaon-Purola-Jarmola-Mori (5 - 6 hour drive to Tons)
5. Haridwar-Narendranagar-Chamba-Tehri-Barkot-Purola-Jarmola-Mori

Your own car - With an overnight halt in Mussoourie or Dehradun. A drive from Delhi to the Tons or Taluka is too long and tiring to manage in a day. Overnight train - Mussoourie Express. Departs Old Delhi 22:30 hrs. and arrives at Dehradun at 07:00 hrs, the next morning. This way you have saved a whole day of travel and don't need to stop over in Mussoourie or Dehradun. Day Train - Delhi / Dehradun Shatabadi Express, departs New Delhi at 0700 hrs. and reaches Saharanpur at 930 hrs. On arrival in Saharanpur you would be transferred to the HRR camp on the Tons (06 hrs. 30 min. drive).

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Test the time and blast off... Rock the raft and glide with pride. Warm culture & hot Paddling