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River Guides of Panbang- A Community Initiative

Logo of RGP
Where is Panbang? the very first question I am likely to get if i mention River Guides of Panbang (RGP). My answer would be; A lovely village located in the sub-tropial belt of Bhutan nestled between Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan and Manas Tiger Reserve in India. The place is blessed with two mighty rivers of Bhutan, Mangde Chu and Drangme Chu. During the earlier phase of settlement, in the absence of permanent bridge, people traveling from Panbang where crossing Drangme Chu river on a boat like structure made by bamboo- locally known as Pan. People believe that the name of Panbang was thus coined. Elderly people from the locality has many stories to tell on how thick the bamboo forests in that area used to be densely inhabited by wild Elephants and other animals. However, with the coming of visionary well wisher from Japan, Late Dasho Nishokha in 1970s- started to transform the area for good. He was the one who divided the land equally within the local communities and started to pursue what we all refer to as modern developments. Late Dasho Nishokha brought Panbang to its present GLORY.
Note the Rope and Bamboo Boat - PAN (Photo from Leki Dakpa's Facebook 
 With the advent of many developmental activities in the area and many youths remaining jobless, a group of young enthusiast came up with an idea to develop rafting activities in the region. The noble initiative of the group was and is supported by the Bhutan Foundation and the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment. However, the support rendered is far behind what is actually required to get things going for the group. RGP is leaving no stones un-turned to get rafting going in the community to help themselves and the community at large.

First meet with the group at Bumthang-Bhutan
The group members happened to visit Bumthang in August 2012 as part of training on vegetable production organized by Rural Development Training Center (RDTC), Zhemgang. During their visit in Bumthang we took an opportunity to ask the group if there would be anyone interested to pursue rafting in the community and the same group echoed simultaneous "YES". Thus, RGP was BORN. In November of the same year Executive Director of Bhutan Foundation and I visited Panbang to meet the group and to further discuss the process. RGP started to CRAWL. Finally, in mid 2013 one Lodestar raft and some safety equipment and paddles were provided by the Bhutan Foundation to the group and some members of the group underwent serious white water rafting training in Punakha, provided by XPlore Bhutan. Few months after the training an NRS E-161 which Bhutan Foundation bought for RGP arrived all the way from the US. RGP started to STAND UP.

In May 2014 five members of RGP went to Nepal to undergo serious Rescue 3 training thereby completing the professionalism in white water rafting activities. The training was funded by the Bhutan Foundation and WWF-Bhutan.  I had an opportunity to raft with the group for quite a good number of times, before they pursued serious white water rafting training and after their training. It gives me an immense pleasure to see the group growing and moving towards fulfilling desired dreams of the group, though at SNAIL"s PACE.

There are two stretches of White Water Rafting RGP follows. If you are an adventure rafter, Mangde stretch is what you should prefer and Dangme stretch if you are rafting with your family. Mangde stretch is where you will be shown the talents of the Guides and Leaders when they easily conquer class 4 rapids with ease. You will raft through COFFEE POT (A narrow stretch from where raft will be guided and drop by about a meter), KARIBONE Rapid (first rapid you will conquer after the Laylang water fall-twin water fall). To make my long story short, the stretch has a blend of rapids till class 4 and would take you about 3 hours till the confluence, add another hour and half till Royal Manas National Park.
Eco-guide Training

First Step in Rafting: Safety Talk by Guide
All the group members has undergone serious white water rafting and rescue 3 training in Bhutan as well as in Nepal and also under-went eco-guide training which UWICE provided with funding support from the Bhutan Foundation. They are a conservationist group as they clean river banks as well as clean rivers from fish nets and hooks if they find any. RGP is a huge boon for the environmentalist, conservationist and also community.

Please support the group and LIKE their page in FACEBOOK.


Conquering the Rapid
Thats what I call community involved in conservation- Removing Fishnet encountered during rafting
Another Rapid
Notice the Drop!
Coffee Pot


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