Multi-day paddling. The Nam Wa.

-Packing up the boats at the put-in-

Looking to add a bit of variety to our trip and to make the most of the Nan region on the 8th October we put in for a multi-day on the Nam Wa river. The Nam Wa runs south from the Laos border and is usually paddled in 3 days. We spiced things up a bit by paddling it in 2 days and adding an extra 40km or so to the trip by carrying on past the take-out to the National Park HQ.

-Josh in the midst of one of the many gorges-

With a total of over 120km to paddle in two days it was going to be a bit of a mission. But not an impossible one and there was heaps to see on the way down, and literally hundreds of rapids, some of which wouldn't look out of place on the White Nile!!

We didn't put in until 1pm on day one, so after 3 hours of paddling we pulled into one of 6 riverside camps and set up for the night.

-Our riverside bamboo camp-

After a questionable nights sleep we woke early to strike camp and get back out on the water. Day 2 saw us with around 100km to paddle and we were on the water by 6.30am. By 9am we were at the take-out for the 3day section.

-Sam in amongst it-

After the normal take-out the river flattened out a lot, and certainly on the last stretch there were less rapids and more flat water, with a slower pace to keep us moving through. But still there was plenty to keep us happy, villagers on their bamboo rafts, fishermen and kids playing in the river.

The Nam Wa was a sweet river with heaps of character, some big volume rapids and plenty of options for paddling trips.

-A local child shows us respect with a traditional greeting-