Kushalnagar: It’s raining heavily in Kodagu and adventure enthusiasts eager for an adrenaline rush are heading to Dubare and Barapole for whitewater rafting and rappelling in the rapids. The activity season for 2025 has resumed with the onset of the monsoon and is drawing a good response.

Rafting on the Cauvery and Barapole rivers is an exhilarating experience. It begins once the river inflow increases and water levels rise. The rafts used are rubberised, inflatable boats rowed manually — motorised rafts are prohibited.

Hitting the rapids — sections where water rushes swiftly over or around rocks — sends a surge of adrenaline as the raft rocks under the sheer force of the current.

The thrill does come with an element of risk, but rafters are equipped with safety gear, including life jackets. This year, 75 rafts are operating in Dubare and 24 in Barapole. Each raft carries up to six people and must have a certified guide onboard.

River rafting operators must obtain fitness certification for their rafts from the General Thimayya National Academy of Adventure (GETHNAA) and Police verification is mandatory.

Skill training for guides

No rafting operations are permitted without valid certificates and life jackets are compulsory for all participants. Guides are required to undergo skill assessments and must wear uniforms while on duty, officials said.

A 7-kilometre rafting trip at Dubare takes about an hour and a half, while Barapole offers a shorter yet more adventurous 4.5-kilometre stretch. At Dubare, rafters experience two rapids and can swim at designated spots.

Barapole boasts more than nine rapids, ranging from Class 2 (moderate, with clear channels and manageable whitewater) to Class 4 (intense, powerful rapids requiring precise manoeuvring). It is set along the Kithu Kakathu River (KKR), a turbulent stream that winds through the Brahmagiri Hills before joining the Arabian Sea via Kerala.

While whitewater rafting at Dubare will cost Rs. 800 per person, the same activity at Barapole will cost Rs. 1,200. Still water rafting at Dubare will cost Rs. 200 per person. The whitewater season runs from June to late September, followed by the stillwater season from October to December or January, after which water levels drop.

Whitewater occurs where a river’s gradient creates turbulence, trapping air and forming frothy, opaque water. In contrast, stillwater refers to parts of a stream where no visible current flows.

Stringent rules

In a move to strengthen safety regulations in adventure tourism, river rafting operators have been directed to renew their licences and obtain Fitness Certificates. The decision was taken at a meeting of the River Rafting Management and Monitoring Committee held at the Harangi Reservoir near Kushalnagar on Friday.

Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda stressed the need for strict safety measures, especially during the monsoon season when tourist numbers increase.

Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja said, all operators must undergo training and secure certification through GETHNAA to ensure quality and safety in water-based activities.

The Committee also approved key infrastructure upgrades, including shelters at ticket counters, stair railings for river access, changing rooms, restrooms, benches, drinking water facilities, informative signboards and CCTV surveillance.

Tourism Department Deputy Director Anita Bhaskar was present at the meeting.