O.A.R.S. Announces New Expeditions to Bhutan

O.A.R.S. the worldwide leader in whitewater rafting and culture-based adventure travel, has announces new scheduled expeditions in the Kingdom of Bhutan starting Nov. 6-18, 2014, and Feb. 12-24, 2015.

Flowing out of the Himalaya into Bhutan are some of the world's least explored rivers and best kept secrets. In fact, up until 2006 when the first descent of Mangde Chhu was completed, and later in 2009 with the first descent of the Drangme Chhu, Bhutan's rivers were essentially unknown to the rest of the world.

O.A.R.S.' adventure will explore two remote waterways in this 'Land of the Thunder Dragon': the Lower Drangme Chhu in eastern Bhutan on the southern slope of the Himalayas bordering India and the Pho Chhu ("Male River"). These are two exceptional Class III rivers far off the beaten path.

This new 13-day program marries the excitement of whitewater with the currents of the culture of this little-known country. The rate of $6,165 per person based on double occupancy (single supplement $540) for ages 16 and up includes accommodations (camping and hotels), all meals, airport transfers, equipment, guides, park fees and more. See: http://www.oars.com/bhutan/bhutan-rafting

The adventure spans Bhutan from Paro (the arrival and departure airport) in the west, crosses several high passes and culminates in a put-in on the Lower Drangme Chhu in the east. Enroute, in addition to the on-river thrills, guests hike 3,000 feet above Paro to Tiger's Nest Monastery, visit Trongsa Dzong, the National Museum and weaving centers of Chumey Valley before arriving in Bumthang that is the spiritual center of Bhutan. Tropical forests, villages, a foray into India to Manas National Park Lodge and an elephant safari in the Mana Wildlife Park are a few of the highlights.

O.A.R.S. (http://www.oars.com/) is also launching a new World Rivers series in 2014 with the goal of combining sightseeing in exotic travel destinations with the opportunity to run some of the most remote and scenic rivers on Earth. The series is the result of a partnership with renowned international river guide John Yost, co-founder of Sobek Expeditions and a longtime partner of the O.A.R.S. family. Yost has used his vast knowledge of international travel destinations to create four diverse itineraries in Peru, Southeast Asia, South Africa and Guatemala. The under-14-day trips, offered throughout the year, accommodate guests in small inns and family-owned lodges. The adventures include, among others, the culture of cities visited, historic sites and monuments and, of course, pristine wilderness and whitewater.

For more information, availability, reservations and a copy of the 2014 O.A.R.S. Adventures catalog call 209-736-4677 or 800-346-6277, email info@oars.com, or visit: http://www.oars.com/. The 2013 O.A.R.S. catalog recently received the Gold Medal in the 9th Annual Davey Awards for overall design presented by The International Academy of Visual Arts.

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Bhutan hoping for happiness with hydropower

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By the middle of 2014, the stately yellow, black and white Great Hornbills that live in the forest along the Dagachhu – a river in Bhutan’s Himalayan foothills – should get some peace after four years of drilling, blasting and construction around their rural haunts.

Some countries have oil and gas. Others have fertile plains on which to grow wheat or rice. Bhutan has mountains and rivers – lots of them – and has staked its future on hydroelectricity.

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Dagachhu, a 126MW plant partly financed by the Asian Development Bank, is only the latest of a series of projects that are turning this previously isolated Buddhist kingdom into a modern hydropower nation.
Bhutan is famous for its philosophy of emphasising “gross national happiness” (GNH) over gross domestic product (GDP). The $240m project has some peculiar features suited to the country’s attempts to open its economy while seeking to preserve a largely pristine mountain environment.

It is the first Bhutanese hydro project in which the private sector – in this case India’s Tata Power, with 26 per cent of the equity – has a direct stake.

And it is the world’s first example of cross-border use of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism: although the power plant is in clean and green Bhutan, it is permitted to earn carbon credits because the electricity is exported to India and will reduce emissions there by some 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Dagachhu, however, is part of a much broader drive by the Bhutanese royal family and the two governments elected since the introduction of full democracy in 2008 to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty.
Bhutanese ministers admit the target will slip, but the country’s declared aim is to increase hydropower capacity to 10,000MW by 2020, most of it for export to its electricity-hungry neighbour India.

So far only 1,500MW, about 6 per cent of the country’s total potential, has been completed, and in winter when rivers are low Bhutan is still an electricity importer. Even at this low level, hydropower is Bhutan’s biggest export and accounts for one-fifth of GDP.

“Hydropower is the backbone of Bhutan,” says Tinley Dorji, Dagachhu chief executive. Asked about GNH and GDP, he said: “As far as our policy is concerned, people should be happy. In the process, yes, we will get more money also.”

Tshering Tobgay, the prime minister, is determined to make the most of Bhutan’s growing output of clean electricity. In the capital Thimphu, for example, he wants to use cheap hydropower to create an electric vehicle “hotspot” that would be an example to the rest of the world and attract investments in green vehicle technologies.

Yet relying on hydropower is not without risks, including environmental ones. Lam Dorji, finance secretary, says that climate change and reduced winter snowfall is already affecting the flow of Bhutan’s glacier-fed rivers (rain-fed Dagachhu is not one of them). “These are really hard facts that we are beginning to realise – that there’s a possibility that some day in the future it [the water flow] would be reduced to an extent that we may not be able to make use of it.”