PREVIn 2002, a team of world-class kayakers sponsored by Outside became the first to descend Tibet's Tsangpo, the Everest of rivers. Last year, whitewater experts Global Descents made a 110-mile section of the river in India—where it's called the Siang—available to mortals. The ten-day expedition starts with a helicopter flight from Dibrugarh, Assam, to the put-in near Tuting, a village at the Chinese border. From there, 12 rafters and four guides spend six-hour days paddling big-water Class V rapids through rugged, 1,800-foot-deep canyons. Nights are spent camping on sandy beaches and feasting on fish curry. Five departures between November and January; $4,500; globaldescents.com
Scouting the Siang
Photo: Photograph by Charlie Munsey
