The upper part is a beautiful unspoiled river with good white water, gorges and a feeling of remoteness. The lower part is a big but relatively easy river, with small gorges, jungle and an abundance of wildlife. A combined upper and lower part of the river is a classic, best of its kind.
The Kali Gandaki rises in Mustang. Here it is a flat and braided river, flowing in an arid open valley. At Kalopani (black water) the river drops off the roof of the world and cuts one of the deepest gorges in the world between Dhaulagiri, height 8,167 m and Annapurna, height 8,091 m.
The Kali Gandaki is named after the goddess Kali and is considered a particularly holy river. It is also a gold bearing river, and we met several small groups who were sluicing and panning the gravel's of the river bed for minuscule amounts of metal.