Dudh Kosi River

The Dudh Kosi River is the Nepalese section of the Kosi River system, which has it's origins on the southern slopes of the mighty Mount Everest. Eventually, the Dudh Kosi River drains into the major Kosi River, one of the most powerful waterways in the area. The Kosi River, as a system, flows some 720 kilometers and carries an average of around 2100 cubic meters of water per second. Of course, the flow of the river isn't consistent and during the spring melt of the Everest glacial mass, the river is prone to devastating floods on the rural floodplains of Nepal. As such, many local people refer to the Kosi as the “river of sorrows."
The Dudh Kosi River, specifically, makes its headwaters just east of Goyko Lakes and then eventually flows into the Sun Kosi near the town of Harkapur, before continuing on to meet the rest of the Kosi River System downstream. From a tourism standpoint, the Dudh Kosi River is extremely significant as most of the trekkers to Everest Base Camp will follow along the river system on their way into Sagarmatha National Park. Watersports on the river are however extremely limited due to the dangers the river poses. That said, each year a few brave souls take to the river for extreme rafting and kayaking, although there is no commercial activity there at the moment.

Practical Info

The headwaters of the river can be found east of Gokyo Lakes and the end near Harkapur. If you're trekking to Everest Base Camp, you'll follow the Dudh Kosi River for long stretches and cross over the water several times on rope bridges.