Nu River (Salween)
Also known as: Nujiang, Salween, Thanlwin
Nujiang Grand Canyon between the Gaoligong and Biluo ranges; Nu First Bend; terraced villages; UNESCO Three Parallel Rivers (heights only)
Is there water?
Whether there is a river here on your dates, and what kind of water it is.
Snowmelt plus monsoon; gauge figures at Liuku -. Confirm.
Nov-Apr low and clear; summer monsoon high and turbid. Confirm.
Dry-season shoulders (spring/autumn)
Cold snowmelt upper canyon, warmer semi-tropical lower; exact temp -
Monsoon flooding sharply raises flows and hazard
Grade & who can come
A river changes grade with its level. These grades describe a normal flow - in flood the same run is harder, and often a different run entirely. Check the gauge before you commit.
Class III-IV big-water (roadside); Class IV-V (upper canyon)
Expedition kayak / raft - advisory
Roadside reach allows short laps and bus shuttles; expedition canyon committing
Roadside III-IV suits strong intermediate/advanced kayakers; upper canyon expert-only. Confirm.
The run
Big-water holes; harder upper-canyon rapids run only once; some drops unrun. Confirm.
Few portages on canyon runs; big hydraulics; long walk-outs
Nujiang Grand Canyon roadside big-water near Liuku (Lushui)
Remote but roadside; occasional kayak clubs and events; generally solitary
Access & shuttle
Advisory/access-restricted - Yunnan/Nujiang reaches open and commercially rafted (mostly Chinese clients); Myanmar border zone and Tibet-side upper Salween restricted/closed since 2008. Confirm.
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
Numerous roadside access points along the valley road from Liuku upstream (Fugong, Gongshan)
Public bus runs the valley - paddlers shuttle by bus; road from Baoshan (~2-3 hr)
Riverside guesthouses in valley towns; some river camps
Whitewater kit; drysuit upper canyon; limited signal in deep canyon
Liuku (Lushui) hub; Baoshan airport; Last Descents; World Class Kayak Academy; Red Bull China event
Hazards & exits
Border-zone remoteness; monsoon floods; Nu dam cascade (13 then 5 dams) shelved ~2016 but explicitly revivable - do not call permanently protected. Confirm.
Roadside reach has vehicle access and exits; deep canyon reaches remote, difficult evac
Guided or experienced team; Last Descents runs overnight rafting here
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand river run report. Coordinates are approximate.