Siang (Brahmaputra)
Also known as: Siang, Dihang, Tsangpo, Tuting-Pasighat run
Namcha Barwa headwaters; Ningguing and Marmong rainforest gorges among the most inaccessible in the world; white-sand beach camps; Adi tribal villages
Is there water?
Whether there is a river here on your dates, and what kind of water it is.
Huge snow and rain-fed Himalayan volume (Tsangpo headwaters); still very big post-monsoon, dropping through winter
Roughly Nov-Dec (some pre-monsoon runs); monsoon flows too dangerous
Post-monsoon low water - November to early December (Aquaterra runs Nov 20-Dec 01). Confirm. dates
Cold high-volume Himalayan water (est); no published temperatures
Monsoon flooding and landslides Jun-Sep; upstream releases and cloudbursts; the 2002 flood took out valley bridges
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.
Grade IV-V (Class V Ningguing; Class 4+ Pulsating Palsi; Class VI Tooth Fairy portaged)
Rafting (self-contained expedition); expert kayaking
Not readily splittable - a committing continuous expedition; float sections between big rapids give respite
Experienced to expert rafters only; remote with no road access in the gorges; high commitment; group size approx 8-16
The run
Ningguing (Class V) in the Ningguing gorge; Marmong gorge rapids (Rikor, Zebra Rock); Tooth Fairy Class VI portage at Cherring
Tooth Fairy Class VI portage at Cherring; big holes, boils and wave trains; leech-infested rainforest banks
Tuting to Pasighat (through the Ningguing and Marmong gorges)
Extremely remote and low-traffic; wilderness solitude
Access & shuttle
Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Indian nationals; Protected Area Permit (PAP) for foreigners; arranged via the operator (Confirm. current fees)
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
Fly Dibrugarh, drive across the Brahmaputra to Pasighat then multi-day drive up-valley (Jengging, Purung) to the Tuting put-in; take-out at Pasighat
Long road approach Dibrugarh-Pasighat-Tuting (8-plus hr days on rough roads); return Pasighat-Dibrugarh
Wilderness beach camps - Pango, Cherring, Paradise Beach (rest day), Geku Twins, Rotung; rest houses at Jengging and Pasighat
All gear carried on the rafts; safe drinking water; effectively no mobile connectivity in the gorges; sat-phone with the team (est)
Dibrugarh (airport), Pasighat, Tuting and Jengging staging
Hazards & exits
Class VI Tooth Fairy (portage), big-water swims, slow remote medical evacuation, border-sensitive zone near the China line-of-control
Very limited exits - a few suspension bridges and villages (Nubo, Boling, Ramsing); evacuation slow; self-reliant rescue
Fully guided self-contained expedition with experienced guiding teams and safety kayaks; not for independent parties
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand river run report. Coordinates are approximate.