Expedition: The Kaa-Khem River, Siberia
By Zach Collier, Guide to River Rafting 

Last summer I embarked on an amazing trip in Siberia through the region of Tuva on the Kaa-Khem River. We started with a 6-hour flight from Moscow to the town of Abakan. From there, we drove for 2 solid days in a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach the put-in near the village of Kungurtuk.

The next 9 days were spent rafting through spectacular Class III/IV rapids in the Melzeysky Cascade and Cheeks Canyon. The whitewater was great, but the most interesting parts of the trip for me were the opportunities to engage in a simpler type of life found only in true wilderness. By fishing for our dinner and visiting isolated villages along the way, we got a chance to live like real outdoorsmen. Our group of 14 caught about 20 fish each day that we ate feasted on each night. One of the Russians in our group had a legendary moment as he was reeling in a small fish and a 4-foot Taimen swallowed his catch and his hook leaving him with two on one hook! 

The villages, we visited are home to the Old-Believers; think Amish in America. Their bountiful crops growing in greenhouses and their generosity to complete strangers and foreigners were something that I’ll never forget. Meeting the Old-Believers and seeing their thriving villages in the middle of nowhere reminded me that I was experiencing true wilderness.

Siberia is the kind of place where a good axe is your constant companion. We had two Siberian axes on the trip, which were used to cut firewood, make camp items, and even repair the boat! In one of the rapids in the Melzeysky Cascade, the Russian cataraft (a four-person boat with two pontoons and a wooden frame) hit a big wave, which broke the frame. Anatoly, one of the Russian guides, disappeared into the woods with one of the axes and returned with a piece of wood to make a replacement brace for the frame. After about 30 minutes, the frame was fixed and we were on the river again!

Siberia reminds me of how rafting the American West must have been in the 60s and 70s - most rivers are only run once or twice a year, there are some fun logistical challenges, and many possibilities for first descents. Our trip was an amazing adventure, and I can’t wait to go back. Next summer we’re planning a trip to the Sayanskaya Oka near Lake Baikal! For more information about rafting in Siberia, check out my friend Vlad’s book “Rivers of an Unknown Land”.

Learn more about Zach and his company Northwest River Rafting

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