Dak Di River- Lower / "Banana Gorge"
Section Length: 4 km
Put In: road below footbridge Take Out: below bridge in Tra Mai town |
Difficulty: III+/IV-
Est. Flow: too low < 400 < 5000? < too high Paddlers: Cuong Tran, Timothy Bouch, Kit Davidson |
Upstream from Tra Mai town, and directly above the Upper Song Tranh section of river, is this nice last section of lower Song Dak Di. Although short, this stretch has a surprising number of rapids on it, and it is impressive how much fun can be had in just an hour bombing down it. With only one rapid that requires special attention, the rest of the run can be boat scouted and blindly run, and is a great section of low stress, awesome, technical water. This section should not be missed if in the area with boats, and is of a very high quality.
This run is also awesome because it has super easy logistics. There are not only one, but TWO roads that parallel this stretch, and the accesses at the top and bottom and very easy to find and use (if with a few minutes of easy walking). The shuttle drive one way is about 5 minutes, and with the right shuttle set up, this could be run multiple times in a day. This river can also be run at many different flows, from low to high, and while the difficulty will increase as the flows do, this stretch will remain runnable for quite a ways up.
The put-in is ridiculously photogenic, at a small gravel bar rapid underneath a government suspension footbridge. The river here is flat and calm, with a junky artificial rapid formed to enable large trucks to cross the river here during low months. The rapids start pretty quick below this, with a handful of small, fun drops spaced along a straightaway corridor of river. These are generically called the "Warm Up Rapids" and are very simple regardless of water levels.
When the river makes a pronounced turn to the left, either get out to scout, or make sure you are paying attention, as the river drops into the "3 Sisters" mini gorge, which is a series of 3 bedrock rapids, the Three Sisters themselves. These are a stage harder than the Warm Up Rapids, so it's important to be paying attention as you reach these drops. The first two Sisters come stacked together; the first is a boulder garden with some holes and chutes, and this feeds quickly into the second drop, which is a drop that pinches down on the left and offers a sporty line between the rocks on the right. This drop is pretty fun and straightforward at lower levels, but ramps up in size and power as the flows rise. At higher flows this hole can be become surprisingly munchy.
A short ways below this is the third Sister. This drop is pretty easy, with a clean line down the left at most flows, and a secondary right line that is manky at lower flows but cleans up as the water comes up. After this is a long flat section called "Lago Tres Hermanas" [3 Sisters Lake], and it can be a bit of a chore to paddle through. At the end of it, where a decent size tributary joins on the left, is a nice chute that is the definition of "good clean fun".
The river makes a big bend back to the right here, and falls through what is arguably the biggest single rapid of the run, "Goin Bananas".
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This rapid has two parts: a pair of "doors", or drops, between a line of boulders spaced across the river. At middle to high flows, there are as many as four possible choices, from far left to far right, but as the flows go down it the options narrow down to 2: center and left. Unfortunately the left line isn't so great, with quite a bit of the flow going under the boulders on either side, and sizable undercuts below. The center line is the best, although it is kind of complex, requiring a strong brace to "fall" down the awkwardly shaped drop, while the second half of this drop is a fun boulder garden with three distinct moves. Even at lower levels, when lots of rocks are exposed, this drop still goes pretty well.
Not far downstream lies the next rapid, "Bedrock Dance", which at almost all levels is fun and painless. Enjoy the fun slalom through the rocks. About the same distance then comes downstream in the form of a pair of rapids at either end of a bend of the river. These two drops, "Upper and Lower Banana Smoothie", are straightforward drops, with a couple of moves each that are not difficult. The holes at the bottom of each are splashy but shouldn't be overly sticky at almost all flows.
After a brief calm and another corner, the next good rapid of the run, "Terraces Rapid", comes up. Named for the beautiful rice terraces on river left above the river, this drop is deceptively fun. It looks shallow and doesn't have that "marquee" look to it, but it boats very well, is very clean, and is a lot of fun. There are two parts, with the upper half being more action. I challenge you to run this rapid and not have a big smile on your face at the bottom.
At the end of the straightaway that Terraces fills is one more good rapid called "Bottom Banana". This drop is simple, with a blast through a series of holes into a bigger hole at the bottom. It loses a surprising amount of vertical over it's course, but is short and doesn't turn. There are two more rapids on the run, one at the confluence with the Nuoc Lah, which is a short series of easy holes to punch through, and a tiny bedrock rapid just around the corner from that, which is very easy. The takeout is down on the left just after a bridge.
The Video
The Map
All photos copyright Kit Davidson
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