Tons River Uttarakhand

Tons River originates at the height of 6,315 metres from the Bandarpunch Mountain in Garwal region of Uttarakhand. It is one of the most perennial rivers emerging from the Himalayas. Surging from that great height, the glacier-fed river’s course ends when it meets the Yamuna River. And the exceptional thing about Tons is that even being a tributary, it contributes more water than Yamuna itself possesses, at the point of meeting. The Tons Valley goes across the Jaunsar Bawar area of Garhwal and touches Himachal Pradesh as it marks the boundary between the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

The mythical origin of the Tons River is related, through a legend, with a small village called Mori. Mori is located on the banks of Tons River in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. People of Mori are followers of Kauravas. It is believed that when Pandavas defeated the Kauravas, the people of the valley cried and cried; Tons River is a creation of their unstoppable tears.

Pabbar River is one of the tributaries of Tons which join it from the west. Asan River is another important tributary, which itself is made from union of two small river systems. The largest tributary of Yamuna, Tons finally merges with Yamuna in Kalsi, near Dehradun.

White Water Rafting is a very popular adventure activity which is undertaken over the fast flowing cold water of Tons. As per Jack Morison, a rafting legend, Tons River is among the top 10 world-class rivers on earth.

It requires some training before one hits the raft, as the flow is very ferocious and most of the rapids rank between grade 3 and 4. The rafting season in Tons is limited to about 10 weeks per year (from May to early July).

Uttarakhand Travel Information at a Glance