A whitewater river is any river where its gradient and/or flow create rapids or whitewater turbulence. This list only focuses on rivers which are suitable for whitewater sports such as canoeing, kayaking, and rafting.

Africa Zambezi, Zambia Nile, Uganda Tana River, Kenya

Asia

Pakistan Sutlej Braldu Swat Kunhar River Indus River

Thailand Wa River is a popular whitewater rafting destination in the Nan Province of Thailand. It has rapids ranging from difficulty levels of 2 through 6. Wang Thong River is a popular whitewater rafting destination in the Phitsanulok Province of Thailand. It has rapids ranging from difficulty levels of 3 through 5.

India In the north, most rivers in India descend from the Himalayas, the highest mountains on Earth: cold glacial waters thunder down the rocks, bringing with them ample whitewater rapids to encounter. The water here is high volume and can be very violent in the early spring. Hence, extreme caution must be taken if one has not mastered paddling skills for rapids above class III. Caution should otherwise be exercised near the Tibetan border as this is area is a place of extreme political dispute, on land and on water. Zanskar, a Grand Canyonesque experience. Class III-IV. Gradings, as on all rivers, subject to change depending on volume of water. Alaknanda Bhagirathi Brahmaputra River- This river begins in Tibet and winds its way towards Arunachal Pradesh, from whence it continues in a very steep gradient. Class V in high volume, but Class VI on some waterfalls that must be portaged. This area is a contested area between India and China and much paperwork is required to ride it. Mandakini Ganges: This river is thousands of miles long. It begins in the Himalayas and empties into the Bay of Bengal, shared with Bangladesh. Sadly, this river, very holy to Hindus, is very sick with pollution in its lower reaches, particularly near cities like Varanasi. This is a big water river that varies through the whole gamut depending on location, class II-V+ rapids. Tons Kali Yamuna Teesta Rangit

South India Towards the south, all rivers originate from the Western Ghats. Most of them can only be paddled in the monsoon season (June–October), while some others can be paddled year-round as they are dependent on dam releases. Only a small percentage of the rivers have recorded descents, and there is a vast potential for first descents.

Rivers in Karnataka Kali River, section near Dandeli. Class III-III+ Cauvery, multiple sections, Bheemeshwari, Dubare, Hogenakkal Class II-II+ Upper Barapole, in Coorg. Class III-IV. Very creekish river. Sitanadi, near Agumbe. Class III Kempuhole, near Sakleshpur. Class II-V. Bhadra, Class II-III Shishila, near Dharmasthala, Class II+

Indonesia Alas River, located in South Aceh, Aceh, Sumatra. Asahan River, located in North Sumatra, Sumatra. Class IV-V. Batang Tarusan River, located in Taratak, West Sumatra, Sumatra. Class II-IV. Manau River, located in Jambi, Sumatra. Manna River, located in Tanjung Sakti, Lahat, South Sumatra, Sumatra. Grade IV. Selabung River, located in Banding Agung, South Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra, Sumatra. Citarik River, located in Mount Halimun National Park, West Java, Java. Serayu River, located in Wonosobo, Dieng Highlands, Central Java, Java. Class II-IV. Ayung River, located in Bali. Nimanga River, located in Timbukar, Minahasa, North Sulawesi, Sulawesi. Sa’dan River, located in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, Sulawesi. Grade III-IV.

Malaysia Padas, located in Sabah, Borneo. Class III-IV (during rainy season - class V). Kiulu, located in Sabah, Borneo. Class I-II (Kampar River @ Itik, located in Gopeng Perak, Malaysia. Class I1-V) (Selangor River, located in Kuala Kubu bahru, Selangor. Class II-V) (Sungkai River, located in Sungkai, perak, Malaysia. Class I-V) (Ulu Slim River, located at Slim Village, Perak, Malaysia. Class I-V) (Bernam River, Located in Tanjung malim, Perak, Malaysia. Class I-III) (Loh River, located in Ulu Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia. Class II-VI) (Singoh River, located in Grik, Perak, Malaysia. class II-VI) (Sedim River, located in Kulim Kedah, Malaysia. Class II-V)

Philippines Cagayan (de Oro) River, located in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Class II-III (upper section - class IV). Whitewater tributaries include: Bubunaoan River, located in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, Philippines. Class II-III Tumalaong River, located in Lingating, Baungon, Bukidnon, Philippines. Class II-III Kalawaig River, located in Talakag, Bukidnon, Philippines. Tagoloan River, located in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Class I-II (upper Tagoloan - Class II-IV) Malitbog River, located in Malitbog, Bukidnon, Philippines. Class II-III (creeking) Agusan River, located in Agusan, Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines. Class II-III (creeking) Jasaan (also known as Cabulig River) River, located in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Class II in lower section, Class II-III in middle section. Cabulaway River, located at Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Class I-III (creeking)

Europe

United Kingdom

Whitewater rivers in the UK are typically low volume and technical. In England and Wales rivers are typically less than 20 m3/s, and some are run with less than 1 m3/s (usually these involve skidding the kayak down steep rockslides and small waterfalls). In Scotland there are also a few bigger volume (up to about 50 m3/s) rivers. Like many places in Europe, England, Scotland and Wales have been subject to centuries of rivers getting dammed, weired, or diverted in ways that suit agriculture or land development and the natural flow has been altered heavily in many regions; there are many orphan dams or sites intended for grist mills that no longer have any function but obstruct the water. Some areas of the island Great Britain occupies has enough gradient to create rapids and waterfalls, but unfortunately ages of damming prevents the full volume of water and snowmelt from reaching the lower reaches: Clywedog Dam holds back approximately 50,0000 megalitres of water alone on the River Severn, and Parliament granted weirs and locks to be placed upon that river multiple times during the 19th century, some of which are still used. Scotland is famous for its rocky north, but many rivers have been dammed in Scotland over the course of the 20th century to create hydroelectric power, with the trend still continuing.

Almost all runs in England and Wales need recent rain to be at a paddleable level, and many can only be run immediately after heavy rain. In Scotland, some bigger rivers can be run for weeks after rain although as with the rest of the country, most need recent wet weather. The paddling season is year-round but the rivers are more often runnable in winter (the wettest months of the year being December and January). Exceptions to this include rivers which have artificially maintained flows from reservoirs like the River Dee. On these rivers, flow may increase in dry weather as more water is released. The Afon Tryweryn is one example in Wales.

Most runs offer only a few kilometres of whitewater; often several rivers can be run on a wet day. Some rivers consist of only a single rapid. Only a few rivers (such as the Findhorn and Spean in the Scottish Highlands) have more than a days' worth of paddling, and most of this tends to be grade III or less.

The River Dart excepted, there is no natural whitewater in the (mainly flat) south and east of England. Here whitewater paddlers often go playboating at man made weirs. Hurley weir on the River Thames west of London is probably the most popular. There are several artificial whitewater courses, where water is pumped or diverted through a concrete channel containing obstacles to create rapids. There is a 28 m3/s artificial whitewater course on the Trent at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham (at the National Watersports Centre), a 5 m3/s course on the Tees in Teesside, and smaller courses on the Nene at Northampton, and at Cardington.

In England Commercial rafting is limited to artificial whitewater courses (where it often provides the majority of the courses' income). Bigger and more reliable rivers can be found in Scotland and Wales, like the River Findhorn, River Orchy, River Spey and River Tay in Scotland, and the Afon Tryweryn and River Dee in Wales.

There are several sites off the west coast of Britain where strong tidal currents channeled between islands create big volume sections of whitewater. These include the Bitches in Pembrokeshire in Wales, and the Falls of Lora on the west coast of Scotland.

Legal access to whitewater is a big issue in England and Wales. The law is currently unclear, resulting in two schools of thought followed. The first, followed by many anglers and the Anglers Association, states that rivers are almost all private and require access agreements to be set up with the riparian owners. This means that the public are only allowed access to a tiny proportion of the available whitewater, and often this is restricted to a few months or even a few days per year. This also limits commercial operations and the activities of clubs. Agreements rarely exist as there is no incentive for the owners of rivers to let anyone else use them. Recently, legal research conducted by Rev Dr Douglas Caffyn, claims to have identified a public right of access on all navigable rivers in England and Wales in Common Law. In law, a public right is a higher right than any private right, and so this outweighs the rights of the riparian owners in a court of law.

In Scotland, like most of the rest of the world, access to whitewater is legal and has never been illegal. It has been enshrined in law in the recent Scottish Land Reform act. The Right to Roam act in England explicitly excluded rivers. The British Canoe Union is running the Rivers Access Campaign to raise awareness and bring about changes in the law to permit public access to all inland rivers in England and Wales.

Alps

Whitewater rivers in the Alps are mainly medium volume glacier-fed rivers with long continuous rapids and few big drops. The season is short (two or three months in early summer when the snow and glaciers are melting) but the whitewater is reliable in this period. Tourists come from around Europe to kayak and raft–the most common centres are Briançon in the French Alps, the area around Landeck in Austria, and Bovec in Slovenia.

Austria Enns River, Schladming, Class 3–4 Inn River Imst Gorge, Haiming, Class 3 Inn River Landeck Gorge, Landeck, Class 4–5 Saalach River, Lofer, Class 3–4 Salzach River, Zell am See, Class 3–4 Sanna River, Landeck, Class 4

France Dranse River, Morzine, Class 3–4 Doron de Bozel River, Bourg St Maurice, Class 4–5 Durance River, Embrun, Class 3 Guisane River, Briancon, Class 3–4 Isere River, Bourg St Maurice, Class 4 Ubaye River, Barcelonnette, Class 4–5

Italy Dora Baltea River, Villeneuve, Class 3–4 Noce River, Dimaro, Class 4–5 Sesia River, Varallo Sesia, Class 2–4

Slovenia Soca River, Bovec, Class 3–4

France (Corsica)

Golo River, Ponte Leccia, Class 3–4

Greece

The best time to go rafting and kayaking in Greece is in Spring when the river flow and weather are ideal.

Arachthos River, Arta, Class 2–4 Kalaritikos River, Arta, Class 4 Mileopotamos River, Grevena, Class 3–4 Venetikos River, Grevena, Class 2–4 Pinios River - Vernezi Route, Larissa, Class 3–4 Aspropotamos River, Trikala, Class 3

Italy (Apennines)

Spring is the best time for rafting and kayaking in Southern Italy as the currents are stronger.

Lao River, Laino Borgo, Class 3–4

Montenegro