Know before you go.

Cold. This is snowmelt-fed mountain water in a canyon that gets very little direct sun, and it stays cold all season. The measured temperature runs 5–12 °C.

You are given a wetsuit, and it works: the first pool is a shock for a few seconds and then you are fine as long as you keep moving. People who get genuinely cold are usually the ones who stopped for a long time, or who are very lean and did not say so in advance.

Yes. There are pools you cannot touch the bottom of and you have to be able to cross them without help. You do not need to be a strong or stylish swimmer, and the wetsuit floats you.

The exact requirement — what distance, and whether it is assessed in kit — is not fixed, but there are pools you cannot stand up in and you have to cross them unaided. If you are a nervous or weak swimmer, tell us on the booking form before you book, not on the morning.

Fit enough to keep moving for a full day over wet, uneven rock, carrying nothing but yourself. It is not a race and there is no running, but there is a lot of scrambling, and the walk in and out is on rough ground.

Moderate fitness is enough. As a practical test: if a long day's hill walking is comfortable for you, this is within reach.

A swimming costume, or sports underwear that you do not mind getting soaked. Nothing cotton. No zips or buckles that will press into you under a harness for hours.

• Footwear that laces on tightly and can be destroyed. Trainers or approach shoes with a real sole. Not sandals, not flip-flops, not Crocs, not wellingtons.
• Swimwear to go under the wetsuit.
• A full change of dry clothes, including socks, left in the car.
• A towel.
• Water and something to eat. No food or drink is provided.
• Any personal medication — tell the guide about it in the morning.

Glasses: bring a retaining strap, or contact lenses. Loose glasses do not survive a canyon.

Assume that anything you carry will be underwater, repeatedly, and may be dropped from a height onto rock. A phone in a soft pouch is not safe. If it matters to you, leave it in the car.

The guides photograph and film the descent, and you get the photos and videos afterwards — they are included in the price. The photographs on this site were taken by the Deep Waters team on trips.

We meet at Eco Village Jatak, so you are at a village rather than a layby. Ask us on WhatsApp if you need to know exactly what is there on the day.

Inside the canyon there is nothing. Plan accordingly before you put the wetsuit on.

Ten. Anyone under 18 needs an adult with parental responsibility present to sign for them.

Often yes, but we need to know first. Tell us about: back, knee, shoulder or hip problems; heart conditions; epilepsy; asthma; recent surgery; pregnancy; anything that affects your balance or your ability to hold on.

Declaring something does not usually stop you coming. Hiding it puts you and the rest of the group at risk, and it invalidates the waiver you sign in the morning.

Rain itself is not the problem — you are already wet. Water level is the problem. After heavy rain the Komarnica rises quickly and the descent does not run.

The guide makes that call on the day and it is final. Where we can, we move you to another date in the season.

Insurance is included in the price you pay, along with the tourist tax.

That is not the same as personal accident or travel insurance. Check your own policy before you travel — canyoning is excluded from a lot of standard travel cover, and it is much easier to find that out at home.

It means that once the descent starts, the group goes down the river. There is no side path, no shortcut out, and no vehicle access. If someone cannot continue, the whole group is affected and in a serious case that means a mountain rescue callout.

So: if you cannot swim, if you are frightened of cold water, if you are injured, or if you are hoping this is a gentle walk with a view — this is the wrong trip, and saying so now costs you nothing.