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.