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The British Universities Kayaking Expeditions (BUKE) are a biennial event in which a team of experienced student kayakers from across the UK are selected, with the goal of researching, planning and undertaking a successful whitewater kayaking expedition to a destination that remains largely unexplored by kayakers. An expedition has taken place every other year since their inception in 2005.

Concept

The original concept behind BUKE stemmed from the observation that in every university kayaking club there appeared to be one or two highly skilled kayakers who were responsible for looking after beginners or intermediate kayakers on club trips. As a result, the more experienced members of each club often didn't have the opportunity to push themselves on difficult whitewater and develop their own skills. The BUKE platform put these like minded individuals in touch with one another allowed for a team to be formed with a common passion and an ambitious goal. Since the original trip, social media has served to connect people more than ever before, but the purpose of the expeditions still remains; to travel to a far-flung corner of the earth, explore new rivers, discover first descents and make some life-long friendships in the process.

Whilst the selection process is run by previous team members, the ethos of the British Universities Kayaking Expeditions has always been that the expedition should be researched, planned and executed by the selected team. This extends from the selection of the destination, right through to completing any proposed lectures and fulfilling promised media obligations after the event. Whilst the BUKE alumni are always on-hand to ask advice, the idea is that you get out of the trip what you put in. There are a number of commercial providers who provide guided trips to exotic locations, but being master of your own destiny is a far more rewarding way to travel.

Selection Process

The selection process opens the October before the expedition will take place, and consists of two rounds. The first is a paper application, in which applicants summarise their kayaking and travel experience along with any rescue, first aid and media skills which would be of benefit to the expedition team. The BUKE alumni then shortlist the top 20 candidates, who are invited to 3 day "selection weekend", which takes place in North Wales .

At the end of the weekend, the candidates are presented with a list of the names of everyone in attendance, and in a silent ballot, asked to pick the 6 people they think would be most suited to going on an expedition. The votes are counted and the top 6-8 people announced as that years British Universities Kayaking Expedition Team.

More information is available to anyone interested via the British Universities Kayaking Expedition Facebook page.

Eligibility

The requirements which each aspiring team member must fulfill, are:

• be a full-time student in the academic year preceding the trip, at an institution registered as a university within the UK.
• have not participated in any previous "British Universities Kayaking Expeditions".
• be over 18 years of age at the time of departure of the expedition.

Destination

As part of the selection process, each candidate is asked to research a destination if they get through to the selection weekend. This research is presented to others in the group by way of a 5 minute presentation during the selection weekend. The proposed destinations are then whittled down amidst much discussion via a semi democratic process, often led by Dave Manby with contributions from BUKE alumni and candidates alike. A shortlist, sometimes including a favourite, is usually taken away by the team for further research before a final decision is made on the destination a few weeks later.

History

The idea was conceived back in 2004, when Phil Carrivick had a chance meeting with Dave Manby, who mentioned that there may have been a British Universities Kayaking Expedition back in the early 80's. Phil posted on the two main message boards of the time (UK Rivers Guidebook and Thames Weirs Project) with a request for applications to take part in a whitewater kayaking expedition in Summer 2005. Of the applications he received, 12 individuals were invited to participate in a "selection weekend" in North Wales. 9 people showed up, and the first BUKE team was born.

The following year Tim Burne, one of the members of the first expedition decided that as that expedition was such a success - both for the team members involved and the interest generated among the wider kayaking community - that the concept should be continued . With the assistance of the inaugural expedition team members, a more formal selection weekend was held a new team selected and the biennial expedition cycle began.

1983 British Universities Kayaking Expedition

A number of years after the first of the existing series of expeditions had taken place, Chris Oliver contacted the organisers saying that he had led the original BUKE trip in 1983. This expedition was to Kurdistan/Turkey. An article looking back at this expedition was published in the (now defunct) Canoe & Kayak UK magazine in October 2012.

Funding & Sponsorship

The responsibility of funding each expedition falls to the team members. Travel grants are often available from universities, and where they aren't some success has been had by writing directly to the university. Previous trips have also received generous funding from organisations such as; the British Canoeing Expedition Fund, the Lord Mayors 800th Anniversary Award and others. Previous team members have generated awareness of the expedition using interviews in the local press to make contact local business in their home towns who may be interested in offering sponsorship .

Whilst these grants go some of the way to funding the trip, they do not cover the whole cost, which is made up by the participants in that years expedition.

Additionally, major kayak equipment manufacturers provide discounted kit to the teams.

2005 - Kyrgysztan

The 2005 expedition ran from 20th Aug to 20th September. The team rented two 6 wheel ZIL-131 trucks through a company called Turkestan, based in Karakol, and focused their exploration on the north east of the country, successfully descending most of the major tributaries feeding Lake Issyk-Kul, aswell as sections of the Naryn and Sary-Jaz rivers, claiming potential first descents on some small tributaries to the Sary-Jaz and the river flowing out of Song Kol Lake.

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Phil Carrivick (Leader)	Durham University		Liquid Logic Jefe
Tim Burne	University College London	4th Year Biochemical Engineering	Liquid Logic Jefe
Rob Tuley	Imperial College London	xth year PhD xxxx?	Liquid Logic Jefe
Wouter Wynberg	Durham University		Liquid Logic Jefe
Phil Higgins	Teesside University		Liquid Logic Jefe
Martin Sollars	Teesside University		Liquid Logic Huck
James Crookall	Nottingham University		Liquid Logic Jefe
David Fairweather	Surrey University		Liquid Logic Jefe
Graham Fairweather	Strathclyde University		Liquid Logic Jefe

River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Alamedin	42.5985°N 74.6630°E / 42.5985; 74.6630	42.6843°N 74.6742°E / 42.6843; 74.6742	3/4	Great warm-up run. Roadside and close to Bishkek.
Chong Kemin	42.8210°N 76.4809°E / 42.8210; 76.4809	42.7510°N 76.1619°E / 42.7510; 76.1619	3-5	Powerful medium volume river, north of Issyk-Kul.
Kerkermeren	42.1011°N 74.1107°E / 42.1011; 74.1107	41.9565°N 74.1648°E / 41.9565; 74.1648	3-4	The team only paddled the upper section of this classic, but it is possible to continue a further 70km to the confluence with the Naryn 41.7168°N 73.8764°E / 41.7168; 73.8764, to make this into a multiday trip.
Arashan	42.3749°N 78.6070°E / 42.3749; 78.6070	42.4474°N 78.5384°E / 42.4474; 78.5384	4/4+
Barskoön	42.0128°N 77.6130°E / 42.0128; 77.6130	42.0516°N 77.5987°E / 42.0516; 77.5987	4/5
Chong-Kyzyl-Suu	42.2071°N 78.1891°E / 42.2071; 78.1891	42.2335°N 78.1491°E / 42.2335; 78.1491	3-5
Jeti-Öghüz	42.2964°N 78.2707°E / 42.2964; 78.2707	42.3396°N 78.2333°E / 42.3396; 78.2333	3/4
Juuka	42.1506°N 77.9505°E / 42.1506; 77.9505	42.2026°N 77.9610°E / 42.2026; 77.9610	4
Karakol	42.3440°N 78.4720°E / 42.3440; 78.4720	42.4305°N 78.4260°E / 42.4305; 78.4260	3/4
Turgen-Ak-Suu	42.4446°N 78.9404°E / 42.4446; 78.9404	42.5468°N 78.9062°E / 42.5468; 78.9062	3/4
Sary-Jaz	42.1462°N 79.0791°E / 42.1462; 79.0791	41.9638°N 79.0896°E / 41.9638; 79.0896	3-5
Kaiyngdy	41.9703°N 79.1748°E / 41.9703; 79.1748	41.9615°N 79.1233°E / 41.9615; 79.1233	3(4)	Probably a 1st Descent
Kerolu	42.2064°N 78.9777°E / 42.2064; 78.9777	42.1630°N 79.0884°E / 42.1630; 79.0884	1-3
Terekty	42.0030°N 79.0437°E / 42.0030; 79.0437	42.0067°N 79.0679°E / 42.0067; 79.0679	3/3+	Probably a 1st Descent
Naryn	41.6762°N 77.8300°E / 41.6762; 77.8300	41.4871°N 76.5200°E / 41.4871; 76.5200	3/4 (5)	Not a recommended take-out!
Kichi-Naryn	41.6800°N 76.4935°E / 41.6800; 76.4935	41.5878°N 76.4434°E / 41.5878; 76.4434	3/4 (4+)
Song-Köl	41.7543°N 75.4143°E / 41.7543; 75.4143	41.5540°N 75.6579°E / 41.5540; 75.6579	2-6	Upper section probably a 1st Descent

Media: During the expedition the team maintained a running blog on their website. Upon their return, the team conducted a lecture tour with highlights including the Tyne Tour, Wet West Paddlefest and the Gene 17 Adventure Paddlers weekend. The team also had articles published in the Canoe Focus, Paddles, Playboating UK and Action Asia magazines. Additionally, river notes were published online .

Grants Received from: British Canoe Union Expedition Grant, Strathclyde University, Teesside University

Equipment Sponsors: Desperate Measures, Palm Equipment Europe, Sweet, Elephant, Nike ACG, Seaspecs, Boulder Adventures, Halina Imaging.

2007 - Four Borders (Altai Mountains Russia/Mongolia/Kazakhstan)

The "four borders" of the expedition name, refers to the region around which the expedition was based, where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia all meet. Whilst most of the expedition was conducted in Russia, 10 days were spent searching for whitewater in the deserts of Mongolia (during what they were told locally was the worst drought in ~20 years). They eventually found success in the form of the Khoroo river. Plans to kayak in Kazakhstan didn't materialise for most of the team due to issues with import licenses for the kayaks, however Graham and Ben did manage to kayak the xxxx river.

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Graham Milton (Leader)	Nottingham University	2nd year Industrial Economics	Pyranha Burn
Sean Ziehm-Stephen	Edinburgh University	4th Year BEd in Physical Education	Dragorossi Critical Mass
Patrick Clissold	Imperial College London	3rd Year Mechanical Engineering	Pyranha Burn
Lowri Davies	Aberystwyth University	3rd Year Software Engineering	Pyranha Burn
Ben Bedingham	Cambridge University	4th Year Electrical Engineering	Pyranha Burn
Dave Burne	Newcastle University	1st Year Biochemistry	Pyranha Burn
Tom Hunter	Nottingham Trent University	3rd Year Financial and Project Management in Construction	Pyranha Burn
Paul Sherman	Nottingham University	3rd Year Physiotherapy	Pyranha Burn

Russia
River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Bashkaus	50.626493°N 87.899891°E / 50.626493; 87.899891	51.168049°N 87.753321°E / 51.168049; 87.753321	5	One of the most famous rivers in Russia. A very committing spectacular gorge, excellent whitewater and home to the "Book of Legends". Took the team 3 days / 2 nights
Chulcha	51.116815°N 88.076152°E / 51.116815; 88.076152	51.085225°N 87.998812°E / 51.085225; 87.998812	4+ (5)	Tributary of the Chulyshman. Starts below the Great Chulcha Falls. A walk in, the team hiked in with boats, stashed the boats, then returned to their camp on the banks of the Chulyshman. The next morning they hiked back to their boats and paddled out in a day. The higher you hike, the more difficult the river becomes.
Chulyshman	50.629566°N 88.751416°E / 50.629566; 88.751416†	51.085225°N 87.998812°E / 51.085225; 87.998812	4+ (5)	A classic big water multiday of the Altai. Starting with the Yazula gorge, which can be run by itself in 1 day. †Note: Put-in coordinates are for Yazula village. Put in is upstream of here.
Chuya (Majoy Gorge)	50.252626°N 87.663452°E / 50.252626; 87.663452	50.323896°N 87.488763°E / 50.323896; 87.488763	4+/5	Home to the "King of Asia" kayak race. Easily accessible, a rather exciting first river for the team introducing them to the power and volume of Altai rivers.
Karagem / Argut	49.962394°N 87.619271°E / 49.962394; 87.619271	50.415131°N 86.630656°E / 50.415131; 86.630656	4+/5	A remote big volume multi day, requiring 4x4 access over a 2800m pass, then a 4 hour hike down a small tributary to reach the Karagem. There is a conveniently located hut in the meadow at the get in. An excellent and very memorable river, the remoteness of this river should not be underestimated. Took the team 6 days / 5 nights.
Kukure waterfalls	50.906764°N 88.268066°E / 50.906764; 88.268066	50.906764°N 88.268066°E / 50.906764; 88.268066	5	10m waterfall, tributary of the Chulyshman, the team hiked into as part of the Chulyshman multi day.
Mongolia
Khoroo
Shtsvar
Kazakhstan
?			3/4	Get on at the base of the dam, requires access through dam security who are not too keen on people kayaking the river, discretion advised. Continuous alpine style whitewater.

The team's main source of river information in Russia and Kazakhstan was from the website: http://kayaking.su/en/rivers/

Media: The team maintained a running |blog on their website for the duration of the expedition. They conducted a lecture tour upon their return. As part of a deal with ???ITV/Granada? news???, they were lent a Mini DV camera with which to film the expedition and Graham, the trip leader, was interviewed for a slot on the local news before and after the trip had taken place. A short highlight reel of the expedition was also created.

Grants: Imperial College Exploration Board, Aberystwyth University Guild, Nottingham University Athletic union

Sponsors: Pyranha, Palm Equipment, Medi UK, STD Pharmaceutical, Splash Whitewater Rafting, Alpkit, Lyon Equipment, Vango, Blacks

2009 - Vietnam

Back when I was in 'nam...

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Luke Farrington (Leader)	Leeds University	3rd Year Civil/Structural Engineering	Fluid ????
Eoghain Johnson	Edinburgh University	3rd Year Biology	??
Ben McKeown	Edinburgh University	4th Year Ecological Science	??? (C1)
Andy Jaunzems	Leeds University	2nd Year Geological Science	Dagger Nomad 8.(?)
Nathan Fletcher	Stirling University	3rd Year Environmental Science and Outdoor Education	???
Stuart Watson	Southampton University	1st Year Environmental Science	Pyranha??
Stuart Haywood	Liverpool John Moores University	3rd year BSC Outdoor and Environmental Education	Dagger Nomad 8.(?)
Tom Haywood	Imperial College London	2nd Year Chemistry	Dagger Nomad 8.(?)
Tim Hamlet	Glasgow Caledonian University	3rd Year Physiotherapy	??

Rivers: Around Sapa: Ngoi Dum, Suoi Cat, Song Ta Van (2 day multiday). Around Da Lat: Srepock (including Đray Sáp Waterfall (12.5377, 107.8902))

Media: A trip report was submitted to the Imperial College Exploration Board as a conditions for receipt of one of the grants. A series of blog posts from a sponsor following the trip: https://globetrottersos.wordpress.com/category/british-universities-kayaking-expedition/ . Expedition Blog https://web.archive.org/web/20100413010734/http://www.kayaknam.com/expedition-blog

River Guides: https://web.archive.org/web/20100414101616/http://www.kayaknam.com/river-guides

Website: https://web.archive.org/web/20100116064135/http://www.kayaknam.com/

Grants: BCU Expeditions Grant, Imperial College Exploration Board, University of Leeds, University of Southampton, University of Sterling.

Sponsors: Dagger Europe, Palm Equipment, Teva, Absolute Paddling, Globetrotter SOS.

2011 - Venezuela

A trip billed during the selection weekend as an expedition where beer is cheaper than water, and fuel is cheaper than beer. http://www.kayakvenezuela.co.uk/team.html

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Rob Moffatt (Leader)	Oxford University	4th Year Chemistry	Pyranha Everest
Jonny Hawkins	St Andrews University	3rd Year Geography	Pyranha Everest
Sandra Hyslop	Durham University	3rd Year Natural Sciences	Pyranha Burn (M)
Sam Sawday	Edinburgh University	4th Year Physics	Bliss Stick Mystic
Arthur Norton	Brighton & Sussex Medical School	1st Year Medcine	Pyranha Everest
Joe Rea-Dickins	Aberystwyth University	2nd Year International Politics	Pyranha Burn (L)

Rivers:

River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Rio Siniguis			3/4
Rio Canagua			4/4+
Rio Acequias			4+/5
Rio Nuestra Senora			3+/4/4+(5)
Rio Capaz			4+
Rio Calderas			4+/5
Rio Aricagua			4+/5
Rio Canagua			4+/5
Rio Santo Domingo			4/4+(5)
Rio Burate			3
Rio Orinoco (Rauldares Altures)			3-4+
Rio Orinoco (Palomason Rapids)			4
Rio Orinoco (Titans Door Rapids)			4+
Rio Orinoco (Maipures Rapids)
Gran Sabana (Salto Sakaiki)
Gran Sabana (Salto Yurani)
Gran Sabana (Salto Apongwylao)

Media: A magazine article published in "The Paddler" Magazine A magazine article published in Canoe & Kayak UK Magazine "Canoe & Kayak UK" Magazine

Sponsors: Pyranha

Alpkit

Canoe & Kayak Store

Cotswold Outdoor

DD Hammocks

Core Paddles

2013 - Ethiopia

Originally planned to be Pakistan, with a last minute change of destination following the 2013 Nanga Parbat massacre which occurred in the same region the team had researched and had targeted foreign adventure tourists.

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Callum Strong (Leader)	Edinburgh University	2nd Year Geology and Physical Geography	Zet ???
Jamie Conn	Durham University	2nd Year Natural Sciences	Zet ???
Peter Tyrrell	Oxford University	2nd Year Biology	Zet ???
Debs Perry	Edinburgh University	4th Year Geology	Zet ???
John Tomlinson	Durham University	Final Year Masters - Social Work	Zet ???

Rivers:

River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Dabena			grade	3mins 11 on TooHigh
Gidabo			grade	3mins 58 on TooHigh - ran out of food.
Logita			grade	5mins 14 on TooHigh

Media: The team maintained a blog: https://kayakoram.wordpress.com/ and their footage forms the first segment in in the kayaking film Too High.

Grants: Broadland Properties, Old Sedberghian Club

Sponsors: Alpkit, Immersion Research, Zet, Select, Fire it Up

2015 - Madagascar

http://www.kayakmadagascar.co.uk/

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Josh Brewer-Smith (Leader)	Bangor University	2nd Year Outdoor Sport Science	Zet/Waka ???
Jacob Collings	Newcastle University	1st Year Marine Technology	Zet/Waka ???
Sam Lyons	Bath University	4th Year Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Zet/Waka ???
Calum Peden	Aberdeen University	4th Year Civil and Environmental Engineering	Zet/Waka ???
Leslie Simpson	Aberdeen University	2nd Year Engineering (Civil/Structural)	Zet/Waka ???
Campbell Simpson	Strathclyde University	3rd Year Mechanical Engineering	Zet/Waka ???
Matthew Brook	Nottingham University	2nd Year German	Waka/Waka ???

Rivers:

River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Faravory			grade	comments
Mania			grade	comments
Sandrananta			grade	comments
(Sakaleona - failed to access!) Sahavato			grade	comments
Ikopa			grade	comments
Ivondro			grade	comments
Maningory			grade	comments
Sahatandra			grade	comments

Media: During the expedition the team maintained a blog on their website detailing their adventures. A magazine article published in "The Paddler" Magazine. A series of short films documenting each of their major descents on the expedition. Additionally, Matt Brook wrote and published an e-book documenting their adventures )

Grants: Bangor University, University of Bath Alumni Fund, University of Strathclyde (Engineering Faculty), Aberdeen University.

Sponsors: Waka Kayaks, Immersion Research Europe, Dewerstone, Manchester Canoes, Garmin

2017 - Philippines

The team spent 7 weeks exploring the rivers of the largest island of the Philippine archipelago, Luzon.

Intro bumf

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Adam Vaughan (Leader)	Cardiff University	4th Year Spanish	Waka ???
Erik Francis	Edinburgh University	5th Year Civil Engineering	Waka ???
Sacha Corby	Imperial College London	1st Year PhD Chemistry	Waka ???
Jiri Tykal	Bangor University	1st Year Postgrad Music	Waka Tuna
Peter Williams	Edinburgh University	1st Year Mechanical Engineering	Waka Gangster
Lauren Strickland	Glasgow University	2nd Year Geography and Sociology	Waka ???
Gareth Lake	Aberdeen University	5th Year Chemical Engineering	Waka ???

Rivers:

Media: In addition to posts on the Palm Equipment blog and the Philipino website Esquiremag , a trip report was submitted to the Imperial College Exploration Board as a conditions for receipt of one of the grants. Extensive river notes can be found on their blog .

Grants: Imperial College Exploration Board, Lord Mayors 800th Anniversary Awards.

Sponsors: Palm Equipment, VE Paddles, River Legacy, Radical Riders, Dewerstone, Five TGareten, Alpkit, Tunnock's.

2019 - Russia "Far East" Expedition

This six week expedition from mid June to the end of July, and originally planned to explore the "Far East" area of Russia, using some contacts that Adam Francis had made as a result of his university work. Following more research, it was decided that there might not be enough quality/accessible whitewater to make this destination feasible, so it was changed to explore some of the remote rivers within the mountain ranges surrounding Lake Baikal in eastern Russia. Based in Irkutsk, the largest city in the region, the team paddled four major rivers: one in the Khamar Daban mountains (the Selenginka) and three in the Eastern Sayan mountains (the famous Kitoy, along with the Zhombolok and Urik). Each of these rivers required a many days to complete (the most being 12 days) and during the descent of each major river the team also hiked in to and paddled tributaries, three of which were first descents. Throughout the majority of the trip the team experienced high water levels due to the unseasonable amount of rainfall and remaining snow pack high in the mountains. This added a little extra spice to many of the river descents! All of these rivers were very remote with long drives (or hikes with kayaks) to the put in. Kayaks were loaded with multiple days of supplies making them very heavy. The best way to paddle as many rivers as you can in this region is to have lots of money and hire helicopters to drop you off! Obviously, due this being a student expedition the heli costs made this unfeasible, but so many new rivers can be explored here if you have a little extra cash to spend! The rivers listed here are ones you can do on a (relative) budget, without insane walk ins over mountains.

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Joe Fender (Leader)	Glasgow School of Art	4th Year Painting and Printmaking	Waka OG
Duncan Stewart	Dundee University	5th Year Medicine	Waka OG
Jamie Peden	Dundee University	2nd Year Biomedical Sciences	Waka Tuna
Adam Francis	Edinburgh University	MScR Riverine Geochemistry	Waka Tuna
Elliot Goddard	Bangor University	2nd Year Product Design	Waka Steeze
Cara Lee	Belfast University	4th Year Dentistry	Waka Tuna
Harry Turner	Worcester University	3rd Year Outdoor Adventure Leadership and Management	Waka OG

Rivers:

River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Selenginka	51°18'33.6"N 104°41'04.4"E	51°20'14.2"N 104°40'20.0"E	4/5	Great 3km steep boulder blast river for the early season. We decided to hike in 16km from the main road instead of taking the speed boat up the Snezhnaya to save money. Don't do the walk, it sucks. Fork out some money and take the boat.
Snezhnaya (lower section)	51°20'14.2"N 104°40'20.0"E	51.482195, 104.622765	1/2	Selenginka joins the Snezhnaya for a calm 10km paddle back down to the town of Vydrino and Lake Baikal (look out for locals with vodka!)
Kitoy	52°01'56.3"N 101°06'29.2"E	52°26'20.8"N 103°11'22.2"E	4/5	The most famous river in the region and what people travel here to paddle. One of the best big volume multi days in the world! We took 12 days to paddle this 250km section and explore its tributaries, it can be done in much less (we heard 2 days is the fastest?)
Ara-Khubyty (lower section)	51°58'36.0"N 101°37'03.8"E	51°59'34.1"N 101°36'43.9"E	3/4	Trib to Kitoy on south side, joining the Ara-Oshey. Needs lots of water (we had a flash flood and could only paddle the botttom gorge). First descent. Much more to be explored high up.
Ara-Oshey (lower section)	51°59'34.1"N 101°36'43.9"E	52°01'27.5"N 101°37'56.0"E	3	Fast and bouncy in high water. Joins Kitoy at campsite below the upper gorge. Upper section has the best rapids but we didn't get there due to the flash flood.
Gorlyk-Gol	52°04'29.4"N 101°45'49.3"E	52°03'41.4"N 101°47'19.6"E	5 (6?)	We didn't paddle it but thought it should be included as it looks promising from maps and satellite imagery. Very steep, with many siphons and many rapids. Some of the rapids do go but you would do a lot of portaging. We looked at high water, may be different in lower water (but probably not).
Biluti	52°00'54.8"N 102°07'10.2"E	52°03'33.0"N 102°12'29.1"E	4/5	Another classic of the area, the best trib of the Kitoy. Unfortunately we didn't reach the upper gorge due to navigation issues and lack of daylight/food/energy levels but the rest is such an awesome run all the way down to the Kitoy. One spectacular 12m waterfall and many gorges.
Zhombolok (upper section)	52°42'18.8"N 99°17'31.9"E	52°40'49.1"N 99°18'15.3"E	4 (5)	Much higher up the valley than the normally paddled section of this river. Nice hiking path all the way up, go as far as you want. Lots of cool bedrock drops with some great playspots and calm sections meandering though forests. The biggest rapid is right at the end as the river drops into the first of a few lakes separating the upper and lower sections. Watch out for trees! First descent (we think)
Zhombolok (lower 'classic' section)	52°41'52.4"N 99°27'31.2"E	52°41'52.4"N 99°27'31.2"E	4+	An incredible short section that can be easily walked up and lapped with a great camp spot at the take out. Multiple clean bedrock drops and slides with unique scenery and volcanic geology. Well worth the long drive to get here!
Urik	52°14'04.1"N 100°43'06.5"E	52°58'26.9"N 102°02'29.2"E	3/4 (5)	A long river with plenty of spectacular scenery and some nice rapids, in between the choss. Two main gorges, the first one is the hardest while the second has the best quality rapids on the whole river although it is not particularly hard (but would be full on in very high water, we had a bout a med/high level). Needs a fair amount of rain to make access from the track at the top of the valley possible, but can still be scrapey in places even when the main rapids look burly. Look out for many huts and banyas at the side of the river! (makes an excellent rest day location!). One big waterfall after the two gorges. Looks clean at first but we decided that the landing was too shallow (with possible loose boulders under the surface) to risk a descent but were unsure (other groups have decided the same thing).
Khara-Gol	52°14'48.3"N 101°02'12.9"E	52°16'19.4"N 101°02'04.5"E	4	Trib of the Urik on south side. Looked the most promising from satellite imagery. Reasonably easy walk in up the hill, takes about 1.5 - 2 hrs to the entry waterfall, a great park and huck 4m drop. Unfortunately, the rest of the river was too low but with a fair amount of recent rain, the rest of the river looks great! 3km of fairly continuous grade 3/4 drops and slides

Media: Video documentary series on Facebook page, Instagram posts, Blog posts for Palm covering preparation for the trip, mid trip update and post trip reflection.

Sponsors: Palm Equipment, Radical Rider (Waka Kayaks), Dewerstone, River Legacy, Vivo Life, Redpoint Worcester.

2022 - Indonesian Borneo / Kalimantan Expedition

Following a COVID induced 3 year break, rather than the traditional 2 year, the team eschewed the destinations shortlisted at the selection weekend (Cameroon, Kyrgystan/Tajikistan and Azerbaijan) in favour of one of the destinations researched and proposed by team member Aaron White - the Indonesian side of the island of Borneo. The trip initially looked at a second (and possibly last - due to a proposed hydro scheme) descent of the Sungai Kayan in Northern Kalimantan, before focussing their efforts further south in the Sungai Barito catchment based out of the village Muara Joloi. Whilst previous BUKE members have explored the rivers of the Malaysian side of the island (on a non-BUKE trip) , they did very little on the Indonesian side, which is significantly bigger and has significantly less well developed infrastructure.

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Pretam Gurung (Leader)	Strathclyde University	3rd Year Naval Architecture in High Performance Marine Vehicles	Pyranha 9r2
Aaron White	Dundee University	1st Year Medicine	Spade Kayaks Royal Flush
Jonah Morgan	Dundee University	4th Year Medicine	Pyranha Scorch
Piers Oliphant	Cardiff University	3rd year Politics	Pyranha Scorch
Barra Liddy	Surrey University	4th Year Music and Sound Recording	Pyranha Scorch
Matt Stephenson	University of Nottingham	3rd Year Geography	Wavesport Phoenix

Rivers:

River Name	Put-in	Take-out	Grade	Comments
Joloi (Sibilik Rapids)	Camp B 0°8′45.3″S 113°54′50.8″E	Muara Joloi 0°7′1.7″S 114°5′52.1″E	4/5	5 large pool drop rapids. Zambeziesque. Number 4 being the longest and most significant rapid.
Busang	0°16′22.8″N 113°54′54.1″E or 0°14′2.2″N 113°59′29.8″E via Malua tributary	Muara Joloi 0°7′1.7″S 114°5′52.1″E	3/4	Easy going high volume section with amazing tributaries. Highlight was an Air Terjun (waterfall) on a tributary at 0°00′49.4″S 113°53′51.3″E named Saranghae by the team!
Malua	0°14′2.2″N 113°59′29.8″E	Muara Joloi 0°7′1.7″S 114°5′52.1″E	3	Low volume, relaxed, and fun grade 3 boating interspersed with plenty of flat water to take in the very remote jungle. Paddled as a tributary to the Busang.
Barito	Tumgbang Tujang 0°17′54.7″N 114°25′58.4″E	Muara Joloi 0°7′1.7″S 114°5′52.1″E	2/3	Over 100km of flat water on a large volume river. Rapids start at 0°14′13.2″N 114°15′12.2″E and continue on for just over 10km. These rapids a large volume grade 2/3 in a deep and stunning gorge.
Banana	0°00′24.3″N 114°8′10.8″E	Muara Joloi 0°7′1.7″S 114°5′52.1″E	3/4	Pool-drop rapids. The rocks create some chossy/siphony rapids but also some incredible narrow trench-like rapids.
Sibunuk	0°20′15.9″S 114°3′7.8″E	Tumbang Toan 0°22′48.1″S 114°4′4″E	4/5	The majority of the run is read and run grade 2/3 and amazing fun for surfing and playing. The final kilometre steepens up into a box canyon, holding some incredible 4/5 rapids, before joining the confluence of the Barito.

Media: Members of the trip posted updates on their personal Instagram and Facebook pages whilst the expedition was in progress, and also on the Uniyaker Facebook, and Instagram accounts. Upon their return they produced a 40 minute film of the expedition, with which they toured the country showing at multiple venues before uploading it to Youtube . Jonah Morgan was interviewed by the World Extreme Medicine podcast, which is available on youtube. Pretam authored a summary of the trip which appeared in the form of a blog post on the NRS website.

Grants: The RDC Foundation

Sponsors: NRS, Pyranha, Dewerstone, Radical Rider, Expedition Foods, River Legacy, National White Water Centre.

2024 - Guatemala Expedition

The team chose Guatemala from the shortlist decided on the selection weekend.

Team Member	University	Course	Kayak
Osian Curig (Co-leader)	Glasgow University	3rd Year Psychology with Neuroscience	Pyranha ReactR
Bryony Agar	Edinburgh University	3rd Year Biological Sciences (Zoology and Ecology)	Pyranha ReactR
Patrick Kyle	Glasgow University	3rd year Archaeology and Geography	Pyranha ReactR
Alastair Shapland	Edinburgh University	4th Year Mechanical Engineering	Pyranha ReactR
Oli Cooper	Nottingham University	1st Year Physics	Dagger Code
Matt Purvis (Co-leader)	Cardiff University	2nd Year Computer Science	Pyranha ReactR

Rivers:

Media: Members of the trip have been posting updates on their personal Instagram and Facebook pages during the preparation, as well as on the Uniyaker Facebook, and Instagram accounts. A website was also created to link all of the social media channels into one place. Prior to leaving, Patrick made series of blog posts looking at the preparation for the trip.

Grants: Lord Mayor’s 800th Anniversary Awards, Now On Earth grant, Young Explorer’s Trust grant, RDC Foundation grant.

Sponsors: NRS, Pyranha, Radical Rider, River Legacy, National White Water Centre.

The expedition begin on 9th July 2024.