The River Ganges

The River Ganges is the third level of Tomb Raider III. In it, Lara continues her search for the Infada Stone and finds a quicker way up-river.

Outfit

 * Classic

Weapons Found

 * Shotgun

Items

 * Gate Key x2

Allies Encountered

 * None

Enemies Encountered

 * Piranha
 * Cobra
 * Monkey
 * Vulture

Locales Visited

 * Ganges River (India)

Secrets

 * 1) 1x Shotgun Shells, 1x Large Medipack and 1x Save/Power-up crystal
 * 2) 1x Shotgun Shells, 1x Flares and 1x Large Medipack
 * 3) 1x Harpoons, 1x Uzi Clips and 1x Save/Power-up crystal
 * 4) 1x Desert Eagle Clips and 1x Small Medipack
 * 5) 1x Save/Power-up crystal, 1x Harpoons and 1x Shotgun Shells

Walkthrough
Before beginning, you should know that falling into the river, with or without the quad bike, means instant death. The current will prevent you from surfacing, and a pack of piranhas will chase Lara until she dies. Before hopping on the bike, you can go for a Secret; a very tough one.

Secret 1
Go into the opposite direction and past the temple ruins. At the end, hang from the ledge and you will grab a ladder. Move to the left and drop off to the ledge. In here, use a running jump to the next ledge. Then, use a running jump with a grab to reach the next ledge. Repeat the process for the next ledge, but be careful to not bump your head in the ceiling. For the next one, use another running jump, but add a grab as soon as you start it; Lara will not grab anything, but the grab prevents her from hitting her head in the ceiling. For the next one, use a standing jump with a grab to reach the very right side of the platform. Follow this with a running jump to the next ledge, and lastly, use a running jump with a grab to reach the last ledge. Go inside to trigger the Secret. If those jumps were not enough, then next comes a series of slopes filled with spikes, and each jump must be made with perfect timing. It may be wise to save before you take on the slopes. Anyway, climb onto the first slope. Jump off the slope into the next one. As soon as you land, jump to the next slope. Jump and use a grab to reach the top of the pillar. If you jump too soon or too late, Lara will fall into the spikes. Your rewards for this very tough Secret are some Shotgun Shells, a Large Medipack, and a Save Crystal. Now, you have to return all the way you came by repeating the jumps, but backwards.

Go behind the quad bike and climb into the opening for a set of Harpoons and some MP5 Clips. Hop on the bike, drive past the temple ruins and use a turbo jump to get across, jumping over the river and into a cave. Carefully drive past the first pit and move on to the second.

Secret 2
The wall of the second pit is actually a ladder. Dismount the bike, climb down the ladder and light a Flare. Your rewards are some Shotgun Shells, some Flares, and a Large Medipack. Climb the ladder and return to the quad bike.

Jump the second pit and continue on to a ramp. Climb the ramp and jump the gap at full speed. Park the bike next to the gate and return to the ramp you just jumped. Use a running jump with a grab to reach the opening to the left of the ramp. Go in and shoot the cobra. Crawl through the gap and climb into the corridor. Jump over the hole and shoot the second cobra. Pick up the Small Medipack and use a safety drop into the hole. Shoot the two monkeys, head back over the gate and push the button to open it, allowing your bike to get through.

At this point, there a two paths, outlined by a Save Crystal in the middle. The right path leads through the ruins, while the left path goes into a stone bridge. The left path has two Secrets, so this is where you will be going to if you want to access the bonus level. Unfortunately, there are pickups to be had in both paths, and you can only select one of them.

The Right Path
Rumble down the rocks and jump over the river at the end. Drive the bike down into the hole and dismount. Shoot the monkey and pick up the Small Medipack it was carrying. Continue up the slope, shooting the three monkeys and ignoring the crawlspace on your right. When the slope gets so steep so that you have to jump, do so and climb up on the ledge to the left. Go through the foliage and into a small cave. Shoot the cobra and crawl through the foliage to another small cave with a Gate Key. Take it and return to the slope. Go to the top of the slope and through the cave to your left. In here, take the Flares and some Uzi Clips. Now return to that crawlspace you ignored earlier. Go inside and shoot the three monkeys in the corridor.

Take some Shotgun Shells from the alcove and move into the room with two keyholes. Go through the passageway and climb through the hole. Shoot the monkey up there and approach the two gates. The second gate has quicksand around it. Opposite that is a ledge with a Save Crystal and another monkey. Go up to the other gate and step up on the green rock. Turn left and use a standing jump with a grab to reach the ledge sticking out above. Climb up and use a running jump to the tree branch. From here, use a standing jump to the ledge ahead.

Jump to the next branch in this area and shoot the monkey. Follow the path around and enter the ruins. Ignore the hole and move into the next room. Shoot the two monkeys and approach the items on the floor to lure two other monkeys behind Lara. After dealing with them, take the Uzi Clips, a Rocket, and the second Gate Key. Go back and drop into the hole, avoiding the burner. Shoot the monkey and proceed around the corner, killing another monkey. Climb up into the alcove and press the button to open the gate, letting out four more monkeys. After dealing with them, go outside.

Head around to the right of the open gate with the quicksand. Climb up onto the ledge just opposite that by grabbing the low ledges. Take some Shotgun Shells and return to the tree. Climb up on the green ledges and use them to reach the tree branch. From here, jump into the other area and return to the two keyholes by going back down through the hole. Use the two keys to open the gate, and return to your quad bike.

Drive up to the top of the slope and go right past the gate. Continue forward and you will reach the area near the gate surrounded by the quicksand. Use a turbo jump to get across and then drive past the tree in the next area. Continue down the corridor, dismount, and shoot the two monkeys by the river.

If you are feeling brave, you can pick up some hidden ammunition here. Jump to the tree root sticking out of the water. Use a running jump to reach the green ledge ahead. From here, turn right and use a running jump with a grab to reach the tree root on the other side of the water. Shimmy right and pull up. Jump to the next ledge and take the Uzi Clips and a set of Harpoons. Now return to the tree root, and from the triangle section, use a running jump with a grab to reach the left part of the green ledge. Now, you can return to the quad bike.

Use the quad bike to jump over the river, and you will land on a cave. Dismount, shoot the two monkeys and take the Save Crystal. The two paths converge here.

The Left Path
Go left, head up the slope, sticking to the right, and carefully jump the gap. If you jump too soon, you will fall down a hole and into the water. If you jump too late, you will hit the green ledge ahead and fall into a pit. Carefully drive through the cave and into the next room. Go around either side of the pit, turn left, and rumble down the rocks to a broken stone bridge.

Secret 3
To the right of the bridge is a ledge with some Desert Eagle Clips. Dismount the bike and use a running jump to reach there. Take them, and then climb up into the crawlspace above. Your rewards are some Uzi Clips, a set of Harpoons, and a Save Crystal. Return to the bridge.

Use a turbo jump to get across the bridge. Continue forward to a fork. Take a left and dismount the bike next to a huge rock ramp. Jump around to the other side of the tree roots and use a running jump with a grab to reach the ledge ahead. Shoot the two vultures and take the Uzi Clips. Return to the quad bike. Drive up the ramp and carefully make your way down the path. You will eventually come to two gaps. Use a turbo jump to clear the small gap and keep going to clear the second one. Here, you will find a Save Crystal.

Dismount the bike and grab hold of the ladder next to the ramp. Climb down the ladder to reach a small cave to the right. Shoot the cobra and pick up the Desert Eagle Clips. Return to the bike and use a turbo jump at full speed to clear the last jump. You will not need your bike anymore after this jump, so you can just ditch it and move on to the large rocky slope. Slide down to the very left side and shoot the two vultures.

Secret 4
After sliding down, use a standing jump with a grab to reach the ledge ahead. From here, use a running jump with a grab to reach the distant ledge against the wall. Now you can see another distant ledge with a crawlspace. Use a running jump with a grab to reach the slope to the left of this ledge. Shimmy right so you can pull up into the crawlspace. Your rewards are some Desert Eagle Clips and a Small Medipack. To return, crawl out of the cave and look at the ledge you jumped from. To the right of it is a small slope. Run and jump to the slope and then jump off to get back to the previous ledge.

Slide down to the bottom of the rocky slope and enter the cave with the Save Crystal. The paths converge here.

The Paths Converge
Dismount the quad bike if you still have it. In front of the cave, you will find a waterfall. Either use a dive to get into the water below, or spend some time to reach the level's last Secret.

Secret 5
Instead of diving into the water, use a running jump to the ledge ahead. Shoot the three vultures, and use a diagonal running jump to the lower ledge ahead. Drop down on the ledge below and pick up a set of Harpoons and some MP5 Clips. From here, use a running jump with a grab to reach the crack in the wall. Shimmy right and pull up into the crawlspace. Your rewards are another set of Harpoons, some Shotgun Shells, and a Save Crystal.

Behind the waterfall, you will find a Small Medipack and Tony's raft. Climb out on the ledges and drop down the hole. Run down the narrow corridor to finish the level.

El Río Ganges The River Ganges