Category: Rishikesh-Haridwar

After postponing for 2 years, we finally made this trip happen. We both were really excited for River Rafting activity. We will remember this trip for many reasons. This was our first backpacking trip. We used self-drive rental services for the first time and enjoyed the freedom of exploring the place at our pace. We stayed at riverside camps alone (we had stayed at these camps at Ladakh but that was a group tour).

Days required – 4 days. People from Delhi can easily manage the trip on weekends.

Nearby places to go – Haridwar

Best time to visit – after the monsoon or during winter. River rafting starts after September and usually closed in July(monsoon). Weather is hot and humid in summers.

How to reach –

By road – you can drive on your own or take a bus to reach Rishikesh.

By train – Haridwar is the nearest railway station and it’s a 30 min drive to Rishikesh.

By air – Dehradun is the nearest airport, but it will be an expensive alternate.

How we travelled – we took the bus from Jaipur which took around 12 hours to reach Rishikesh. Now more important thing – the bus will drop you on highway/Nepali farm which is 10-12 km from Rishikesh. There will be autos waiting in line for you. They usually take Rs.40-50 per head but will try to pull money from the pockets of the tourists, so need to be aware of this. They will drop you at Tapovan.

Where to stay – Tapovan area – all excursions are nearby. Rafting booking centres and bike rentals stations are easily available. Rishikesh is 5-6km away from Tapovan, so it is advised to stay here rather than staying in Rishikesh to save time.

How to go around – Rent a bike which is easily available there and you get a helmet also(Rs.450-1250).

Things to do

• Ganga Aarti – Aarti is performed daily in the evening at Triveni Ghat, Parmarth Niketan Ashram and Har ki Paudi, Haridwar. You can go to any of these places. Reach early to get front seats to get a more desirable view. And to be obvious, other than rafting this is the only thing that one should not miss if visiting Rishikesh.
• Yoga and Meditation classes – Patanjali Ashram, Parmarth Niketan
• River rafting –a must-do activity- prices are fixed so almost same at every rafting booking point (one can easily find them in Tapovan area). Leave your extra luggage at their offices but carry your camera/phone. They do have a dry bag on the raft to keep your phones/camera safe and dry. They will take you to the starting point in their vehicles. After last rapid, they will stop at Maggi point where many vendors will be selling tea, Maggi etc. Rafting takes around 3-4 hours in total (office to office). Book 16km rafting which is from Shivpuri.

  

• Other adventure sports that one can go for- Cliff Jumping or Bungee Jumping (Highest bungee jumping in India)/flying fox/swing. I am afraid of heights but Paaro wanted to try Bungee Jumping but she chickened out at the last moment.
• Air safari by Air safari, Rishikesh
• Night stay at riverside camps – a must-do activity

Places to visit–

• Neergarh waterfalls – Reach to the top of the waterfall to eat Maggi with your feet dip in the water.

  

• Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir (25 km from Tapovan) – ride your bike alongside River Ganga. You will see many riverside camps on the way. The view from the road is amazing.
• Laxman Jhula

  

• Terah (13) Manjil mandir

  

• Ram Jhula

  

• Narendra Nagar/ Kunjapur Devi mandir
• Har ki Paudi – Ganga aarti
• Mansa Devi Mandir
• Rajaji National Park

Where to eat – nothing special to mention here but you can go to the famous Chotiwala restaurant which I didn’t find interesting other than Human Mannequin (Chotiwala) with odd and heavy makeup sitting outside the restaurant. Food was ok but many people say it used to serve very delicious food in past.

Itinerary – it is very simple.

Day 1 – We reached Rishikesh in the morning where the bus dropped us at Nepali farm (10-12km far from Rishikesh). We took shared auto from there which dropped us at Tapovan/Laxman Jhula area (Rs.40-50). We hired the bike from the bike rental services (They ask for your ID, licence and security money) and reached our camp on Shivpuri road. After checking in and taking the shower, we went to Neergarh waterfalls. After that, we rode to Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir (25km from Tapovan).

After returning to the camp, Bonfire and evening snacks were arranged for us. We had our dinner early and went to sleep as we were very tired.

Day 2– Next day, we checked out from camp and reached rafting office (we had booked for rafting in advance). It was almost noon when we reached back to our hotel. That was the best rafting experience for us. In the evening, we rode to Laxman Jhula area and visited Terah Manzil Mandir. Then we went to Ram Jhula. Just a walkaway, there was a famous Chotiwala Restaurant.

We went to Parmarth Niketan for Ganga Aarti which is performed by residents and students of the Ashram. It starts around sunset. Be there before time.

Day 3 – Haridwar visit- we drove to Haridwar and visited Har ki Paudi where the holy bath was taking place, and in the evening, Ganga Aarti is performed there. Nearby is Mansa Devi mandir. The ropeway is there to reach the top of the hill where the temple is located.

Just 10min drive from there, Rajaji National Park is there which is famous for Tiger safari. We reached Chilla gate where booking counter was there. There are 2 safaris-one in the early morning and another one in the evening. Go 1-2hours prior and book the tickets for jeep safari. The booking system is very mismanaged here. Seating capacity of Jeep is for 6 persons, so we shared the Jeep with a family. It’s just pure luck that you get a jeep for safari. The route for safari is fixed and marked. They will take you around the jungle on that route which is about 8kms.

Day 4- There was not much left to see around Rishikesh, so we went to a place 15kms from Rishikesh, Narendra Nagar which is on the route to Kunjapuri Devi mandir. The road was under construction at that time. But after Narendra Nagar, the ride was very scenic and worth driving till we reached the temple. One can opt for activities like Bungee jumping and air safari instead of this.

In the evening, we took shared auto for Nepali farm (take a margin of 60-90min before the bus departure) for our bus to Jaipur.

Few tips for fellow travellers –

1. Book your activities in advance to save time. Sometimes you can get discount offers if you book slots through their websites(Jumpin heights and Air Safari)
2. Rajaji park is not well managed as Ranthambore or Jim Corbett and wildlife sighting is also poor so if you don’t have time then you can avoid Haridwar tour.
3. While renting a bike, make a video of the vehicle in front of the owner so that he cannot blame for any damage that was done in past. Always use a helmet.
4. There is only one petrol pump in Tapovan so fill the tank accordingly.

Ratings (it is subjective and per my opinion)

Destination overall rating 8/10 – if you are here for fun activities, you will love it as they have the best rafting in India. They have the highest bungee jumping there. You will enjoy the night stay at a riverside camp. If you are here for religious activities, then this is the place for you.

Travel Expense 2/10 – other than activities, everything is quite reasonable there.

Travel ease 8/10 – reaching Rishikesh is very easy and once you rent a vehicle there, you can go anywhere.

Food 5/10 – average food. Nothing special to mention here. We may have missed local food on this trip.