Tag: riverrafting

August 22, 2019 Himachal Pradesh, India, Shimla 3 Comments

Shimla – Why planned trips are always better than unplanned ones!!!

This trip was spontaneous and one of the disastrous one. Read the itinerary and learn from our mistakes. I had no time to research and blindly followed what taxi driver suggested us and wasted time and money.

Days required– 4 days

Nearby places to go – Manali/Kullu, Chail, Kufri, Naldehra/Tatapani

Best time to visit – anytime whatever suits you but please avoid summer vacation time (June) as there is a heavy inflow of tourists that may spoil your schedule and mood. People who want to relish snowfall might visit in January-February.

How to reach –

By road – Direct buses are available from Delhi (8hours) and Chandigarh (4 hours). Route from Chandigarh is very scenic, and roads are in good condition. This is the most common, convenient and cheap way to reach Shimla.

By train – Take narrow gauge train from Kalka railway station to enjoy the toy train ride to Shimla (UNESCO World Heritage site). It’s a once in lifetime journey which will ride through tunnels, bridges and spectacular views of Himalayas.

By air –The Shimla Airport has limited connectivity. A direct flight from Delhi is available. Shimla airport is 20km away from the city.

How we traveled – We reached Shimla by Volvo bus from Jaipur-very long tiring journey of 20hours. Here from the new bus stand, there is taxi service to reach the city. Rates are fixed by the taxi union.

Where to stay – Taxi drops you at Court parking area near mall road. From there, you walk to your hotel so book your hotel accordingly. Most preferred location is Mall Road.

How to go around – You have book a cab which will take Rs.1500-2500 depending on the tour and your bargaining skills.

Activities to do

  1. Kalka Shimla train journey -This historic toy train crosses 105 tunnels and many beautiful rail & road stations.
  2. Ice skating /Skiing- Shimla has the only natural ice-skating rink in South Asia. Visit in January and February for ice skating. Kufri also has fun parks where you can enjoy skiing.
  3. Shopping on Mall Road – Shimla has the most happening Mall road, which comprises several restaurants, clubs, bars, shops, bakeries, etc.

Places to visit –

Mall road – Take a stroll on Mall road. Enjoy food, shopping and view from here. It lies below the Ridge.

Mall Road

The ridge – At the centre of the city, is the Ridge which is a large open space expanding along the Mall road. There is an amazing view of Snow-clad mountains. On the extreme west, lies the Scandal Point.

The Ridge and the Church

Christ Church – Located on the Ridge, this Church, and the Ridge are part of many Bollywood scenes.

Jakhoo hill/temple – 2km from town, lies the Jakhoo hill which is home to 100 feet Hanuman Ji Statue. Beware of bunches of fearless monkeys present there, they will snatch anything from your hand. Do carry stick along with you.

Jakhoo Temple

Johnnie’s Wax Museum – This one is new in the list. This wax museum is now among must-visit spot in Shimla. It is located near the lift on Mall road.

Iron Man with Iron Lady

Indian Institute of Advance study – Pay a visit to this colonial-era building.

Now I am listing day trips from Shimla. These are located at a distance from the town but worth visiting. Pick your tour accordingly.

Chail – Here lies the world’s biggest Cricket Stadium and Maharaja Bhupinder Singh’s Palace hotel.

Kufri – A must-visit place if you are visiting Shimla during the winter season. You can enjoy skiing there. It also has a fun park and a zoo.

Go-karting in Kufri

Naldehra/Tatapani – Tatapani has hot spring water emerging near river Sutlej. People enjoy taking a bath in this water, containing sulfur. Although this place is polluted and overcrowded. Also, there is river rafting activity. On the way, you will cross Naldehra, one of the oldest Golf course ground. This tour can be missed as rafting is not worth it and overpriced.

Where to eat –

  • Sitaram and sons: Chhola Bhatura
  • Golgappa stall, Navbhar Chowk: Pani puri
  • Bihari Lal Sharma Stall, Takka Bench, above the Ridge – fruit chat
  • Aunty’s Dhaba – Chinese food

Itinerary

Day 1

After check-in the hotel and having some rest, we could not stop ourselves from walking across the famous Mall road. It was peak season and some kind of festival/carnival was going on there on mall road which brought a huge crowd there. We were following the crowd, watching roadside shops-old one and new brand stores. We reached the RIDGE, took some astonishing photographs near Church and Ridge. We enjoyed the street food at various stalls and when we decided to head back to the hotel at 8 pm. We booked a taxi in advance from the hotel for the next day tour. Taxi usually charge Rs.1500 to 2500 depending on season and sightseeing.

Day 2

We checked out from the hotel and started our trip by visiting Jakhoo temple on the top of the hill. It was worth going there but be aware of monkeys there.

We earlier decided to go to Kufri sightseeing but the driver suggested us to go Tatapani and Naldehra. After horse riding in Naldehra, we reached Tatapani for river rafting, the only reason to deviate from our plan but it was just a waste of money and time. They charged Rs.5000/couple but it was more like boating. In the evening, we headed to our resort- Kufri holiday resort which was the best thing happened to us on the whole day. Kufri was much cooler than Shimla and we realized it more because we didn’t pack for it but we enjoyed the weather and went for a short walk nearby.

Our room in Kufri

Day 3

It was a beautiful morning with a cool breeze. We had our buffet breakfast and checked out. Kufri is a small place with all sightseeing nearby so better you check out late and enjoy your morning at the resort. Later we visited a fun park and a zoo. The mini zoo was a waste of time and can be missed.

From there, we headed for our next stay on Kufri-Chail road. The idea was to cover Chail next day. Better you stay in Kufri. There are no good hotels on this road. Our hotel was in a small village where we couldn’t find the ATM and we were out of cash. We rested in our room the whole evening and night because there was nothing to do there, that’s another reason to stay in Kufri.

Day 4

We drive to Chail only to find more disappointment. There was nothing else to see other than Kali ka Tibaa and Chail Palace. The stadium was closed.

Chail Palace

Temple was very far away from Chail but was worth visiting as it has very beautiful surrounding but Palace was not worth for entry charges of Rs100.

near Kali Tibaa Mandir

After sightseeing, we returned to Shimla to conclude our journey, but we found a new place-Johnnie’s Wax Museum. It was on the mall road near our hotel.

I hope to visit Shimla again in winter to enjoy the winter activities and enjoy the Toy Train ride.

Few tips for fellow travelers –

  1. Plan the trip in January/February. You can enjoy snow activities like skating and skiing.
  2. Skip Naldehra/Tatapani trip. Better go Kufri.
  3. Book Kalka-Shimla train in advance.
  4. Book only 1-night accommodation in Shimla (near or on Mall Road) and rest of the stay in Kufri (away from the crowd).
  5. Bargain for everything- hotel, taxi, shopping, horse riding, sports adventures.
  6. Don’t do river rafting in Shimla and save your money for Rishikesh.

Ratings (it is subjective and based on personal opinion)

Destination overall rating 8/10 – Queen of hills has most happening Mall road, British era buildings, winter activities, famous street food, and amazing mountain view.

Expense 4/10 – Accommodation and transportation are costly as Shimla is very overpopulated, overcrowded and commercialized now.

Travel ease 7/10 – You can easily reach Shimla from Delhi/Chandigarh and taxi/cabs are easily available there for sightseeing.

Food 7/10 – It has some very famous cafes/restaurants and street foods.

August 12, 2019 India, Rishikesh-Haridwar, Uttarakhand Post a Comment

A trip to Rishikesh and 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.

view from our campsite

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

On the way to Shivpuri

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.

    Maggi Point
  • 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.

    Enjoy Chai and Maggi at Neergarh Falls
  • 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

    Night view of Laxman Jhula
  • Terah (13) Manjil mandir

    Terah Manjil Mandir
  • Ram Jhula

    View near the 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.

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.

Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan

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.

Safari in Rajaji National Park

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.

On the way to Kunjapuri Devi Temple

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.

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