Do you want to get away from the maddening city crowd and experience the serene wilderness, breathe in the pure mountain air and bathe in the crystal clear river water? Do you want to experience adventure that can give you a rush of adrenalin that you wouldn't have experienced since you were a schoolboy when you rode your first roller coaster? And do you want all this in a one night two day trip from Delhi (including travel)? Seems too good to be true, but such a weekend getaway does exist. It's called Rishikesh
Rishikesh : ऋषिकेश
Rishikesh is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Holy Ganges decends to the plains for the first time. The holy city has been the destination for the seekers of spirituality from time immemorial, but came into the eyes of the world when the Beatles visited in mid 1960's.
Road: Approximately 260 Km from Delhi. You should leave really early in the morning (4 am) or else you may find some traffic on the road. It should take roughly 7 hours. You can stop around midway at the Grand Cheetal for breakfast and refreshments.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Hardwar, 25 Km from Rishikesh. The best option is taking the Shatabdi from New Delhi at 7 am and reach Hardwar at 11:15 am. You can also take the Jan Shatabdi that leaves New Delhi at 3.30pm and reaches Hardwar at 7.20 pm
Air: The nearest airport is at Dehradun, around 20 Km from Rishikesh.
Accommodation
There are several resorts in and around Rishikesh offering decent accommodation at very competitive rates, but if you go by my experience, the best place to stay are the camps set up on the sand beaches of the Ganga further up from Rishikesh.
The beach camps provide twin sharing tents with beds and mattresses. Food provided is good and facilities are, at best, basic. But what the heck, who's looking for luxury when you can spend the night on the beach in the middle of nowhere sitting around a bonfire and enjoying hot pakoras with the sound of the gushing water playing all night. Normally a one night stay at the camps costs around Rs. 1900 (including rafting, lunch, dinner and breakfast).
White Water Rafting
Rishikesh is one of the best river rafting destinations in India. Normally You can do a rafting stretch from Marine Drive to Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh (this takes around 4 hours). You can also do a smaller streach from Shivpuri (halfway). Experienced rafters may want to start from Kaudilya (this stretch has more demanding rapids) but is also a longer stretch. If you want to start from Kaudilya, it is advised to have an extra day in hand.
Rafting is a hell lot of fun and adrenalin. And its tiring too. A raft typically can seat 8-10 people including the guide. The guides are good here and good safety measures are followed. You should just leave your inhibitions behind and enjoy the rowing!
Other Activities
There are other things that can be done while you are there on your rafting trip, namely
- Rock Climbing
- Rapelling (sliding down a rope from a high bridge or rocks)
- Trecking
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