Rishikesh – The yoga capital
If you are living in India, you probably must have heard about Rishikesh. It is one of the most popular and oldest centers for rafting and sports activities. There is more to this beautiful landscape other than the rafting experience and my blog here is to help you with it.
I will highly recommend this place for people living in NCR, who are new to their traveling journey or those who want to go for a small weekend getaway. Rishikesh ticks all these necessary boxes.
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How to reach Rishikesh
The easiest and most convenient option to reach here is by road. The road from NCR to Rishikesh is well maintained. There are various options here –
- If you have your own drive and you are a seasoned driver, you can drive to Rishikesh.
- If you are a big group, a tempo traveller is a very good option. There are a number of travel agencies that can provide you a reasonable quotation for a to and fro journey.
- In small groups, you can take a small car with a driver.
- If you are a biker or have a biker group, this location is ideal for your road trip. This distance from Delhi is also good enough if you are traveling for a long distance for a long time.
- Lastly, a budget traveling option is a bus from Kashmiri Gate to Rishikesh.
Do note that the last leg of Rishikesh road is very congested and usually has traffic on weekends. So try to reach here in the morning (meaning you leave at night) and leave early as well. The distance from Delhi is around 250 km.
Things to do in Rishikesh
Rafting
There are a lot of people that provide the rafting facilities. Once you enter the city, you will find a lot of shops with such banners. You can choose from any of them. The range will be almost the same. The cost ranges from 500/- to 2400/- depending on the duration of the rafting experience. There are three boarding points for rafting – 9 km, 16 km and 24 km. For each raft, there are around 8 people. Each one of you needs to sign a contract which is mandatory regarding the risk in this activity.
Each one is provided with a life jacket. Each raft has 1-2 people to row and help you with the experience. The water in this area where rafting is performed is very clean. At some points where the water is still, you will even get a chance to get inside the water and float in it. There are few high points in this experience which you will surely love. This activity starts from 6am and takes a few hours to complete. The earlier you start the better, so that you can skip the heat of the afternoon.
Other activities
Along with rafting, you can even try a few water sports like cliff jumping. For cliff jumping, there is a Maggi point during the river rafting where you can stop by and try it out. There are other experiences like bungee jumping, zipline, flying fox or even the giant swing.
The prices of each vary from 1000-2000/-. If you take a package you will probably find it at a reasonable rate. There is no definitive rate chart so bargain as much as you can. The more the people, the easier it is to bargain. If you are visiting here for the first time, I recommend you try out some of these activities.
Camping
Rishikesh is one of the few places where you can actually get a real life camping experience. And probably it is one of the easiest to find. The camping areas are very close to the river. So choose the one which is just facing the river point. You can enjoy a bath in the fresh waters or even sit by dipping your feet. The camps are very nominally charged and have basic facilities. If you want to have more close to nature experience, you can even set up your own camps.
Most of these areas even do not have proper mobile networks so you can shut yourself off from the social world and enjoy the real world. The electricity is also very limited, some of them work on solar lights. There are common washrooms only. If you choose to stay in camps, they usually take care of your dinner and breakfast the next day. The caretakers are also very friendly. Some of the camping sites also provide rafting activity so you can take a combined package if needed.
Cafe hopping
The above options are on the outskirts of the city. If you are staying within the city, you can explore a lot of cafes around the Laxman Jhula. You will find a street food lane around Tavopan. You will find Indian as well as other cuisine as there are many foreign tourists who visit this place.
Ganga aarti
Ganga Aarti happens at two places in Rishikesh. One is at the Ram Jhula and another is at Laxman Jhula. It is performed in the morning and in the evening. The whole process is not that extravagant as in Haridwar or in Varanasi, but you will surely love the experience if you are experiencing it for the first time.
Aarti in the evening starts at 6:00 p.m. and goes for around half an hour. The aarti is basically a devotion prayer to the holy Ganga. Please perform this pooja. Visitors can sit on the sides of river Ganga and experience the aarti. If you have to choose one, go for Ganga Aarti in Parmarth niketan.
Parmarth Niketan
Parmarth Niketan is one of the oldest Ashrams that are situated on the banks of river Ganga in Rishikesh.This ashram has around 1000 rooms and provides the options for a lot of pilgrims. Have a spiritual experience and in Rishikesh you can opt to stay in Parmarth Niketan. This Ashram is very close to Ram Jhula and you can experience the Ganga Aarti over here.
There are a lot of temples and shops around this place. You will also find a lot of saints sitting on the banks and performing holy Ganga. Bookings to stay in this are available online. The place provides a river rejuvenating experience to whoever comes to visit this place. There are no entry fees. One of the major highlights of Permarth Niketan is a statue of Shiva meditating on the river Ganga.
Yoga capital Rishikesh
Rishikesh is often referred to as the “Yoga Capital of the World.” It holds this title due to its deep-rooted connection to yoga and spirituality. Rishikesh is home to numerous ashrams, yoga schools, and spiritual centers where people from all over the world come to learn and practice yoga, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines.
The city’s serene and spiritual atmosphere, coupled with its location on the banks of the holy river Ganges, creates a conducive environment for self-reflection, inner growth, and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Many renowned yoga gurus and teachers have also established their ashrams and yoga centers in Rishikesh, making it a hub for yoga enthusiasts and seekers of spiritual knowledge.
Best hotels in Rishikesh
As mentioned, there are various types of options to stay in Rishikesh depending upon your budget and convenience. For most of the budget options, you may not get parking facilities if you are driving, you can call up at a hotel to know if there are paid parkings nearby. At times, the hotels mention parking but they have space far from where they stay so contact the property to confirm these details. The prices for hotels can start from 500/- per night and go as high as your budget.
If you love bonding with groups or are traveling solo the best option is to stay in hostels. They are safe, female friendly and you will find similar travelers with whom you can bond along. Some of the hostels are goStops, BunkStay, Musafir, Hosteller. Most of them are close to the main attractions, have good internet connectivity (ideal for long work stations) and a young audience which they cater to.
There are some budget hostels in Rishikesh as well. You can find a lot of options from the booking websites and reasonable prices. You can opt for a without breakfast option as there are a lot of food options around the river view.
For an extravagant experience Taj is the best option offering a direct access to the Ganga, The resort has a spa and wellness center which offer a wide range of services for the body healing.
Best food to try in Rishikesh
The best option to explore food in Rishikesh is cafes. You have a lot of mini cafes in a line around the Tapovan area. If you love Indian food, you can get parathas early in the morning for breakfast. There are various shakes, tea and coffee options. You will find a variety of pasta, sandwiches and plenty of Italian cuisine to choose from like pizza. There are a lot of youngsters who visit this place so there are plenty of restaurants.
Rishikesh also offers proper Punjabi cuisine or North Indian food for that matter so if you are traveling with family or elders, you will find some decent restaurants too in the Tapovan area. Also, do note that most of the places close up by 8-9pm in the mountains so try to finish exploring and head over to eat as soon as you can.
Ganga view cafe
As the name suggests, this cafe is on the banks of river Ganga and very close to the Laxman Jhula. The cafe provides a beautiful backdrop of the jhula at night. Find a seat on the top floor of the cafe and enjoy a hot tea in cool weather.
Location : Ganga View Cafe
Timings : 10am to 10pm
Budget : 700/- for two people
Beatles cafe
This is one of the most talked about cafe in the Tapovan region. This cafe provides an exciting vibe and one of the most insta worthy cafes in Rishikesh. The food quality is good and you will find bikers usually stopping by who prefer to go for road trips on two wheels.
Location : Beatles Cafe
Timings : 11:30am to 9:30pm
Budget : 600/- for two people
Little buddha cafe
This popular cafe gives you a view of the river Ganga. You will find a dog welcoming you here. The ambience and food is really nice. The cafe is not very spacious but you will find it clean. The whole place has a Buddhist vibe to it. If you are a morning person, this is one of the few cafes that open up early.
Location: Little Buddha cafe
Timings : 8am to 11pm
Budget : 400/- for two people
Best time to visit Rishikesh
You will not find a lot of difference in weather of Delhi and Rishikesh except in mornings and evenings. If you choose to stay in camps, you will love the peaceful, out of network and nature environment. The best time is around April or after monsoon when the climate is best suited for rafting. Rafting is one such experience which you must not miss here so try and travel around the time when the temperature is perfect. If you are traveling with aged people or really small kids, this activity can be skipped.
3 Day tinerary for Rishikesh
An ideal number of days to visit Rishikesh will be 3 days. Start off at night from Delhi NCR to reach Rishikesh camping site in the morning. Next you can start off with the camping experience. Go for an early breakfast and then go rafting.
By the time you complete the rafting it will be afternoon. Then you can freshen up and have lunch to experience the camping site. Take a stroll around the area of the camp, enjoy some music or just relax and experience the close to nature feeling. In the evening a bonfire or sit around the river.
The next day, you can come to the main city and choose to stay in Tapovan, the other side of Laxman Jhula. There are a lot of hotels, hostels or even resorts which you can choose depending on your budget. Almost all the stages provide a river view.
For the day you can walk in the park, go to the river side, eat in the cafes and shop in the market. In the evening, experience aarti near Laxman Jhula and take a walk around it at night. You will find a lot of cafes playing some soothing music that amplifies ambience.
The next day you can visit Parmarth Niketan, you will come back refreshed by the whole Rishikesh experience. If you are planning for an office outing, you can plan for camping and rafting for two days over the weekend.
What is Rishikesh famous for?
Rishikesh is famous for its spiritual and cultural significance. It is known as the “Yoga Capital of the World” and attracts numerous spiritual seekers, yoga enthusiasts, and meditation practitioners from around the globe. The city is renowned for its ashrams, where people come to learn and practice yoga, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines.
Rishikesh is also situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges, making it a significant pilgrimage site for Hindus. The city is known for its iconic suspension bridges, Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula, which offer stunning views of the river and surrounding hills. Rishikesh is also popular for adventure sports like river rafting, trekking, and bungee jumping, attracting adventure seekers as well.
Which month is best for Rishikesh trip?
The best time to visit Rishikesh is during the months of February to mid-May and September to November. During these months, the weather is pleasant, with moderate temperatures and clear skies. This allows for comfortable outdoor activities like yoga, meditation, and adventure sports.
However, it is important to note that Rishikesh can get crowded during peak tourist seasons, so if you prefer a quieter visit, it might be better to plan your trip during the shoulder seasons of February to March or October to November.
Is 2 days enough for Rishikesh?
Two days in Rishikesh can give you a taste of the city, but it might not be enough to fully explore all that it has to offer. You can visit the popular attractions like the Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula, and the famous ashrams. You can also experience adventure activities like river rafting and bungee jumping.
However, if you want to immerse yourself in the spiritual and yoga culture, or explore nearby places like Haridwar or the Rajaji National Park, you might need more time. It ultimately depends on your interests and priorities.
What is the cost of Rishikesh trip?
The cost of a Rishikesh trip can vary depending on various factors such as the duration of the trip, accommodation choices, transportation, activities, and personal preferences. It is best to research and compare prices from different travel agencies or websites to get an estimate that suits your budget.
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