A Journey to Rishikesh

As I’ve already shared a travel story of Rajasthan of my friend Jitesh. It was another experience of Rishikesh. He loves traveling and has visited many places to explore them.

Rishikesh in Uttarakhand is definitely a stunning little place within the mountains. It is located at the foothills of the Himalayas in Northern India. Approximately 100,000 inhabitants live in this city. The streets are very crowded but only a few cars can be seen. The vehicles will be honking all the time, though, which is a bit annoying. It’s famous for its yoga and meditation education. The city is packed with tourists, they come here to seek for satisfaction, pilgrims, and sadhus.

RAFTING ON THE GANGES

They(6 friends) went at about 10 pm in the car and approximately 20-30 minutes down the street next to the river. After short instructions on how to use the paddle, they started their trip in the rafts. It was great to row through big waves. They made a short break at a cliff where they had the option to jump into the water (approximately 5 meters). During the boat trip, they were also swimming in the Ganga when there was no strong current. 

They did the 18 KM rafting and this has been one of the best adventures they have ever had in their lifetime. There were a lot of shops for rafting and mostly were same. They picked them in a jeep and took them to the starting point based on the distance they wanted to cover. Once they started rafting, they forgot everything. They jumped in the water at different places. There was one Maggy/tea point at the end where they have warmed themselves. That place also has one jumping point where they jumped directly into the river from the around 15-20ft height. That felt so good. 

SHOPPING IN RISHIKESH

The shopping mile after the LakshmanJhula Bridge is really nice and you can get a lot of gifts, for example, handcrafts, bags, clothes, cards, and many more presents. If you are lucky you can take some pictures with monkeys. It is probably the most famous attraction in Rishikesh when you google images of the place, so get your cameras ready.

TREKKING & WATERFALLS

Their Trekking trip was organized by the hotel. They woke at 4:15 am and it took all of them and also the guide around one hour to climb to the KunjaaPuri (height 4050 ft). It is about 15 kilometers away from Rishikesh. There was a small beautiful temple where you could watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was very foggy so the view was not the best. When you have a good view you can also see the Himalayas. After breakfast, they walked down the mountain and saw incredible rice fields and a beautiful waterfall called Neer-Ghar-waterfall. They stayed there for about half an hour and enjoyed a swim in the waterfall. If you're brave you'll be able to climb up around twenty meters next to the falls and swim there.

 ACCOMMODATION, DIVINE GANGA COTTAGE

The hotel, Divine Ganga Cottages are surrounded by other houses and tents. You have a great view of the Ganga from the cottage. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The cottage owner offered them taxi services, rafting, trekking, spa/massage treatment, ayurvedic doctor consultation, yoga, wildlife safaris, bungee jumping, and access to several other facilities. During the night they arranged them campfire and some music. Jitesh along with his friends danced and enjoyed the evening, which is definitely worth to remember. Also, they played several games like volleyball, cricket, etc during their stay in cottages. Their area was quite nice as well as a TV, a touch table, a shower, and a western restroom. They enjoyed a lot.

Overall, Rishikesh is a hotspot for people who want to experience adventure with beauty. The white water rafting and hike up to the waterfall give you an abundance of adrenaline rush for people who seek for adventure. For people who just want to experience the serene beauty of the mountains and relax from their everyday busy life, Rishikesh is a perfect place for them too. Rishikesh is definitely underrated. A must-visit for people who want to get away from their regular life.