2 Days Trip to Rishikesh the Yoga capital of the world & Adventure capital of India.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog of 2 days trip to Rishikesh which is a famous city in the Garhwal Region of  Uttarakhand, India. Also known as Hrishikesh, it is named in the name of Hindu Lord Vishnu. The Holi Ganga river flowing from the foothills of Garhwal Himalayas is the main attraction of Rishikesh.

It Divides Rishikesh into two parts, one side is Tehri Garhwal and other is Paudi Garhwal. Both the sides are connected by two long-span cables suspended bridges Laxman Jhulla & Ram Jhulla, which are a marvelous piece of architecture. Rishikesh is famous for its yoga and Ashrams also for adventure sports. It is also called the entrance gate for Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.

Where is Rishikesh?

 It is  25 km from Haridwar and  240 km away from the Capital city New Delhi. Every year a lot of foreigners and Indians came to Rishikesh for yoga and adventures.

Which is the best time to visit Rishikesh?

The best time to visit is from March to May & September to November for River rafting and adventures, otherwise, you can go any time.

Why 2 days trip to Rishikesh is the best for a weekend trip?

This Blog consists of my story of a weekend road trip to Rishikesh from New Delhi. I got a job in New Delhi 4 months ago, the new office was amazing and colleagues were also. but there was a lot of work in the office. I started getting irritated because of this 9-5 job, daily same routing office, gym, and sleep. No fun no adventure in life was left, I get to know that a lot more people feel the same thing there but many of them are lazy to plan. As I used to travel before so, I decided to plan this trip, and 5 of us get agreed. we finalized the coming weekend, Friday everyone completed there work till 7 o’clock by helping each other. Friday night we sleep at our friend’s house because we decided to start our journey at 4 a.m.

DAY 1 (Saturday) – New Delhi to 2 days trip to Rishikesh

We left New Delhi at 4:30 am early in the morning. On the way, we stopped at Shiva Tourist Dhaba at Barla for refreshment, ( you can stop here for its Kulhad Elaichi chai ) and continued.

It’s a 5-hour journey, we reach Rishikesh at 10 am.  and parked our car in the Ram Jhulla parking lot near Sivananda ashram. we crossed Ram Jhulla ( you can see beautiful views of Ganga and hills from the middle of this bridge ) and reach Swarg ashram.

Then we had Breakfast at Chotiwala restaurant (There paranthas are very delicious and famous for its thali ). We continued our walk towards the Beatles Ashram. On the way, Pramarth Niketan and Shiva statue situated at 5 minutes walk. And from there 10 minutes walk is for Beatles Ashram.

After this long walk, we got tired and took a ticket for the ship to cross the river Its ticket is only Rs.10 per person for crossing the river it will drop you near the parking lot. you can get the ticket from the ticket counter near the ghat of Pramarth Niketan.

Then we decided to go to our camping site near the Jumping Heights. We had lunch at the camping site and went for a walk towards a small canal of Ganga take bath in there for 1 hour. And came back took snacks started a bonfire had dinner  (veg./non.veg. optional ) enjoyed there and slept in the tents.

*if you have not booked a camping site earlier, then in parking lot guides are there you can book rafting from there at Rs.400-500/person  (Rs.600 for GoPro video ). I recommend you to book a whole package for Rs.1000- 1400 / person it will include camping, Rafting, bonfire, evening snacks, dinner & Breakfast also. I also recommend you to take the camping site near the city if you are coming by bus or train .because a taxi is expensive. if you are coming in your own car then you can take a camping site near jumping heights.

1. RAM JHULLA– most famous destination in 2 days trip to Rishikesh

It is a 230m (755 feet) long cable suspended bridge built in 1986 and one of the iconic landmarks of Rishikesh. This bridge connects Sivananda Nagar, Tehri Garhwal to Swarg ashram, Pauri Garhwal. Pedestrians, Cycling and 2 wheelers are allowed to cross from the bridge.

• Shivananda Nagar, Tehri Garhwal – Parking lot & Sivananda Ashram.
• Swargashram, Pauri Garhwal – Chotiwala Restaurant, Pramarth Niketan, Shiva Statue & Beatles Ashram.

2. CHOTIWALA RESTAURANT

It is one of the most famous restaurants of the Rishikesh, it is a must-visit destination, situated near the Ram Jhulla along with the holy river Ganga. A Healthy man with Choti and a highly decorated face sit in front of the restaurant . A lot of people click selfies with him.

3. PRAMARTH NIKETAN

There are more then 100 Rooms in Pramarth Niketan where you can stay if you are coming to Rishikesh and want to stay in there but you have to book rooms online for this .in offline mode you may face difficulties to get a room. You can also enjoy the evening Ganga Ji aarti here at 7 pm.

4. BEATLES ASHRAM– Place of music and meditation in 2 days trip to Rishikesh

The place where the Beatles came in 1968 and learn about meditation, the guru who lived here was the guru of many famous celebrities of that time beach boys, fab. four and the Beatles etc.  Beatles write approx 48 hit songs in this ashram. Ticket Price is Rs.100-150 & for foreigners its Rs.600.

 

DAY 2 (Sunday) – Rafting, Cliff Jumping, Evening Aarti.

Woke up early in the morning, and went for walk on the banks of Ganga. It was one of the most amazing experiences to see the sunrise in the mountains. Others were sleeping till then I came back and we all head our buffet breakfast. Our 1^st destination was Jumping Heights. But we didn’t get the ticket because daily 80 to 85 people jump from there and we were late. Therefore, we came back to our camp a little disappointed.

But then Abhishek, the owner of the camp  came and said we have traveler ready for you guys. It will take to the destination from where your rafting will start. Shivpuri is a point from where we started our rafting. It is a 16 km long stretch from Shivpuri to Rishikesh. This stretch has four Rapids –  roller coaster, return to sender, double trouble & golf course. And took 3-4 hours of rafting time. We had a thrilling experience of rafting filled with full of fear and confidence. We were 8 people in the raft and I was sitting in the front. After finishing all the rapids, the instructor allowed us to jump in the middle of Ganga with our life jackets where the water was stable and 30-40 feet deep by holding a safety rope.

Then the best part came where we stop at the cliff in the middle of Ganga. Here you can have tea & Maggi also. So, I decided to jump off the cliff and was afraid because it feels like doing suicide jumping from a height of 30 feet in water with 30-40 feet depth. I see many people were jumping with closed eyes. However, I decided not to close my eyes and it was my best decision. Those two seconds in the air was like two hours with a lot of thoughts were running inside my mind. But the second I touched the water and came back upward with a bounce, everything was clear. And I was filled with joy and adventure. Finally, we relaxed on the Ganga beach and then rafted to Rishikesh.  Soon the same traveler car was waiting there for us to take us back to the camp.

Took rest for a while and packed our bags, then went to see Laxman Jhulla after that we watched the beautiful ritual of evening Ganga aarti at Pramarth Niketan. Then we went to Neelkanth Restaurant for dinner with a spectacular view of the holy river Ganga. Moreover, the food was also very Delicious. After dinner, we returned back to Delhi.

*Before rafting submit your phone to the instructor so that he can put it in the waterproof bag if your phone is not waterproof.

*I recommend you if you have good stamina then try to sit in the front position of the raft . Hoever, you can also change the position when the water level increases and the raft get stable. And please follow the guidelines given by the instructor before and during the rafting.

 

1. BUNGEE JUMPING

Bungee is one of the most famous adventure sport of Rishikesh. Moreover, it is the highest bungee jumping point of India with a height of 83 m. Three different color ropes are used here to jump according to your weight. It is safe and good.

*You will need to do early registration bungee jumping. The ticket price is Rs.3600+ Rs100 for office sitting in total it will be Rs.3700/person.

2. RIVER RAFTING 

River rafting is another famous adventure sport of the Rishikesh, It has 4 main spots of rafting. Shivpuri is best because it is 16 km long and took 3-4 hours, longer then this is tiring and costly too.

3. CLIFF JUMPING 

This Cliff is of 30 feet in height and a good depth of water. It is complimentary with the River rafting.  Surely, this will be one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have in your life.

• It is totally safe but you must ensure to tie your life jacket tightly. You do not need to pay extra ticket charges for cliff jumping.

4. LAXMAN JHULLA

It is a 140m (450 feet) long cable suspended bridge built in 1929. Moreover, it is one of the iconic landmarks of Rishikesh. This bridge connects 2 villages named ( Tapovan of Tehri Garhwal and Jonk of Pauri Garhwal).

It was an amazing experience full of thrill and enjoyment. It is the best Weekend trip for north India.