I visited Rishikesh a year back and fell absolutely in love with it. The fusion of piousness and adventure, tranquility and thrill, Hindu culture and mythology with spirituality, is bound to take any visitor’s heart away. Whether you are looking for adrenaline-pumping adventure or seeking a peaceful abode away from the usual hustle-bustle of city life, there are plenty of things to do in Rishikesh. It is one of my top recommended destinations for solo travels in India. Keep reading, and you will know why.
Read More : Top Things To Do In Rishikesh
We started our journey from New Delhi. Via overnight train we reached Haridwar early in the morning.
Before heading to Rishikesh, we abruptly decided to spent few hours exploring Holy city of Haridwar. First and foremost, Ganga Puja. I mean had to.
The mystical and spiritual environment of Haridwar took our heart away. After spending some time, at Harki Pauri Ghat, admiring the beauty of Holy Ganges, we headed towards Rishikesh.
Though Rishikesh is only 35km away from Haridwar, Journey took almost 2 hours mainly due to bad road conditions. Regardless it was scenic and our cab driver was fun to talk to. He shared many interesting narratives about the greatness of both these towns.
It was about 2 pm when we reached our Hotel in Rishikesh. We stayed at Hotel EllBee Ganga View. It’s located near the trinity ghat. From the staff’s hospitality to the room’s cleanliness, there isn’t anything I didn’t like about this Hotel. Will recommend it.
After freshen up it was time to actually start exploring Rishikesh. On our rented scooter we headed straight to the very famous laxman Jhulla.
Laxman Jhulla probably is the postcard image of Rishikesh. It is a big iron suspension bridge over the river Ganges. According to Hindu mythology, Laxman ( brother of Lord Rama ) crossed the river through this ( then a rope bridge).
You will find many interesting health and wellness products, clothes, handcrafted jewellery, bags and so much more. You can also shop for travel souvenirs here. We tried delicious local fruits.
One can’t visit the world’s Yoga capital and not do yoga. We attend a 90 minutes class in a group session. You can also join a week or a month-long program. But its something you must not miss when in Rishikesh.
One could spend days in Rishikesh relaxing, doing nothing but chilling around at cozy cafes along the shore of river Ganga. After our rejuvenating yoga session we went to Beatles cafe. It was probably my favorite thing I did, in my short 2 days visit. And something you definitely must do.
And yes if you there try Tulsi cigarettes. These are non-tobacco, 100% organic cigarettes, made of tulsi leaves and some other herbs. Something I had never seen before.
It was already around 6 Pm, so we decided to head for Ganga Arti. Ganga aarti happens every evening at Parmarth Niketan and Triveni Ghat, between 6 PM – 7 PM. On our Day one we went to attend Triveni Ghat Aarti. Needless to say, the whole experience was magical. A perfect end to our first day in Rishikesh.
Our day 2 begun with an adventure. Rishikesh is known as the adventure capital of India. And rightly so. It is one of the best destination for river rafting in India. River rafting stretch is 36 Km long starting from Kaudiyala to Lakshman Jhulla and has 13 major rapids. It can cost anything from 400 to 1300 INR.
We had ball of a time.
This adrenaline pumping activity left us starving which was perfect as it was almost lunch time. I was very keen on trying local Garhwali food but couldn’t find it. But we did try the famous ‘kadhi -chawal’ and ‘Rajma- Chawal’. It was delicious. There are many street vendors, selling it.
After satisfying our food souls, it was time to explore another famous landmark, The Beatles Ashram.
Well, who hasn’t heard of The Beatles, right? Well did you know Beatles had come to India, particularly Rishikesh in 1968, to learn yoga and meditation? During their visit, they stayed in an Ashram located near Swarg Ashram. Today the whole premise is under the forest department but you can still visit remaining buildings and the surrounding area.
It was getting dark and with all the activity we were tired. So we decided to head back to our hotel. Fortunately met another traveler who was heading to Parmarth Niketan for Ganga Aarti and we decided to join.
As the sun went down, ghats were lit up with thousands of incensed lamps, creating a magical atmosphere all around. Couldn't ask for a better ending to our already perfect trip.
PS- I am a solo traveler and a travel writer. I love exploring places on a budget. To know more about my journey follow me on Instagram and Facebook. And checkout my website www.desigalaroundtheworld.com. I share everything from suggested itineraries to destinations, planning to travel hacks, guides to ideas, to make your next trip more successful.
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