We all know how staying at home has affected us mentally. So to escape from the monotonous daily routine, I planned a solo trip. Work from home was really taking a toll on me. Had few places in mind for a long time.
But chose Rishikesh as my first solo trip. The peace and tranquility of this place always attracted me.
Just packed my stuff and started my journey from Pathankot to Rishikesh.
Started my journey from Pathankot. Boarded Hemkunt Special train from Pathankot Cantt on 3rd July. Travelled overnight and reached Rishikesh by 8:30am on 4th July.
I was welcomed by rain and mountains all around. The weather was so good. Took an Auto (Vikram) to Moustache Hostel in Tapovan.
Best place to stay if travelling solo is hostels. You can find number of them here such as Zostel, Moustache, Blue Jays. I chose Moustache Hostel. The rooms were pretty good but the crowd was less maybe due to Covid 19. But I recommend you to choose Zostel. There are 2 Zostel properties in Rishikesh (Zostel and Zostel 2.0). All of these hostels are in Tapovan.
It will cost you around 150/- from Rishikesh Railway station to Tapovan in an auto or a cab.
The staff is very much welcoming and friendly. The ambience is great. Places such as Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula, Ghats are at a walking distance from the hostel.
The rooms are comfortable, clean and spacious.
The best thing of travelling solo is you get to meet new people and this is one of the best things for me.
On the first day, had rest and in the evening went to visit Laxman Jhula, Ghats. The beauty of the place itself will make you fall in love. The mighty Ganga river is mesmerizing.
You can have food in the hostel itself but I will recommend to try frok outside. I had my dinner in Rawat Restaurant near Laxman Jhula. Affordable and Super tasty.
Went back to the hostel, sat with other people. And went to sleep.
Woke up at 5am. The cool breeze and the majestic view of Shivaliks all around is treat for the eyes.
Had morning coffee in the hostel restaurant. Started my journey to explore more on foot.
Planned to visit the famous Beatles Ashram today.
Reached the Sita Setu, the newly built bridge on Ganga at around 3 km from the hostel. beautiful bridge with huge grafittia of Hindu Gods and Goddess. From there the Beatles Ashram is just 400-500m near Gita Bhawan.
The entry ticket for this ashram is 150/- for Indians. The place is calm, quiet and lush green. There are 84 huts (Chaurasi Kutiya) in the area where the famous band Beatles once came and meditated.
The area is almost in ruins now. But if you love peace and quiet, this is the place you must visit.
Then from there I went on foot towards Ram Jhula. Visited Parmarth Aashram, saw the iconic Shiva statue and reached Ram Jhula.
Had my brunch in the very famous Chotiwala restaurant. The food is very tasty, the cost is not much high.
After having my meal, I sat near the banks of Ganga. The calm voice of the flowing river, the pure water. It was all magical.
Then moved forward towards Laxman Jhula. It is around 1-1.5km walk from there. You can see different Yoga ashrams, gardens. The charm of the city and the beautiful people here.
Near Laxman Jhula, you will come around the best cafes in Rishikesh. The Little Buddha, The Freedom Cafe, The Art Bliss Cafe and The Tattv Cafe.
Went to a book shop nearby, The Banyan Tree Book Shop. Here you can find books on Ayurveda, Yoga, Spirituality, and the best life changing novels.
I chose The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh.
The owner of the book shop is very friendly. Do visit if you love books.
For the day, I walked for around 4 hours and covered all these places.
Traveling solo is truly a great experience. To know oneself, to know people it is the best thing.
In the night had my dinner in the hostel restaurant. The service is slow and the food tastes okay. But one good thing is the open air sitting. You can enjoy your food as well as the cool breeze and the view.
And also drinking isn't allowed in the hostel, amd you can smoke only in the restaurant.
Overall the day was great, I went to sleep happily.
Good Night.
Third day, woke up at 8am. Already made good friends with the dorm mates.
Had my morning coffee then along with one friend whom I met here, went to have breakfast.
We chose Tattv Cafe for our meal. The place is beautiful. Around 300-400m from the hostel. The place has a nice ambience. Staff is very friendly.
Here you can try different delicacies from around the world from Indian to Continental to Israel.
I chose to have Israeli Breakfast. The price is not that high.
The food came in 10-15 min which is completely fine looking at the beauty on the plate. It had 2 Pita Breads, Humus, Omlette, Salad and Coffee.
Sufficient for a person. A perfect breakfast.
The calm music in the background ( Om Mani Padme Hum) is a treat for ears. I recommend everyone to listen to this whenever you feel stressed. This has really helped me in the past 2 years since my mom passed away to help me overcome negativities and stress. It really works.
Explored local market. Had dinner in another beautiful cafe, The Little Buddha. The ambience is very good, just on the banks of Ganga. Do visit once in evening to enjoy cool breeze plus amazing food.
After food, visit Laxman Jhula and in the middle of the bridge, enjoy the fast cold winds. Recommended.
Woke up around 9am in the morning.
Went again to Tattv Cafe for the breakfast. I am in love with this cafe. Tried Italian Breakfast today.
They play so calming music that you will want to sit there for 1-2 hrs.
Then we took a scooty for rent. You will find hundreds of rent shops offering you two wheelers on rent. Negotiate wisely and you can get a scooty at 350/- for the whole day. (Usually they will offer 350/- for 12 hrs). Plus min 1000/- as security.
Then after some rest we decided to visit Neer Garh waterfall. From Tapovan it is 15-20 min drive.
There is an entry fee of Rs 30/- to visit the waterfall
Start the trek and you will see different bathing points. Try getting higher, you will get less crowd.
You never know when it rains. The views are amazing and you can also camp on the hill top.
In the evening went to Triveni ghat to witness the Ganga Aarti. It was all magical. From Tapovan it is around 4-5kms. One can reach there by two wheeler or Vikram (will not cost more than 15-20/-).
For our dinner, we chose Beatles Cafe. One can easliy find it on Google Maps. It is near Laxman Jhula.
Perfect place for evening.
Today was my last day in Rishikesh. Had my breakfast at 60s cafe in Tapovan. Visit this place only afer 12pm as they start working in full capacity after 12.
The meals are good, various options to choose from. Ambience is nice, peaceful, green.
This cafe is also a part of Beatles Cafe. One can see photo frames, musical instruments of the famous band.
And also you can buy postcards of Beatles in 200-250/- bucks.
Rishikesh has a special place in my heart. The city has it's own vibe. Peaceful and a happening place.
But I recommend you to visit Rishikesh on weekdays. During the weekends the place is too much crowded and there are long traffic jams also.
Plan your visit accordingly. For a week also it will not cost you more than 5k-6k.
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See you in the next blog as I am going to Mussoorie for another week but this time I will be staying at Zostel. Pretty excited. Byeeeeeeee
