Here the nights do not twinkle with stars only, they twinkle with the lights. The lights scattered around, in the camps far away. Here you will not hear the sound of cars, you will hear the sound of river Ganga flowing. Yes, Rishikesh it is.
We needed a break from this city life but didn’t have much time to go somewhere far, so we headed towards Rishikesh one weekend. And we must say the experience was surreal.
We went to Rishikesh from Delhi by road. You can also reach Haridwar by train and then take a taxi for Rishikesh. But in our opinion take a bus or hire a cab, enjoy the road trip and soon you will reach from the noise of car horns to the music of Ganga.
Camping: We stayed in the Footloose camp there. Situated in Shivpuri, high above all the camps, from where you will see other lit camps, away from all the camps, and giving you the ample time for yourself. The camps are well facilitated with electricity, clean and hygienic common washroom and bathroom area. It has well behaved and courteous staff, it was an all-girls trip for us and the staff made our trip an easy one. The camp also has perfect bonfire area, where you can just sit and chill with your friends and enjoy the night.
The night with the stars in the sky, moon peeping out from behind the mountains, the sound of flowing river will soothe your ears, and yes the fireflies. How can I forget them, they will bring that smile, the light in your darkness.
Rishikesh is known for its adventure element. It’s a heaven for all the adventurous souls out there. Here we have listed things on which we tried our hands.
Relax: I mean common for what reason you even started a trip at first place? Soak your feet in the river, let the Ganga take away all your tiredness of the long route. Have fun there, throw some water on your friends, play volleyball in the water, play the music and dance, click your best photographs and for some time forget all your worries.
River rafting: The sensation, the delirium, the ups and downs of rapids which will bring the water on your face, it’s euphoric, it’s an experience for a lifetime. Sitting in the raft, with the rapids moving your rafts, it will bring the elation with it, the feeling is that of a sailor, sailing through the storms of ocean (Okay I know I exaggerated it, but dude it was my first experience of rafting, I will say such things :-P).
Usually, the cost of rafting and cliff jumping is included in the costs of camping only, but to be on safer side, always ask your camp manager before booking it. Don’t forget to have good breakfast and some juice or glucose before rafting. Prepare yourself for extreme pain in shoulders for next few days if you are going for the first time. And yes, do jump in the water when the instructors give you the green signal for it because these are the moments which you will cherish after the trip.
Cliff Jumping: In the way, while rafting, there is a stoppage ‘Maggie Point’, here you will get the chance to jump from the cliff into the water. The moment when you are standing on the edge, on the verge, looking at the deep water, you will feel like giving up, but don’t give up, because it’s just at that point you have to gather the maximum courage, because after that it’s all bliss, in the deep water it’s like surrendering yourself to Ganga, and it’s all worth it. The experience in itself is everlasting.
Don’t give yourself excuses like you don’t know swimming, or you won’t be able to do it. You are with a life jacket, you will be safe, just do it.
Follow the instructions given by your instructors, keep minimum things with yourself while rafting. Keep some money handy, to have Maggie at Maggie point and at the end. They will also charge extra for making a video while rafting, it’s approximate Rs. 200 per person. So if you want to capture these moments, then keep some money ready for it. To all those who use spectacles (just like me), you can wear your spectacles while rafting, don’t use lenses if you want to go for cliff jumping, give your spectacles to the instructor while jumping the cliff.
There are many other activities in Rishikesh like bungee jumping, rappelling, kayaking, flying fox, waterfall trekking, camping, and much more.
This trip was organized by Justwravel, and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip as they took care of all the things we needed. Follow Justwravel on Facebook for more such trips which they keep on organizing. They will definitely make your trip a memorable one.
And to experience all the adventures, Rishikesh we are coming again, soon.
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