🪂 Adventure📍 Spiritual🌊 River

Rishikesh

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

4.6 (0)

Overview

The yoga capital of the world, where the Ganga leaves the Himalaya — ashrams and cafés line the ghats between Laxman Jhula's swaying bridges, the evening aarti sets the river ablaze with lamps, and Grade III rapids deliver India's best white-water weekend.

Why visit: Yoga at dawn, rafting by noon, Ganga aarti by dusk.

History: An ancient sage's retreat that became globally famous when the Beatles wrote much of the White Album at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in 1968 — now an artful ruin you can visit.

Things to do

›Raft the 16 km Shivpuri–Rishikesh rapids
›Triveni Ghat's fire aarti at sunset
›Explore the graffiti-clad Beatles Ashram
›Yoga/meditation courses at Parmarth or Sivananda
›Bungee and giant swing at Mohan Chatti
›Café-hop Tapovan's traveller lanes

River RaftingYogaBungee Jumping

Location & MapDirections

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Travel Information

Best time

Sep–Nov

Entry fee

Free (rafting ₹600–1500)

Hours

Rafting Sep–Jun

Est. budget

₹1000–3000/day

Duration

2–3 days

Nearby attractions

Within

5.2 km

📍 Heritage

4.4

Beatles Ashram

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's abandoned ashram where the Beatles wrote the White Album in 1968 — egg-domed cells now covered in graffiti art.

Oct–Apr2–3 hrsExplore

7.3 km

📍 Landmark

4.5

Lakshman Jhula & Ram Jhula

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Rishikesh's swaying suspension bridges over the glass-green Ganga, strung between 13-storey temples, ashrams and café ghats.

Sep–AprHalf dayExplore

7.7 km

🦌 National Park

4.4

Rajaji National Park

Haridwar, Uttarakhand

830 sq km of Shivalik sal forest where the Ganga cuts through elephant country — tigers rebounding, and Chilla's safari tracks along the river.

Nov–Jun (closed monsoon)Half–1 dayExplore

10.5 km

📍 Temple

4.5

Neelkanth Mahadev Temple

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

The forest shrine where Shiva's throat turned blue with the ocean's poison, 32 km above Rishikesh through Rajaji's jungle.

Oct–Jun; Shravan for kanwar colourHalf dayExplore

13 km

🪂 Adventure

4.6

Shivpuri Rafting Point

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

The white-water heart of the Ganga — 16 km of Grade III rapids from Shivpuri to Rishikesh past beach camps and cliff-jump coves.

Sep–Jun (closed monsoon)Half–1 dayExplore

13.1 km

📍 Temple

4.5

Kunjapuri Devi Temple

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

A hilltop Shakti shrine at 5,500 ft above Rishikesh whose sunrise unveils a 180° wall from Swargarohini to Chaukhamba.

Oct–AprHalf day (pre-dawn)Explore

17.1 km

📍 Pilgrimage

4.7

Har Ki Pauri Haridwar

Haridwar, Uttarakhand

The great ghat where the Ganga leaves the mountains — Vishnu's footprint, Kumbh crowds and the fire-and-conch spectacle of Ganga aarti.

Oct–Mar; Kanwar in ShravanHalf dayExplore

18 km

📍 Temple

4.4

Chandi Devi Temple

Haridwar, Uttarakhand

A Siddh Peetha of the warrior goddess atop Neel Parvat across the Ganga, installed—legend says—by Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century.

Oct–Mar; Navratri2–3 hrsExplore

18.5 km

📍 Temple

4.5

Mansa Devi Temple

Haridwar, Uttarakhand

The wish-granting goddess on Bilwa Parvat above Haridwar, reached by a ropeway with the Ganga plain unrolling below.

Oct–Mar2–3 hrsExplore

18.5 km

💎 Hidden Gem📍 Cave

4.4

Vashishta Gufa

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

An ancient meditation cave of sage Vashishta on a silent Ganga beach 25 km upstream of Rishikesh, still tended by monks.

Oct–Apr2–3 hrsExplore