We had gone for River Rafting in Rishikesh in 2016. Before this trip, I had done only parasailing as an adventure ride. Hence I was stoked to do river rafting and was ready to get a lifetime experience.
We had traveled in our car by road from Delhi. The journey was amazing because we were traveling with a group of friends and had a lot of fun.
I traveled with an empty mind neither I searched for any details on Google as the friends with whom we were traveling knew everything.
It was my first visit to Uttarakhand and the road to Rishikesh had steep and winding mountain roads, however, the scenic view along the way was enthralling.
About River Rafting in Rishikesh
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We had stayed for 2 days and 1 night in October 2016.
Camping in Rishikesh | Tents in Rishikesh
I always wanted to stay in a tent and wanted to feel it. Therefore, I couldn’t wait to go to my tent room and chill.
It was located against the silhouette of the Rishikesh valley with the gushing sound of the Ganga river. The view was awe-inspiring and left me bewitched.
The tent room accommodates two people and had warm vibes which we both liked. After some relaxation, we went to have our meal which was covered in room charges. The meal was so delicious that we had more than enough. Such taste you won’t find in metro cities, only locals in these places can cook that kind of palatable foods.
We wander around the tent area for some time and then went to our tents to get ready for the most thrilling adventure of our life- River Rafting.
River Rafting Rishikesh review
It is not necessary to say as we all know what types of clothes and shoes should be worn for River rafting. So do take care of them before you embark on your rafting journey.
Before reaching the spot for rafting, we had to went to the tourism agent/company/govt office to sign the paper which says that no one is responsible for our mishaps if happen any. We were also given helmets, life jackets, and paddles.
We then reached the rafting spot and were mesmerized by Himalayas and Ganges. I could not believe that the school books which glorified both, I would see it for real. I was ecstatic and excited.
Obviously, we wanted this memory to be captured; therefore we had some amazing time clicking our photos. We all were enthusiastic about our first river rafting experience.
Before the start, our guide explained to us the rules, the techniques, and the commandments. After practicing for a while, we were prepared to commence our ride. We were 8 people on one inflatable boat with our guide. We were divided in two, 4 people were sitting on the left and the other on right.
We started with the instruction of our guide. He was a jovial and kind person and because of him, the rafting experience was effortless.
As soon we started, I was tensed as the Ganga river is too deep and the tides were high. But soon the fear vanished and we all were enjoying rafting with full force. The waves kept coming and we kept rowing against the powerful tides.
After some distance, the Ganga river was calm and the guide told us that now we can jump off and enjoy the breeze.
What! Jump off in Ganga? Gone mad? I don’t know swimming. I was petrified by the idea.
While I was thinking, the four friends on the left side jumped off as soon as the guide commanded. Yes all of them. (Wow! they are too brave or foolish)
Now the guide looked at the remaining 4 of us and gave the signal to jump. But we didn’t, so you won’t believe what he did next. He pushed us to the Ganga river.
The moment we were in the water, all the agitation and fear went off because the river was calm and it felt as if we were lying on a swimming pool. It was damn amazing and I thanked the guide for pushing me, otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to do it.
We were enjoying our time on the river so much that now we didn’t want to go on the boat. It was a surreal experience that I can’t express in words, can only be felt.
I remember one of the friends while relaxing on the water, kept saying: ‘Uttam, ati Uttam” which means “good, too good.” And I couldn’t agree more.
Then we went on our boat and started rowing again. The splash of water that kept coming on our face made us zestful and we were rafting with strength against the torrents.
After some time, the tides again slowed down near the cliff jumping spot. I could see only foreigners over that place. Our guide informed us that due to repeated complaints from foreigners regarding misbehavior by Indians, the tourism govt has allocated them that area where only foreign tourists can visit and start their adventure.
The guide asked us if we want to do cliff jumping in which we all nodded ‘NO’. We kept rowing and were overwhelmed by nature’s awesomeness.
Our ride finished and we reached the endpoint. We were astonished when we came to know that we did rafting for 3.5 hours because the time went rapidly. It was the best river rafting in Rishikesh.
Back to Camping
We then got back to our camping site and relaxed. Now we wanted to enjoy the campsite as we would be leaving tomorrow, so wanted to make the most use of our time.
We had decided on a bonfire but as there was too much wind that day, we had to cancel it. However, we thought let’s have some chat and fun time.
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All of us had our dinner which was again very delectable and now we gathered along and started having fun.
But soon gradually we all started feeling drowsy because of our adventure ride, so we headed towards our assigned tents and dozed off completely.
Next day fun
The next day we woke up to chirping birds sound and were rejuvenated. After having breakfast, we were having fun by playing games- badminton, cricket. These were provided by the camp for which you need to pay extra.
Subsequently, all started having fun with water in the river except me because I didn’t want to get wet again. So I was clicking photos and they were enjoying it.
At noon we went back to the tent to pack our bags and say adieu to our Rishikesh trip.
We left this rustic place with lifetime memories to cherish. Indeed, river rafting at Rishikesh was the best adventure of my life as it was surreal and valiant. It boosted my self-confidence as I was not sure I would be able to do rafting because of my apprehension of being a non-swimmer.
Further, I would like to encourage my readers to do river rafting esp. in Rishikesh whenever they get an opportunity because the impression it will leave is incredible.
After we finished rafting
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