Wellness · Sep - Jun
Seven Mornings on the Ganga
Twice-daily practice with a lineage teacher, pranayama and philosophy sessions, plus an Ayurvedic consultation
From US$1,675 per person
Overview
Rishikesh sits at about 370 m where the Ganga leaves its Himalayan gorge and turns towards the plains. The town is strung along both banks and linked by two suspension footbridges, Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula, which carry pedestrians, motorcycles and the occasional cow. The water here is still mountain water, running at around 13 to 18°C even in summer, which is why the rafting is cold and the bathing ghats are chained.
Its reputation was made in two stages. Ashrams have taught Vedanta and yoga on these banks for centuries, with Sivananda establishing his lineage here in 1936. Then the Beatles arrived at the Maharishi's ashram in February 1968, wrote much of the White Album in its huts, and made Rishikesh a fixture on the Western map. That abandoned ashram is now a ticketed site with graffiti-covered meditation cells.
Today the town trains more yoga teachers than anywhere on earth, with hundreds of registered schools running courses of 200 and 500 hours. Alongside that sits an adventure industry born in the 1980s: rafting through grade three and four rapids, cliff jumping and Himalayan trail walks. Haridwar's temples are 25 km downstream, and the Char Dham road north begins at the edge of town.
Hand-held, every step
You travel as our guest, not as a booking number. One named person looks after you from the first video call to the drive back to the airport, and explains the meaning behind everything you are looking at.
In Rishikesh that matters most where the crowds are thickest and the customs least familiar.
- Airport welcome with a name board, a local SIM and your first rupees sorted
- One trip manager on WhatsApp for the whole journey, answering within the hour
- Guides who explain each ritual, dish and carving as you meet it
- Reserved, safe places at festivals rather than the crush
- A real part in a puja, a wedding or a family celebration if you want one
- Female guide on request, vetted drivers, and no shopping-commission stops
Festivals worth planning a trip around
Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Islamic dates follow lunar calendars, so each year shifts. We confirm every date against the panchang before a departure goes on sale.
| Festival | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| International Yoga Festival | March | A week of classes, talks and kirtan hosted at Parmarth Niketan, drawing teachers from across the world |
| Ganga Dussehra | May to June | Marks the river's descent to earth, with large bathing crowds and an extended evening aarti |
| Kanwar Yatra | July to August | Saffron-clad pilgrims walk through town collecting Ganga water; roads become extremely congested |
| Shivratri | February to March | Night-long vigils at the Neelkanth Mahadev temple above town, with thousands walking up |
| Diwali on the ghats | October to November | Lamps floated on the river and the bridges lit; the lunar date shifts each year |
| Navratri | September to October | Nine nights of goddess worship, with fasting menus at every ashram kitchen and temple music |
Food to try in Rishikesh
Ranked the way a local host would feed you, starting with the dish you should not leave without.
- Satvik thaliOnion-free and garlic-free ashram food on steel plates, eaten in silence at Parmarth Niketan
- Aloo puri with chutneyThe standard pilgrim breakfast at the Ram Jhula market stalls, served on leaf plates
- German Bakery cakes and brown breadA long-running traveller-cafe tradition in Tapovan, supplying banana bread and apple strudel
- Mandua roti with gheeFinger millet flatbread from the Garhwali hills, nutty and dense, served at local eateries
- KafuliGarhwali spinach and fenugreek curry thickened with rice paste, mild and iron-rich
- Bhang ki chutneyA tangy hemp-seed chutney, a Garhwali staple that accompanies almost every hill meal
- Herbal and Ayurvedic teasTulsi, ginger and ashwagandha infusions sold by the ashram dispensaries and cafes
- Fruit and curd breakfastsWhat most yoga students actually eat, with papaya, pomegranate and thick set curd
- Jhangora kheerBarnyard millet pudding with milk and jaggery, served as prasad on festival days
- Lassi and chaasSweet and salted yoghurt drinks from the Lakshman Jhula shops, useful after a hot practice
Heritage sites in Rishikesh
- Parmarth NiketanThe largest ashram on the Ganga here, founded 1942, with the nightly aarti on its own ghat
- Beatles AshramThe Maharishi's abandoned Chaurasi Kutia, where the band stayed in 1968, now a ticketed site
- Triveni GhatThe main bathing ghat in the old town, with evening lamp ceremonies and pilgrim crowds
- Neelkanth Mahadev templeA Shiva shrine at 1,330 m above the town, reached by road or a steep forest walk
- Sivananda AshramThe Divine Life Society, established 1936, which shaped how yoga reached the West
- Laxman Jhula and Ram JhulaSuspension footbridges of 1929 and 1986 that define how the town is crossed
- Bharat MandirThe oldest temple in town, traditionally dated to the 12th century, in the old bazaar
- Kunjapuri Devi templeA hilltop shrine at 1,676 m with a sunrise view of the Garhwal snow peaks
Places to visit in Rishikesh
- Tapovan and Laxman JhulaWhere most yoga schools, cafes and foreign visitors are based, on the right bank
- Parmarth Niketan ghat at duskThe aarti, with chanting, lamps and hundreds of people seated on the steps
- Shivpuri rafting put-in16 km upstream, the start of the standard grade three run back into town
- Beatles AshramGraffiti-covered meditation huts and a domed lecture hall in forest above the river
- Neelkanth and the Rajaji forestA hill temple in elephant country, with a forest road worth taking slowly
- Kunjapuri for sunriseA pre-dawn drive and short climb for the first light on Swargarohini and Banderpunch
- Vashistha GufaA riverside meditation cave 22 km upstream, used by ascetics and open to quiet visitors
- Haridwar25 km downstream, for the larger and more intense temple and ghat experience
Waterfalls, lakes and wild places
The Ganga here is glacier-fed and stays between about 13 and 18°C all year, cold enough to shock an unprepared swimmer. Rafting runs roughly September to June and stops in the monsoon when the river is in flood. Bathe only at the chained ghats or supervised beaches, never from the rocks, and treat the current as stronger than it looks.
- Ganga at Triveni GhatOld town. Chained bathing steps with a strong current and an evening lamp ceremony
- Shivpuri to Rishikesh rafting run16 km upstream. Grade three rapids with names like Roller Coaster and Golf Course
- Neer Garh waterfall7 km up the Badrinath road. A three-tier fall reached on a short paved walk, best July to September
- Patna waterfallNear Laxman Jhula. A forest walk through Rajaji habitat to a limestone cascade
- Ganga beaches at BrahmapuriUpstream. Sandy riverside camps used for overnight stays and gentler swimming spots
- Vashistha Gufa riverbank22 km upstream. A quiet stretch of white sand and deep green water beside the cave
Where to stay in Rishikesh
Properties we would put our own guests in. Your package includes the level you choose, and we hold rooms before festival dates.
- Ananda in the HimalayasNarendra Nagar, 20 km. A palace estate running structured Ayurveda and yoga programmesLuxury
- Taj Rishikesh Resort and SpaSingthali. Terraced villas above a river bend, 30 minutes upstream of townLuxury
- Aloha on the GangesTapovan. A long-established riverside hotel with its own ghat and gardensUpscale
- Parmarth NiketanSwarg Ashram. Simple ashram rooms, daily yoga and the nightly aarti on the doorstepMid-range
- Sivananda AshramMuni ki Reti. Basic accommodation for serious students of the Divine Life SocietyMid-range
- Hotel Ganga KinareHaridwar road. A riverside hotel of long standing with a private bathing ghatUpscale
- Himalayan Yoga Ashram guest roomsTapovan. Plain rooms attached to teacher-training schools, booked by course studentsMid-range
- Riverside camps at BrahmapuriUpstream beaches. Tented camps for rafting groups, operating outside the monsoonMid-range
Evenings out and culture
| Place | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ganga aarti at Parmarth Niketan | Nightly chanting and lamp ceremony on the ashram ghat, free and seated on the steps |
| Kirtan evenings in Tapovan | Call-and-response chanting circles at the yoga schools, open to drop-in visitors |
| Ecstatic dance and sound healing | Regular movement and gong sessions run for the long-stay yoga community |
| Satsang and Vedanta talks | Evening question-and-answer sessions with resident teachers at the older ashrams |
| Cafe music in Laxman Jhula | Acoustic sets at the riverside cafes; note that no alcohol is served anywhere in town |
| No bars or clubs | Rishikesh is legally dry and vegetarian, so nightlife means chanting, cafes and the river |
Getting to Rishikesh by air
| Airport or route | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dehradun Jolly Grant (DED) | 20 km and 40 minutes; domestic flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Lucknow |
| Delhi (DEL) | 240 km and five to six hours by road, or four and a half hours by train to Haridwar |
| From the UK and Europe | Non-stop to Delhi from Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris or Amsterdam, then fly or take the Vande Bharat |
| From the USA | Delhi non-stop from New York, Newark, Chicago or San Francisco, then a 55-minute hop to Dehradun |
| Transfer note | Jolly Grant flights are occasionally fogbound in January, when the train to Haridwar is more reliable |
Trains and road to Rishikesh
| Route or station | Detail |
|---|---|
| Yoga Nagari Rishikesh (YNRK) | A newer station in town, closer to the ashram district than Haridwar |
| Haridwar Junction (HW) | The main railhead 25 km away, with the widest choice of Delhi services |
| Vande Bharat from Delhi | A fast morning service to Haridwar and Dehradun, about four and a half hours |
| Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi | Several daily Delhi to Haridwar services, four and a half to five hours with meals |
| Overnight trains from Delhi | Convenient sleepers arriving at Haridwar before dawn, in time for the morning aarti |
Weather, seasons and best time to visit Rishikesh
February to April and mid-September to November, with 18 to 32°C days, open rafting and comfortable morning practice. March brings the yoga festival. Avoid July and August, when the Ganga floods, rafting stops and the Kanwar pilgrimage fills every road.
| Months | Season | Day temperature | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| December to February | Mild winter | 8-21°C / 46-70°F | Cool mornings near 8°C, pleasant afternoons and very cold river water for rafting |
| March to April | Spring | 18-32°C / 64-90°F | The yoga festival month, warm days and the best rafting conditions of the year |
| May to June | Hot pre-monsoon | 25-39°C / 77-102°F | Hot and humid in the valley; practice moves to dawn and the river becomes a relief |
| July to November | Monsoon then autumn | 18-32°C / 64-90°F | Rafting suspended in July and August floods, then clear, green and ideal from late September |
Rishikesh tour packages
Per person, twin sharing, excluding international flights. Hotels, private transport, guides, entries, your trip manager and 24-hour support are included.
Tradition · Sep - Jun
Aarti, Chanting and the Hill Shrines
Learn a Sanskrit hymn with a teacher, attend the ghat ceremony nightly and walk up to Neelkanth Mahadev
From US$900 per person
Season · Oct - Jun
White Water and Himalayan Trails
Two rafting days through grade three rapids, a riverside camp night and a sunrise climb at Kunjapuri
From US$1,175 per person
Festival · Fixed dates - Mar 2027
International Yoga Festival Week
Attend the Parmarth Niketan festival with classes from visiting masters, kirtan evenings and the Ganga aarti
From US$1,775 per person
Food & wine · Sep - Jun
Satvik Kitchen and Garhwali Hills
Cook onion-free ashram food, learn hemp-seed chutney with a hill family and taste Garhwali millet breads
From US$975 per person
Take part, don't just watch
Add any of these to a tour. A host stays beside you and tells you what is happening and why it is done that way.
Sunrise practice on a private ghat
A teacher from one of the older lineages leads you through asana and pranayama on a stone ghat before the town wakes, with the river running a few metres away. She explains how the sequence is built and what to keep doing when you get home.
Lamp-lighting at the evening aarti
An ashram priest seats you among the students on the steps, hands you the small lamp and shows you when to raise it during the chant. Afterwards he explains the hymn's verses and why the ceremony faces upstream towards the mountains.
Rowing the rapids with a Ganga guide
A raft guide who has worked this river for two decades talks you through reading the water at Roller Coaster and Golf Course, then puts you on the front paddle. Lunch is on a sandbank where he explains how the monsoon rearranges the whole run.
An Ayurvedic pulse reading and kitchen lesson
A vaidya at a riverside clinic reads your pulse, identifies your constitution and explains which foods aggravate it. His cook then shows you how to adjust a simple dal and rice meal to suit that reading, and you eat the result.
Questions travellers ask about Rishikesh
Why should I visit Rishikesh?
Because this is where yoga meets the Ganga at full mountain speed. You can study with teachers in lineages that go back a century, raft grade three rapids in the afternoon, and sit on a ghat at dusk while hundreds of lamps go onto the river. The Beatles' old ashram is a short walk uphill.
When is the best time to visit Rishikesh?
February to April and mid-September to November. Spring gives 18 to 32°C with the best rafting and the March yoga festival, while autumn is green and clear after the rains. Winter is mild at 8 to 21°C but the river is icy. Skip July and August, when flooding halts rafting.
Is Rishikesh safe, including for solo female travellers?
It is among the easiest places in India for solo women, with a large long-stay international community and a town built around ashram discipline. Choose registered yoga schools rather than individual teachers offering private sessions, avoid unlit riverside paths at night, and be cautious about who you accept food or drink from.
Do I need a visa for a yoga course here?
US, UK and EU citizens can attend short courses on the standard Indian e-Visa, which allows tourism including yoga classes. For long or formal teacher-training programmes, some schools advise a regular tourist visa with a longer validity, and a few require a student visa. Check with your school before booking flights.
What does a Rishikesh trip cost?
Our ground cost is about US$720 per person for four nights of ritual and temple walks, US$780 for a four-night satvik food itinerary, US$940 for five nights with rafting, US$1,340 for a seven-night yoga programme and US$1,420 for the March festival week, including accommodation, teaching and transfers.
How many days do I need in Rishikesh?
Four nights for the aarti, a rafting day and a hill temple. Seven if you want a yoga programme to amount to anything, since the practice compounds over a week. Formal teacher training runs 21 to 28 nights. Many guests pair four nights here with Haridwar or the Kumaon hills.
Can I get meat or alcohol in Rishikesh?
No. Rishikesh and Haridwar are legally vegetarian and alcohol-free, and that is enforced, including in hotels. Eggs are also hard to find in the ashram districts. If you want a drink or a steak, the nearest options are in Dehradun or at the luxury resorts outside the municipal limits.
How cold is the river, and is rafting safe?
The Ganga here runs about 13 to 18°C year-round because it is glacier-fed, so wetsuits are standard in winter. Rafting operates roughly September to June under state licensing, with grade three and four rapids on the main run. We use licensed operators with certified guides, helmets and safety kayaks, and nobody goes out in flood conditions.
Nearby and related
Most guests pair Rishikesh with one or two of these on the same trip.