Rishikesh FAQs

Since Rishikesh is located in the foothills of Shivalik mountain ranges, the weather is generally pleasant throughout the year. Still, the ideal time to visit Rishikesh would be February-March and August-October as May-June is quite hot in summer.

Being a revered pilgrimage destination, Rishikesh is quite safe to travel. The road conditions in Rishikesh largely remain unaffected during the monsoons. Local people of Rishikesh are very humble and even make sure that all the tourists are safe and sound. Lastly, common sense is always important to keep oneself out of troubles.

While the summers are scorching hot, the winters are usually very chilly in Rishikesh. So, it is advisable to avoid visiting Rishikesh in May-June as hot summer stops tourists to venture out to explore the place. The best option for anyone willing to travel to Rishikesh is anytime between October and April.

Rishikesh is a revered pilgrimage site for Hindus and is flocked with tourists and pilgrims all year round. Thus, there are numerous ATMs at various places spread across the city of Rishikesh to cater to the financial needs of the tourists and the residents alike.

Rishikesh is a perfect place to indulge in adventure activities and is notably famous for white water rafting. The season for white water rafting begins during the months February up until June. And then the season restarts in September until the mid- December. Check Rafting in Rishikesh - Book Rishikesh River Rafting

There are different river rafting spots, each varies in distance and difficultly levels.

• Brahampuri Rafting: This spot has the shortest distance of mere 9kms and has a Class II scale of difficulty. This spot could be considered easiest of the rest.
• Shivpuri Rafting: This starting point covers a total of 14kms in the turbulent Ganges; with Class III scale of river difficultly.
• Marine drive rafting: This route covers a total of 24 kms of river rafting awesomeness. It comes under Class III scale and is considered as an intermediate difficulty level.
• Kaudiyala Rafting: This is the longest route for white water rafting in Rishikesh and stretches a full 34 kms. It is also the most treacherous and is classified under Class IV scale of river difficulty.

Rishikesh is widely known for its thrilling white water rafting experiences. However, it offers other adventure activities as well. Kayaking, rappelling, cliff jumping, bungee jumping and flying fox are some of the other activities one can indulge in Rishikesh to pump up the adrenaline.

Is swimming allowed in river Ganges?
 A: Yes, taking a dip in the holy water of river Ganges is allowed near the banks of the river at designated spots like Triveni Ghat and some others. However, it is advised not to venture deep into the water as the undercurrents can be strong and unpredictable. In addition to that, water at Rishikesh is prone to be polluted due to the amount of human activity it sees all year round. Don't use soap or other pollution-prone items while bathing in the Ganges, show your support to keep Ganga clean.

There are numerous service providers in Rishikesh who offers Adventure sports activities such as rafting, hiking, water repelling, climbing, flying fox, bungee jumping and much more at the reasonable price. You can book here for rafting or other sports as per your selection. Some provider also takes online booking for the same so you can also do pre-booking from their website or over the phone call.

Of course, yes, Rishikesh attracts millions of tourists every year from all over the globe. Apart from pilgrim town nowadays, Rishikesh emerges as a 'World capital of Yoga' and 'Adventure capital of India'. Being one of the busiest tourists places Rishikesh offers some awesome mouth liking restaurants and cafes for tourists as per their cuisine choices. We listed some of the Top Restaurants and Cafes in Rishikesh that serves truly tasty food.

Yoga in Rishikesh is popular all over the world. Yoga is an ancient science which leads to a healthy body, peaceful mind and a joyful heart. Thousands of Yoga enthusiasts from India, Australia, Canada, America and other countries of the globe flock to Rishikesh to learn about this ancient technique of well-being. No wonder, Rishikesh has been declared the “Yoga capital of the world” and hosts International Yoga Festival Rishikesh every year in the month of March.

There are different kinds of Yoga that are taught at Rishikesh. Some well-known Yoga techniques are Hatha Yoga, Nada Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Laya Yoga, Esoteric Tantra as well as different types of Pranayam. 

These techniques can be chosen depending upon your age and body strength. Several Yoga and Meditation Centers in Rishikesh teach Yoga to the students. Some famous Yoga centers are Parmarth Niketan, Omkarananda Ganga Sadan, Himalayan Yog Ashram, Swami Dayananda Ashram, Ananda Prakash Ashram etc. to name a few.

The nearest Airport to Rishikesh is Jolly grant airport, situated some 20 kms in Dehradun. Which operates numbers of daily flights from Delhi to Jolly Grant & vice versa.

The nearest railhead is Rishikesh railway station itself but for better connectivity, you can choose Haridwar Railway Station, which is 20 kms from Rishikesh. There are numerous trains connecting Haridwar junction with other major cities like Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata etc. The frequency of trains to Haridwar is quite high as it is one of the most revered and religious places in India. Rishikesh is a branch railway station to Haridwar that operates only 1-2 trains on daily basis; therefore, Haridwar is better choice if you want to travel by train to visit Rishikesh.

Yes, being a famous pilgrimage town for centuries, there is gamut of car rental services available in Rishikesh for tourists and pilgrims alike. One can book cabs in Rishikesh for visiting the surrounding areas like Haridwar, Dehradun, Mussoorie etc. The rates of the taxis vary depending upon the vehicle requested and the kilometers covered.

Mussoorie is at a distance of 77 kms from Rishikesh. One can easily opt for taxi services on a private basis. Various local and state-run buses provide daily services from Rishikesh to Mussoorie and vice versa. We suggest you that take Rishikesh - Dehradun - Mussoorie route for visiting Mussoorie from Rishikesh.

There are few destinations near Rishikesh which can also be visited during the stay at Rishikesh. Neelkanth Mahadev is a venerated temple situated just 30 kms from Rishikesh. Mussoorie, Dehradun and Haridwar are located 77 kms, 43 kms and 19 kms from Rishikesh, respectively.

Distance Chart of major destinations from Rishikesh:

Rishikesh is at a distance of 232 kms from Delhi. There are various modes of transportations that are available to reach Rishikesh:

• By Road:  Rishikesh is well connected with major northern cities via motorable roads. There are various bus services available from Delhi to Rishikesh. One can opt for semi-deluxe, deluxe and AC Volvo as per their needs. In addition to that, Rishikesh is connected with Delhi by Uttaranchal State Road Transport Corporation buses on a regular basis from Kashmere Gate ISBT.
• By Rail: The nearest railhead is Rishikesh railway station itself but for better connectivity, you can also choose the Haridwar Railway Station, which is 20 kms from Rishikesh.
• By Air: The nearest airport is the Jolly grant airport in Dehradun which is approximately 45 kilometres from Rishikesh, and offers daily connectivity with New Delhi.

As one of the popular tourist destination, accommodation in Rishikesh is not an issue as there are numerous hotels and guesthouses that have mushroomed in Rishikesh. We also categorized the hotels in two further categories, which are Budget Hotels in Rishikesh and Luxury Hotels in Rishikesh for the users; they can choose one best of them as per their convenience. There are also some ashrams in Rishikesh that offers some basic accommodation facilities at a very reasonable price.