RIVER RAFTING & CAMPING - RISHIKESH
It was time for an adventure trip since most of my weekend Outing till now had been more of an architectural & historical pursuits . I was eagerly looking forward to the post monsoon season because that heralds the advent of Adventure Sports & Wildlife pursuits .
I have been enamoured by the White Water River Rafting ever since seeing it on Discovery a few Years ago. We ( a Group of Seven - Hum saath saath hain !!) started on a nice sunny Saturday morning from Delhi in a Scorpio to Rishikesh . Rishikesh lies 250 Kms to the North of Delhi & is the Yoga Capital of the world (The Beatles came here in the 60's to meet Maharishi Yogesh Yogi ) . Rishikesh is also famous for its Water sports thanks to the rapid flow of Ganges descending from the Mountains.
It was almost afternoon when we reached there . There was another surprise awaiting us there when the Tour Operator gave us a package deal for River Rafting and Over night camping in Tents on the banks of Ganges. We gleefully took the Deal and headed to Brahmapuri (13 Kms to the North of Rishikesh ) to start our Rafting trip. The Ganges looked fearsome there flowing at an awesome speed & accentuated with foaming rapids. We were given the Necessary Safety Gear ( Helmets , Life Jacket & Oars) and the Instructions. The Inflated raft was just the kind I had seen on the TV and my inner excitement grew as we stepped into the water. The Total stretch we had to Raft was 11kms . This Stretch consisted of four Rapids Viz. Initiation , Double Trouble & Hilton. At the rapids the raft swayed to the force of the rapids and water splashing all over it and setting the adrenaline flowing. The Hilton rapid almost blinded us for 10 seconds with splashing water as Our raft swayed to the Tumultous foam around us leaving everyone exhilirated. We finally reached the Destination in more than an Hour , leaving us with an unforgetable experience.
We then reached the Camp. Tents had been built on the banks of the River with no electricity and just a Chimney Lamp for company. With a Life Jacket and a Rope we swam in the Ganges water amidst the free flowing River. We made Bonfire and sang songs . I was in a Extremely Nostalgic & Reflective mood and ended up singing for Hours together. We also made some Barbeque ( Veggie stuff for me though) and had a wonderful Conversation reflecting our Past . The beds were made inside the Tents and I had a Great sleep amidst Mother Nature.
The next morning we had a mini trek to a nearby Waterfalls and it turned out to be a wonderfully pristine Location. We had a bath in the falls and returned to the Camp and started our Trip to Hardwar . We Visited the Mansa Devi Temple by Cable Car & also the Chandi Devi ( Adi Shankara had initiated the Construction of the Temple) temple. The view from both these temple were fabulous . We then started our Return back to Delhi and inspite of a Traffic Jam ended up reaching Noida by Around 10 pm and capped it with some southie Dinner at Saagar in Noida.
I enjoyed this trip thoroughly since it was so different from the ones I have done in the past. Afterall what is Life without Adventure !!
TRAVEL TRIPS : The best time to make this Trip is from Mid-September to Mid-November (Post Monsoon) , when you have adequate water flowing in the Ganges. Shivpuri & Kaudilya ( Both Located near Rishikesh are much more adventurous but not for first timers ) are what we have planned for next time. Do not miss the Camping experience because its once in a life time oppurtunity particularly for city dwellers . Make sure you take some Woolen clothing since the nights are cold.
It was time for an adventure trip since most of my weekend Outing till now had been more of an architectural & historical pursuits . I was eagerly looking forward to the post monsoon season because that heralds the advent of Adventure Sports & Wildlife pursuits .
I have been enamoured by the White Water River Rafting ever since seeing it on Discovery a few Years ago. We ( a Group of Seven - Hum saath saath hain !!) started on a nice sunny Saturday morning from Delhi in a Scorpio to Rishikesh . Rishikesh lies 250 Kms to the North of Delhi & is the Yoga Capital of the world (The Beatles came here in the 60's to meet Maharishi Yogesh Yogi ) . Rishikesh is also famous for its Water sports thanks to the rapid flow of Ganges descending from the Mountains.
It was almost afternoon when we reached there . There was another surprise awaiting us there when the Tour Operator gave us a package deal for River Rafting and Over night camping in Tents on the banks of Ganges. We gleefully took the Deal and headed to Brahmapuri (13 Kms to the North of Rishikesh ) to start our Rafting trip. The Ganges looked fearsome there flowing at an awesome speed & accentuated with foaming rapids. We were given the Necessary Safety Gear ( Helmets , Life Jacket & Oars) and the Instructions. The Inflated raft was just the kind I had seen on the TV and my inner excitement grew as we stepped into the water. The Total stretch we had to Raft was 11kms . This Stretch consisted of four Rapids Viz. Initiation , Double Trouble & Hilton. At the rapids the raft swayed to the force of the rapids and water splashing all over it and setting the adrenaline flowing. The Hilton rapid almost blinded us for 10 seconds with splashing water as Our raft swayed to the Tumultous foam around us leaving everyone exhilirated. We finally reached the Destination in more than an Hour , leaving us with an unforgetable experience.
We then reached the Camp. Tents had been built on the banks of the River with no electricity and just a Chimney Lamp for company. With a Life Jacket and a Rope we swam in the Ganges water amidst the free flowing River. We made Bonfire and sang songs . I was in a Extremely Nostalgic & Reflective mood and ended up singing for Hours together. We also made some Barbeque ( Veggie stuff for me though) and had a wonderful Conversation reflecting our Past . The beds were made inside the Tents and I had a Great sleep amidst Mother Nature.
The next morning we had a mini trek to a nearby Waterfalls and it turned out to be a wonderfully pristine Location. We had a bath in the falls and returned to the Camp and started our Trip to Hardwar . We Visited the Mansa Devi Temple by Cable Car & also the Chandi Devi ( Adi Shankara had initiated the Construction of the Temple) temple. The view from both these temple were fabulous . We then started our Return back to Delhi and inspite of a Traffic Jam ended up reaching Noida by Around 10 pm and capped it with some southie Dinner at Saagar in Noida.
I enjoyed this trip thoroughly since it was so different from the ones I have done in the past. Afterall what is Life without Adventure !!
TRAVEL TRIPS : The best time to make this Trip is from Mid-September to Mid-November (Post Monsoon) , when you have adequate water flowing in the Ganges. Shivpuri & Kaudilya ( Both Located near Rishikesh are much more adventurous but not for first timers ) are what we have planned for next time. Do not miss the Camping experience because its once in a life time oppurtunity particularly for city dwellers . Make sure you take some Woolen clothing since the nights are cold.
posted by Cogito at
Monday, September 29, 2003
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