Rishikesh
Rishikesh is a small town located in the foothills of the Himalayas along the convergence of Ganga and Chandrabhaga River, surrounded by forested hills on three sides. Known as „Yoga Capital of the World” Rishikesh is the birthplace of yoga and has been a magnet for spiritual seekers. It is considered to be sacred and meditation there leads to salvation.
This the most tranquil place in northern Uttarakhand has numerous temples, ashrams, some of which are internationally recognized as centers of philosophical studies, yoga and meditation. Over the years, Rishikesh become popular as the most spiritual destination in the world, especially after the Beatles association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi here in the late 1960s. Every first week of March International Yoga Festival gathers yoga enthusiasts from all over the globe. However, despite hundreds of tourists, the town still retains an old-world charm, and is a nice place to relax among nature.
Rishikesh is a delightful place to wander around and explore on foot. Cross either of the two suspension bridges and you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the town and river. Or just walk along majestic Ganga river. In the evening, when the bells of every temple start to ring – all people gather together to experience Ganga Aarti, a spectacular river worship with fire ceremony.
With the huge flow of tourists many hotels, cafes and restaurants were established. Moreover, in the last few years, the town has been developed as the hub of Adventure Sports in India. So, adventure lovers will also find Rishikesh attractive as it offers white water rafting, bungee jumping, mountain biking and many others. The town is also known as “Gateway to Himalayas” as it is great starting point for many treks going across mountains.
So, if you are spiritual traveler, adventure seeker or just want to escape to a peaceful and remote place Rishikesh might be a place you need to visit!
Helpful tips
Restaurants. After traveling through India, we gathered experience and tips from locals which we want to share with everyone who will be reading this. If you come to India for a short period of time it is good to know that here certain bacteria are in almost every food, water and even air which can put you to bed for couple days if you have too much of it. To adapt to it, your body needs time and small amounts of the bacteria.
First, it is better to avoid eating too much of street food as it contains quite a lot of bacteria even though it is so cheap. We do not say that you should not eat street food at all, just keep it small quantities at a time. If you cannot wait to try and eat all sorts of street food just try it little by little and not everything on one go.
Second, when choosing a place where to eat, pay attention to other travelers’ reviews of the place. It is very important how the people from abroad felt about the food rather than locals.
Third, if there are any doubts regarding the hygiene of the place, we encourage to eat vegetables and avoid meat dishes.
We are well aware that everyone is different, and you feel your body the best. So, do what you want to do and keep in mind that these recommendations worked for us, we did not get sick while in India even for a day.
Markets. Prices in grocery shops are the same as through whole India, prices are printed on the packages, thus, you never need to wonder whether someone is taking advantage of you.
We would advise against drinking tap water in whole India, especially if you come just for a short time (couple weeks) as your body needs time to adjust to certain bacteria which is everywhere and taking too much of it at the same time can put you bed for couple days. Even though in some sources you could find that water is safe to drink, or that filtered water is alright we suggest to double check with your host or locals before you do that. We did not risk it too much, especially in the beginning of the trip, however, we did drink quite a lot of filtered water which was kind of alright just had a bad taste in most places.
Transportation. To get to Rishikesh you can use bus, bike or car. Even though it is a small city, it is heavily visited, especially by tourists, thus, it has great accessibility, on top of that you can use any other transport you feel like using.
In the city it is common to use public transportation such as Tuk Tuk’s which are the fastest way to get around the city. Tuk Tuk’s are a quick and cheap option where you must bargain though. Most of the time we used rented scooter for big trips and walked quite a lot as it helped to get to know the city and see not only the touristic places and we recommend you do the same if you have a chance.
Best of luck planning your holidays in India!
Is there anything else you would like to visit while in India?
If you have anything in mind, please let us know and let’s discuss it.
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