Rishikesh is one of the few places in India which sports River Rafting; an adventure sport. Since its operation started many years back, this activity has become a crowd puller. Rishikesh on the outset is considered as a holy place & sporting an adventure activity at this city was always a far fetched dream. But, not anymore. There are many vendors which are providing this facility to the customers. During my trip to Rishikesh in the summers of 2019. I tried this activity & here is my experience along with some essential information for you.
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Rafting Experience
I tried 16 Km river rafting cost of which was Rs 1000. The vendor will offer pick-up & drop services. Thus, there is no worry to reach the starting point. The starting point of 16 Km river rafting is at Shivpuri which also has a camping site.
The vendor picked 6 of us from our hostels & head towards Shivpuri. The journey of 16 Km from Rishikesh is not tedious but the construction work at some part of the road made it too uncomfortable. It took us 35 to 40 mins to reach the starting point. After reaching the point, safety gears were handed to us & were directed to reach banks of the river. Standing on the banks of the river, I touched the water which was very cold quiet contrast to the temperature which was soaring at 30 odd degrees.
The captain of our raft was a Nepalese born guy who knew his craft. There was a session of 10 mins regarding what can go wrong & how to overcome if anything goes wrong. During those minutes, he will ensure that our safety is up to mark & there are no loose points & once we get the green light we boarded our raft for a memorable & probably one in a lifetime experience of river rafting. I am saying one time as there is nothing as special as experiencing something for the first time. /div>
So, by saying our prayers we started out for an adventure. By talking with our captain we realized we have to cross 6 rapids out of which 2 are the best. Soon, we witnessed our first rapid which was just a glimpse of what is in the store. Few shaky moments were the only we witnessed. Soon, we reached another one which was far better than the first one. The water was smashing the rock & then flowing through its regular path. At one point of time, it seems that the raft will smash the rock. But, as soon as the raft reaches the rock, reversing waves come to our savior & maneuvered us to the correct path.
After crossing second rapid, the flow was stable & captain allowed us to jump into the cold water which we did. After floating for few minutes, it was time for the third rapid; which is one of the scariest ones. The water was smashing each other forming few low moments where the raft can submerge. But, there are other waves to rescue us from the depth of the water. It was a rare gem adventure. After crossing this there was one more rapid with such difficulty. After crossing 4th rapid the journey was pretty smooth.
While rafting from Shivpuri to Rishikesh. A resting point is dedicated where one can also do cliff jumping. The height of the cliff is approx 3 to 4 Mts. It is fun to jump in the water from such height. If you are done with all the activities you can also have snacks at this point.
Once we crossed cliff jumping point there was one more rapid. But, our body was too tired for the last one. So, we took it easy & reached the final point.
Is River Rafting Worth It?
After experiencing this activity, it was a mixed feeling, at the start the thrill of trying new activity was confining the mind; during those dangerous manoeuvers took the breath away & then the peace of river flowing to its destination. The activity lasts for 2.5 to 3 hours. But, it was full of different emotions. I would recommend trying this activity for sure & by far one of the best activities to do in Rishikesh.
