Rishikesh is a laid-back town, some 240 km north of New Delhi. It is nestled in a hilly forest region on the riverbanks of the holy river Ganges – which is still fresh and beautifully turquoise here. Rishikesh is a haven of Yoga and many people come here for an extended period to do a meditation retreat in one of the many ashrams. As did the Beatles in 1968, a fact which has given the town an added boost of popularity.
How to get from New Delhi to Rishikesh
I took a night train, again in the comfortable 2nd class sleeper AC. The train left from Delhi at 5am and arrived in Rishikesh around 12:30 pm. This time I was in the middle of a waggon, which means there are a total of 6 berchhes (3 lower and 3 upper). With me was an Indian family and they started sharing all their food with me in the late morning hours.
Rishikesh and Tapovan
Rishikesh has the popular name, but the place to be is actually Tapovan, 3km north of Rishikesh! Rishikesh itself has very little to offer, besides the most traffic I have seen on my entire trip to India. Tapovan is connected by only one single road and it took me 1,5 hours to do the trip by TukTuk! Walking the (uphill) distance with my backpack and in absence of an actual sidewalk was not really an option… I recommend anyone to avoid coming here on a friday or saturday.
Once you reach Tapovan and escape into one of the side streets, it gets calmer. A lot of people, but much less traffic. You notice a high density of foreigners, much more than in most other places. If Yoga is not your thing, Rishikesh has many other activites on its palette, from hiking over river rafting to bungee jumping, there is an offer for whatever level of adrenaline kick you seek.
You can also spend your time just exploring the pitoresque town, which is located on both sides of the Ganges and connected via narrow bridges. The main bridge was under maintenance during my visit and there was a ferry service set in place.
Last but not least, you can of course visit the Ashram in which the Batles had their meditation retreat – or go to the beach and dip yourself in the Ganges to wash of your sins.
Click on one of the pictures below to see the Riishikesh / Tapovan gallery:
Wéi laang hues de da missen am Ganges bueden? 🤪
Hoffentlech laang genuch 😉 !
Hei ginn d’Kéi jo och mat op d’Plage🤪