First Trip to Rishikesh: What to Skip, What to Do

Rishikesh is easy to love and surprisingly easy to get wrong. It is close enough to Delhi to feel like a casual weekend, famous enough to have a fixed checklist, and busy enough in peak season that the wrong plan can leave you stuck in traffic, sunburnt and wondering what the fuss was about. This is a frank guide to what you can skip on a first visit, and what to do instead.

Skip trying to do everything in one weekend

The most common mistake is trying to squeeze rafting, bungee, Neelkanth, Kunjapuri, the Beatles Ashram, two aartis, a yoga class and a café crawl into two days. Rishikesh is not large, but moving around it is slower than it looks on a map. Town traffic can crawl, the hill roads are winding and the best parts of the day are early morning and evening.

Instead, give each day one main activity and build everything else around it. A rafting day, a temple or hill day and a slow river day will show you far more than a packed list.

Skip arriving at midday on a Saturday

If you can avoid it, do not drive into Rishikesh around noon on a weekend in peak season. Delhi traffic, the Haridwar bypass and the queues into town can add hours to the trip, and you arrive tired and hot just as the day is at its worst.

Instead, leave very early or travel on a weekday. Trains to Haridwar and onward road links, or a flight into Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport, are also worth considering.

Skip choosing a rafting operator only on price

There are many rafting and camping operators in and around Rishikesh, and prices vary. It is tempting to pick the cheapest offer on the street. But rafting on the Ganga is a serious activity on a powerful river.

Instead, choose a licensed operator, look at recent reviews, ask about the guide’s experience and the safety kit, and make sure you get a proper briefing. Ask how many rafts go together and whether there is a safety kayaker. Paying a little more for an operator you trust is worth it.

Skip swimming where locals are not

Every year there are reports of visitors drowning in the Ganga around Rishikesh, often after wading in at an unmarked spot or swimming after drinking. The water is cold, the current is stronger than it looks and the riverbed shelves suddenly.

Instead, bathe only at established ghats, stay within the chains or railings where they exist, follow local guidance and never enter the river at night. If you want to be in the water, rafting with a guide is the safest way to do it.

Skip treating the ghats like a photo set

The ghats and ashrams of Rishikesh are working places of worship. It is easy to forget that when you see crowds of phones raised during the evening aarti.

Instead, put your phone down for at least part of the ceremony. Dress modestly, remove footwear where asked, avoid flash photography and do not photograph people bathing or praying without asking. You will enjoy the aarti more if you actually watch it.

Skip expecting bars and late nights

Much of Rishikesh, particularly the core town and the ashram areas, follows a strong tradition of vegetarian food and no alcohol. Visitors sometimes arrive expecting a party town and are disappointed.

Instead, enjoy what Rishikesh does well: simple thalis, fresh juices, chai, south Indian breakfasts and the many cafés in the Tapovan area. Evenings here are about music at the aarti, conversation and early nights before dawn yoga or rafting.

Skip the Laxman Jhula photo if the bridge is closed

The old Laxman Jhula suspension bridge has been closed to general traffic in recent years due to safety concerns, and a new bridge has been under construction nearby. Older guides may still send you there as the town’s signature crossing.

Instead, check the current status locally. Ram Jhula is a wonderful walk in its own right, and the views from the riverside paths are often better than from the bridges.

Skip the midday Beatles Ashram visit

The former Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ashram, now known as the Beatles Ashram or Chaurasi Kutia, is fascinating, but it has limited shade and can be very hot in the middle of a May day.

Instead, go in the late afternoon when the light through the trees is soft and the murals glow. Allow at least an hour, and check the current entry fee and timings, which are set by the forest department.

Skip Neelkanth in the busiest week of Shravan unless you are a pilgrim

Neelkanth Mahadev temple is a beautiful shrine in the hills, but during the month of Shravan it attracts very large numbers of devotees, including Kanwar pilgrims, and roads can be restricted. For a first-time visitor who is not part of the pilgrimage, it can be overwhelming.

Instead, visit at another time of year, or on a weekday morning. If you are here during the pilgrimage, consider Kunjapuri or a quieter riverside walk.

Skip buying “healing” cures and expensive gems on impulse

Rishikesh has many genuine teachers and practitioners. It also has some who market costly cures, gems and courses aimed at visitors who are not sure what they want.

Instead, take your time. Try a drop-in class before committing to a long course, ask for recommendations from other travellers and do not feel pressured into expensive purchases.

Skip thinking Rishikesh is only the town

Many visitors never go beyond the bridges and the cafés. That is a pity, because the hills around Rishikesh have temples, viewpoints, villages and forest walks that show a quieter side of the region.

Instead, spend at least half a day outside town, at Kunjapuri, Vashishta Gufa or a riverside village upstream. Our story on quieter places in this issue has some ideas.

What not to skip

Some things really are worth the effort: an early morning walk along the river; an evening aarti at least once; a rafting trip with a good operator, if you are fit and comfortable in water; a sunrise from a hilltop temple; and a simple thali eaten slowly. Do those, skip the rest when you are tired, and your first trip to Rishikesh will feel like the beginning of a relationship with the town rather than a box ticked.