TheLoneRider
a seeker in search of Easter Eggs
Rafting

White Water Rafting on Ganga River, Rishikesh May 25, 2018

White Water Rafting on Ganga River, Rishikesh

White Water Rafting
In Rishikesh, the main draw is yoga and spiritual pursuit. However, when it gets too much of that, coupled with the 40°+ heat and inviting cold waters of the Ganga River, you inevitably default to rafting...white water rafting to make it exact.

White Water Rafting on Ganga River, Rishikesh with Red Chilli Adventure Rafting Outfitter: Red Chilli Adventure
Office Location: Luxman Jhula Road, Tapovan (village), Tehri Garhwal (district), Rishikesh (city), Uttarakhand (state), India
Email: info@redchilliadventure.com
Tel: +91 9412050521
Website: redchilliadventure.com

Red Chilli Adventure
Red Chilli Adventure is one of the major rafting players in Rishikesh and I signed-up with them for a 26-km 11-rapids rafting tour of the Ganga River. Ai, the Japanese traveler staying at my hostel joined me. We met the other rafters at the Red Chilli office and boarded a spacious van that took us upstream along the winding mountain road of Rishikesh until we reached the jump-off.

White Water Rafting on Ganga River, Rishikesh
white-knuckle wild water rafting

Orientation
Before plunging into the water, the professional guides gave us a proper orientation - fitting the safety vest and helmet, paddle instruction, how to manage when thrown-out into the water, how to pull-up a rafter on board, etc. All of those instructions gave us increased confidence in managing what's up ahead.

Wet and Wild
What followed was an adrenaline rush as we forged headstrong into the raging waters of the Ganga. We all had to work as a team as we followed split-second timing instructions by our guide Anup on when to paddle forward, when to paddle hard, when to stop, when to back-paddle...all this, as we frantically struggled to stay on board without being thrown overboard.

End of the Line
The timing was just right. Before things got old, we were already at the pick-up point near Laxman Jhula bridge. We had ample time at the river bank to have tea from the vendors before boarding the van that took us back to the Red Chilli office.

Ending Thoughts
Rafting the white waters of the Ganga River is as exhilarating and as refreshing as it gets. What started out as complete strangers pooled together in a raft has become good friends in that short time. Riding wet and wild was an adventure fun that added dimension to the fabled Rishikesh experience.

Thank you Red Chilli Adventure for that white-knucle rush!

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit Yoga by Gigit | Learn English Learn English | Travel like a Nomad Nomad Travel Buddy | Donation Bank Donation Bank for TheLoneRider

ps - If you want me to objectively write about an adventure tour from your outfitter shop, email me.

select pictures provided by Red Chilli Adventure



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Reader Comments:

Nomi GvirzNomi Gvirz
(May 27, 2018) Amazing

Natalia BhandariNatalia Russia
Mimi Chang Natasha The Moon
(May 27, 2018) I've heard rafting in Ganga Ma is one of the exciting ones and scariest! Well done Gigit

Next stop: Peoplescape of Rishikesh


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Rishikesh (city), India

hotels in Rishikesh hotel
  • RAAHI The Travellers Nest - backpacker-friendly, dorm rooms, central location, tours & rafting, motorbike rental, great place to meet people
    Paidal Marg, Laxman Jhula, 249192 Rishikesh

Travel Tips for Rishikesh

  1. climate-wise, best time to visit Rishikesh is from October to February when temperature is cool. This is also the high season for foreign travelers.
  2. May to June (my time of visit, before the monsoon rains) is HOT and DRY. Temperatures can reach beyond 40° and your skin/lips dry up. Great to go rafting or a dip in the Ganga River for respite. There are mostly Indian devotees and Indian tourists flocking to Rishikesh. Westerns tourists are few, but Rishikesh gets crowded specially while crossing the 2 bridges, Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula. Lodging prices can be negotiated down to INR 300/night for a bunk bed in a dorm room as this is low season.
  3. During the cooler season when any of the hugely popular gurus or babas visit to give a satsang, eg. Prem Baba, Mooji Baba, all rooms are fully booked from Rishikesh to Hardiwar!
  4. short power outages frequently happen during the day

How to get to Rishikesh from New Delhi by bus

  1. bus terminal Bus - take the Metro Yellow Line and get off at Kashmiri Gate. Exit the station from Gate 7 and enter the ISBT building - this is the bus terminal. Go down one flight and go to Platform 14. This is where you buy the bus ticket and board the bus. A/C bus, INR 454, 6 hours. You can take the 10:30pm bus and arrive 5am in Rishikesh.

    scam alert! - over the ticket counter, the guy may verbally charge you INR 765 - this is usually the online price of the bus ticket. But I looked closely at the printed ticket, and found the price at INR 454. I demanded more change! The guy knew he's been discovered and gave me back the rest of the change.

    You will arrive in Rishikesh at Adarsh Gram. To get to your hotel, travelers usually share a tuk-tuk (called Vikrams) for INR 10-20/passenger if shared. Since I arrived 5am, there was no one to share so I ended up paying a negotiated INR 150.
Travel Tips for India
  • e-VISA - visa on arrival is no longer done. Tourists should apply online for an e-VISA. Tourist e-VISA for 60 days = US$51.25 (including surcharges, non-refundable). NOTE: e-VISA is only honored in 25 designated airports and 5 designated seaports (Cochin, Goa, Mangalore,Mumbai,Chennai). You CANNOT do a land crossing using an e-VISA.
  • US$1 = Indian Rupee (INR) 67.18
  • nearly every food served is spicy...there is no escaping it
  • other travel destinations in India
  • always good to have an Indian SIM. It's handy to get wifi in some cafes


General Travel Tips
  1. arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
  2. put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
  3. avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
  4. power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!
India Blogs

    DHARAMSHALA

  1. 16 Days in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala: Goodbye India June 23-July 8, 2018
  2. Peoplescape of Dharamshala, India June 14 - July 8, 2018
  3. Visiting the Tibet Museum June 27, 2018
  4. In Search of a Tibetan Yantra Yoga Teacher June 25, 2018
  5. Conducting Yoga Classes at Pema Thang Guest House, Dharamshala, India June 24 - July 8, 2018
  6. Life in Upper Bhagsu, Dharamshala June 16-23, 2018
  7. Trekking to Naddi from Upper Bhagsu, Dharamshala June 19, 2018
  8. Matters of the Heart Jun 17, 2018
  9. A First Timer in Dharamshala Jun 14, 2018
  10. NEW DELHI

  11. 29 Hours in New Delhi Airport July 9-10, 2018
  12. Meditation with Shirly Pnina at Lodi Garden, New Delhi May 15, 2018
  13. A First-Timer in New Delhi, India May 12-17, 2018
  14. RISHIKESH

  15. A 26-Day Mini-Life in Rishikesh May 18 - June 13, 2018
  16. Peoplescape of Rishikesh May 18 - June 13, 2018
  17. Rafting the Ganga River with Greg Goldstein June 1, 2018
  18. White Water Rafting on Ganga River, Rishikesh May 25, 2018
  19. Satsang (spiritual discourse) by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati May 21, 2018
  20. Ganga Aarti (devotional fire ritual) at Parmarth Niketan Ashram May 21, 2018
  21. Bouncing Back into Yoga in Rishikesh May 21, 2018
  22. Exploring Rishikesh, India May 18, 2018
  23. SONAULI

  24. India e-VISA snag May 9, 2018


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