If you are thinking of doing river rafting in India then the best place to do it will be in Rishikesh. River rafting in Rishikesh is open now post pandemic and we started our new year with some adventure sports. In this blog post we will not only share our river rafting experience from Rishikesh but also guide you, how to plan your white water river rafting in Rishikesh, India.
Is it safe?
This question might come to your mind before opting for any adventure sports and like all of them there are risks involved. You need to sign a document before going ahead for rafting like any other adventure sports. Chose experienced vendors and if you are doubtful go with a rafting company which makes sure a kayaker follows the raft for safety.
Being said that there is no chances of drowning as you will have a life jacket on and if you follow the instructions well then all will be ok.
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Best Season to do River Rafting in Rishikesh
River rafting remains closed during monsoon i.e. July to Mid September. It opens from Mid September till Summer (May/June). Mostly March is considered the peak month of rafting. Ideal time would be month of September to October. We did in January, only problem with winter months is the water is going to be really cold.
River Rafting timings
River rafting start 10 in the morning and gets done by 4pm, there are no rafting happens in the dark or during sunset. In summers it might start at 9am and end by 5pm.
Price of doing a River Rafting in Rishikesh
The price of doing river rafting depends on multiple factors. The major cost will vary depending upon the km stretch you chose and the company you are going with.
- Different Rafting Option – There are 3 major Rafting options to chis from 9km, 16km and 24km mainly. The cost and time varies with the one you chose ₹200 , ₹400 and ₹800 (if you are two people) respectively.
- Company – The rafting company and your agent can quote different amount our hostel front desk asked 4times more money than the adventure activity agents in roadside. You will find many such shops in Rishikesh.
- Wet Suit – If you are going for rafting during Winters like we did, and you can’t stand cold water you can opt for wet suit 300 per person rental. Many vendors might include it in your basic pay itself so better to ask for what all included.
- Video and Photo – You have to row the boat and as well as there will be water splashing inside the boat, so you can’t use your DSLR or phone to take photos and videos. The boat guides will take your video and photos with Gopro at a charge of ₹150 to ₹200 per person.
Also if you have one or two kayaker rafting along with you then obviously the cost will increase.
What are included in our rafting cost?
We had transport from hotel, rafting, cliff jumping, life jacket and paddles were included in our cost. Video recording was ₹150 per person for us extra. We had no Kayaker following us or wet suit.
Our experience of white water rafting in Rishikesh
Amit was really excited to go for Rafting. But, just before booking it, he spend a night researching on what can go wrong in rafting. This changed his mind last moment. So this you should not do if you are planning for any adventure sports, you just need to go with the flow.
I went alone for the rafting, supposed to start anytime after 10am started at 12pm. I went with amazing group of cousins came to explore Uttarakhand and honestly didn’t miss Amit at all.
We were given instructions, and asked to keep our gadgets in dry bag before setting out for 14km rafting. Trusting the technique to row your paddles will make one of your shoulder sore next day. It was a thrilling experience of encountering each rapid and maneuvering it skillfully. Then the time came to take a dip into the ice cold river Ganges and trust me if you hate cold go for the wet suit.
After passing through many rapids in the river, the time came when you have to take a break at Maggi Point. From there you need to take a plunge in the water from a cliff ( a small one). God! how scary it was. Initially no one from my raft opted for it and I had to do it so I went for it anyway. It was damn scary to be honest and the water was cold. One bucket list item checked.
After 4 hrs and crossing the last rapid finally the it was over. It was fun to do it and you can do it too even if you don’t know swimming.
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