Adventure experiences in Rishikesh

How to choose your adventure in Rishikesh

Rafting is the one to plan around. On our river rafting trip the stretch you book sets both the distance and the rapids: the longer runs from further upstream carry the most sustained rapids, while the short run below Brahmpuri is the gentle introduction. Choose by how confident you are in water, and tell us if you are not a confident swimmer, because it changes the stretch we suggest.

The bungee jump is the opposite: a few seconds of free fall instead of a couple of hours on the river. You jump alone from a fixed platform above a river gorge, in a harness and cord that trained staff fit and check just before, and you need no skill or fitness. Uttarakhand Tourism names Mohanchatti as the place for bungee jumping, with jumps of up to 83 metres.

The riverside camp is the gentlest of the three: a tent on the Ganga's banks upstream of the town, a bonfire and dinner by the water, and for most guests a rafting run before or after, either rafting down to the camp or rafting the next morning. Tents range from simple ones sharing a bathroom to more comfortable ones with their own, so tell us which you need.

First-timers, and families whose children are 14 or older, can pair a short rafting stretch with a night at camp; the jump is for thrill-seekers who want something short and intense.

What to expect

• Rafting: after a hotel pickup and the drive to the put-in, you are fitted with a life jacket and helmet and briefed on paddle commands and what to do if you go into the water. The guide steers from the back while everyone paddles, and on most runs the raft stops in a calm pool partway down for a swim.
• Bungee: registration, a weigh-in and the operator's paperwork come first, then the harness, the cord and a briefing on how to hold your body as you fall. The jump lasts seconds, but the visit takes the better part of a morning or afternoon.
• Camp: you arrive by raft or by road in the afternoon, with free time to swim in a calm stretch or walk the bank. As the light goes there is a bonfire and dinner on the riverbank, then a night in the tent before town or your next rafting run.

When to go

The state's rafting rules set the season on the Ganga at 1 September to 30 June, and let the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board change it according to the water in the river; the board's own advice is that September to June are the best months to raft. July and August fall outside the season. Rishikesh is a tehsil of Dehradun district, where the district administration records July and August as the rainiest months of a wet June-to-September season.

The bungee jump runs through the year, weather permitting. The camps follow the rafting season and close through the monsoon. For comfort, our rafting page suggests October to April. For the rest of the town, see our Rishikesh travel guide.

Rules and practical points

For the jump, wear fitted clothes and closed shoes, leave scarves and jewellery at the hotel, and bring photo ID. Pregnancy, heart conditions and some back or neck problems usually rule it out, so mention any heart or blood-pressure medication when you enquire. At camp, a light jacket helps after dark, insect repellent is worth carrying, and the camps serve no alcohol or meat.

On the river, the state's River Rafting/Kayaking Rules include these points that affect you:

• No one under 14 or over 65 may raft.
• Helmets are compulsory, alcohol and smoking are banned during rafting, and guides may not take anyone who is intoxicated.
• Every guide needs a valid first-aid certificate, and the state's technical committee checks rafting and rescue equipment and examines the guides every year.
• Rafts may put in and come out only at points that technical committee has fixed.