[SIDDAGNI]

The adrenaline rush is something which automotive enthusiast can well correlate. We are among them who are addicted to it and do activities which give a blast of it.
Delhi is the centre for many wonderful locations and activities around, we are blessed to be living here and can visit any place. As people travel from a different location to Delhi to start their journeys.
We have been to Rishikesh many times but never dared to do Bungee Jumping. Imagine yourself standing on a cliff and someone asks you to jump with a rope tied on your legs, seems pretty easy!! But it is not. We have been thinking the same that it is quite an easy task as the rope is tied and all safety is taken care of then what’s the fear in that, but when you stand at that point and ready to jump and then you see the bottom which is far away then the only thought which comes into your mind is ..close your eyes and jump. And out of natural fear, you will shout and scream.
We started gathering information about the Bungee jumping in Rishikesh as it’s the only well managed and organized Bungee jumping facility in India.
They have made it very simple that there are certain guidelines which you have to follow and some requirements regarding the health status which one should meet and that’s it. Book a slot and jump.
Bungee jumping in Rishikesh is offered by ‘Jumpin Heights’ and they have their calendar booked for almost all the weekends. We started searching for dates and the slot available was on 25th Nov 2018 (Sunday) morning 10 a.m.
We booked the slot in Oct’18 only. The details are as follow:
Official Website to book: http://jumpinheights.com/
Bungee Cost per person: INR 3550/- + 18% GST
Should not: Have high BP, Brain surgery, Pregnant, Epilepsy and any other major health issue. As they will not allow you to jump and it’s not advisable to hide any medical issue just for the jump as it can lead to severe results


They provide bus service also from their base office in Tapovan, Rishikesh but you need to book that in advance.


They offer various other fun activities as well like Flying fox & Giant swing, one can avail combo as well to reduce the price.
You can get your video as well from them at an additional cost of INR 800/person
2 of my friends decided to join me for this adventure and we were 3 people on 2 bikes, One KTM Duke390 & Bajaj Dominar 400. I was accompanied by my friend as pillion on my Bajaj Dominar 400 as he doesn’t want to ride so long and enjoy being a pillion.

Brief Itinerary:
24/Nov/2018: Delhi to Rishikesh
25/Nov/2018: Rishikesh – Jumping Height – Delhi

Day 1_24/Nov/2018: Delhi to Rishikesh:
So let me introduce you to the team
Amber Tandon : KTM DUKE 390
Siddharth Agnihotri(Me) : Bajaj Dominar 400
Pranav Jain : Pillion on Bajaj Dominar 400
One our friend (Pranav) lives in Ghaziabad (U.P) and he advised that we can stay at his place so that we can start early and that sounds reasonable to us and we agreed. I and Amber came all the way from Gurgaon to Ghaziabad on Friday night i.e. 23rd Nov 2018 and after dinner, we packed all our things in saddlebags and just dozed off.
Next morning we were supposed to leave Ghaziabad by 6:30 but leaving bed in winter and getting out is really a tough task. So finally we started at 7:20 a.m. and the purpose was to avoid the traffic. It was Saturday morning and the routine office-goers were less in numbers. Staying in Ghaziabad day before we were leaving really pays off and we crossed the city really fast as ‘NH 58’ is infamous for its traffic jams and chaotic traffic.
After crossing ‘Muradnagar’ we left the highway and chose the Upper Ganga Canal road which was having negligible traffic but there were many speed breakers on the way.


The view was nice as the canal was running parallel to the road and the road was covered with lush green plants and it was little foggy. We utilized the opportunity and maintained a constant speed till ‘Khatauli’. Bajaj Dominar 400 was proving a real cruiser and was performing unmatchable.


We joined the main highway again before ‘Khatauli’ and we were feeling hungry, so we decided to take a breakfast break at ‘ Namaste Midway Plaza’. By the time we had already covered 85Km in 1:15 hour time and was running good. The plaza has many stores but we preferred ‘Mc Donalds’ as they were serving Mc Breakfast menu. We grabbed a burger and coffee. There were many bikers groups who halted there and they were also heading towards Rishikesh and few were there on a morning bike trip from Delhi.


After that, we again started for Rishikesh and crossed ‘Muzaffarnagar’, by the time we reached Roorkee the traffic started showing up and slowed us a bit. After crossing Roorke we continued for Haridwar.
There are 2 route to reach Rishikesh from Hardiwar, One is the main highway and the second road goes via ‘Rajaji National Park’. After entering Haridwar we turned right to choose the road which goes from Rajaji National park as it has less traffic and more scenic



There is a ‘Tourist office’ for National park where we halted for tea and Maggie. It was very peaceful and birds were chirping and roaming around you so that you can offer something to them or they will quickly get the pieces of bread or biscuit drop by you.




From there we headed towards our hotel which was in ‘Tapovan’ and crossed ‘Bahraj Bridge & Dham’ to enter Rishikesh and crossed whole Rishikesh city to reach our Hotel.


It was at good location with a mountain view , room was very spacious. We ordered some coffee and relaxed for some time. The weather was very pleasant. It was around 2 p.m. so we decided to rest for some time.




At 4:00 we started for ‘The Beatles Ashram’ on our bikes, it was crazy to cross ‘Lakhsman Jhula’ as it was shaking and was full of crowd and you have to ride very cautiously so that bike should not touch any pedestrian. After crossing the bridge we reached other side of the river and headed towards ‘The Beatles Ashram’ but by the we reached there it was closed. The visiting hours are 10 a.m to 4 p.m. We had a plan to attend famous ‘Ganga Arti’ at ‘Parmarth Niketan Ashram’ after visiting Beatles Ashram but as it was closed so we were having plenty of time which we utilized in grabbing some street food and clicking some snaps of our bikes. After all that we went to attend the Arti at Parmarth Niketan Ashram and its advisable to reach early before the arti timing as the area gets crowded and you will not find suitable place to sit or even stand.
So we attend the Ganga Arti and then headed back, the Arti was really good. (Do confirm the time of arti as its different in summer and winter)















From there we went to a place suggested by one of our friend who lives in Rishikesh i.e. ‘VJ by Ganges’ ..it an open restaurant. It will be quite tricky to find the same as its behind the Hotel Dev Ganga and a narrow walkway goes up till there

The place is famous for its wood baked pizza and the ambience, you can sit under the stars and can see all mighty Ganga river from the cliff and lighting down there on the other side of the banks.
We ordered 3 different type of pizzas and some pasta. I would recommend to stick with Pizza only which is worth try out if you are in Rishikesh.





After that we came out and decided to have a round around Rishikesh. It was biting cold and driving bike in such condition is a fun.
We came back at our Hotel and slept as we had to report 10a.m. next day at the jump site.

Total Distance covered: 252 Km

[SIDDAGNI]

Day 2_25/Nov/2018: Rishikesh – Jumping Height – Delhi:
We woke up at around 7:30 a.m. and the mountains were looking beautiful. People were doing Yoga outside. We quickly packed all our belongings and after all morning natures call, we went for the breakfast but we ate very less as a precaution to avoid vomiting during the Jump.
After that, we checked out and kept our luggage at the hotel reception only. Jumpin Heights base camp is almost 25Km from Tapovan. The route is very well shown on GMaps, don’t miss the turn for the Neelkanth bridge.


We reached the base camp at around 9:50 a.m. and reported to the staff. They asked for booking Id and then allotted us a number and asked us to wait in the café which is at the backside of the facility and there they have installed a live telecast from the platform so that you can see people jumping from there. (Video recording from the TV in the café is not allowed and if found doing so they will cancel you’re booking). We were watching people jumping from the platform and it was looking scary but we somehow were confident on our self that we will do it. While coming to the Jumpin Height base camp from Tapovan one can see the jumping platform and people jumping from there.






So after more than 1 hour of waiting time we were called and asked to sit in an area where they will show you a video which explains the process and does and don’ts. We filled the indemnity bond. They have a weighing machine on which you must stand and they will give you a band as per your weight.
They will ask you to put all your belonging in to locker which they provide.
They will ask you if you want to have video (CD) for the jump as then you must pay for it i.e. INR 800/- extra. We availed that facility and all formalities were completed. We then proceeded for the platform which is about 400m from the base office and they have their buses to drop you till there.
All of us were excited and at the same time a bit scared also. At the platform, you must give your entry ticket and they will take you in. They segregate people based on the band (weight) as they use 3 rope categories for different weight.
• Category 1 : 40kg to 60kg
• Category 2: 61kg to 90kg
• Category 3: 90kg to 110kg
And they prefer to send all person in a particular category and then change the rope to entertain the other category.
We were watching people jumping and they were screaming and the voice was echoing in the mountains. It made us nervous and we were a bit in a dilemma that whether to jump or not !!
So, after 20-30 mins of waiting finally, our turn came and we were in line. They called us and tied the rope very well. They instructed us well that what to do and how to jump. The rope was tied and I was walking towards the end of the ramp and it was really very scary but somehow, they boost your morale and ask you not to look down and just jump. They do not push you! If you want to quit from that point also you just need to tell them and come back. But nothing will be refunded.
They have put a cross sign on the mountain in the front of the platform and you can see it and jump without seeing down. I just closed my eyes and jumped and was screaming until the first pull of the rope was experienced. Then there were many more bounces and pulls and when the rope become stable they will release the rope meter by meter so that you can reach near to the ground and on the ground, there is staff from Jumpin heights which will give you a rod to hold as you will be hanging upside down and then from the platform, they will release you more and there is a big bed down there on which you will make your landing. They will give one water bottle and one badge stating’ I have got Guts’ and then there is a small trail/trek to the cafeteria at the base location which takes 15-20 min. I waited for all my friends also to complete the jump and then we headed upwards. We had some snacks in the cafeteria till the time they were preparing our video and certificate.
It was fun and one of the activities in my bucket list. Although making the jump was a tough task but that what we wanted to do. It’s safe and well maintained.










We collected our video and certificates and then moved to the hotel to collect the luggage. It was already 2:30 p.m. till we reached our hotel. So we quickly mounted our luggage and started back for Gurgaon.
Sundays are usually rush days in Rishikesh and there was a lot of traffic as people were going back to their home after the weekend trip. We were hungry but we decided to have lunch in Roorkee. It took us 1 hour 45 min to reach Roorkee due to traffic jams in Haridwar. We stopped at one of the famous Roll junction in Roorkee ‘34 Chowringhee Lane Kathi Roll’ and had awesome khati roll. There is no sitting space as people usually take-away their orders.



It was almost 5 p.m. when we started from Roorkee and the weather was good and it started getting dark after 5:30 p.m. As in winter it gets dark early but thanks to the powerful headlight of Dominar 400 that the roads were visible clearly. After ‘Khatauli’ we again joined the ‘Ganga Upper Canal road’ but this time we face some traffic on it compared to the previous day. It took us 3 hours 30 minutes to reach Ghaziabad. We dropped our friend at his place and then headed towards Gurgaon. Crossing Delhi on Sunday evening is very challenging. We reached Gurgaon at around 10:30 p.m.
The trip was fun and adventures. Piece of advice: One must do all the booking in advance to avoid any last-minute hustle.

Total distance covered: 315 Km

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[behaln]

I will share my experience at Jumpin Heights. The place is owned by an Ex Colonel of Indian Army, a very humble gentleman in his sixties. I had travelled to Jumpin heights during summer of 2018.
I along with my brother's family travelled in personal car. The parking at their city office is an issue and I had to park my car at some distance. The small parking in front of their city office is occupied by their Tempo traveller and local taxis.
The jump site and the reception area was very professionally managed. The toilets were clean. The cafe at the jump site although hygienic could have added few more items to the menu.
The staff managing the jumps were from New Zealand and made all possible attempts to make us comfortable. They were not at all pushy or trying to speed up. The safety standads were top notch.
My wife and sister in law tried the flying fox as well.
Overall I would rate it one of the best professionally managed adventure sport site in India.
I have tried Bungee jumping at Macau as well so I can easily compare both of them and proudly say that Jumpin Heights is one of the best.

[am1m]

There was a bungee jumping setup in Goa a long time ago. I don't remember near which beach (Anjuna I think, not sure), but I tried it out way back in 2001. Was pretty well managed. Looks like the Jumpin Heights guys have setup another one in Goa, but doesn't look like the same location that I remember. I thought there would be several sites by now all over the country, but doesn't seem like it.