[faithless_1984]

Newbie alert.
This is my first thread in the travelogue section ,hope you guys like it.

Me and 4 of my college friends (MBA) decided to go on this trip during our exams ,we all got so tired of studying (atleast we pretended too) for 12 consecutive papers that we just had to go on a trip to relax.
Exams got over on 10th ,the next day was spent deciding where to go ,which car ,which route etc etc.
Finally we decided upon Rishikesh and Mussoorie.
Rishikesh because 3 of my friends wanted to try out River rafting while me and another friend didn’t ,we wanted to sit back and relax in the cold climate of a hill station.
But majority wins ,so it was decided we`ll leave for rishikesh on 12th at 5am sharp .

Picked up fellow bhpian Shivam`s Viva crdi for the trip to save on fuel costs.
As expected none of us got up on time and by the time we hit the highway it was 6.30am.
Am not very good at remembering details so ill just post whatever I can recall.
The following route was taken……
Ghaziabad – Modinagar – Meerut – Muzzafarnagar – Haridwar – Rishikesh.
Had breakfast at the famous Cheetal Hotel then decided we`ll now stop only at Rishikesh except for the `pee by the roadside` breaks.
After reaching Rishikesh we started to look for a decent Rafting operator ,asked some of the locals about the realiable one`s and they mentioned Step Himalaya Adventure as one of them.
Went to there office and met the owner ,he explained to us in details about the Risks involved ,safety aspects ,cost ,route ,timing etc.
Since all of us were doing this for the first time he suggested we should start with the Lower Grade.
It was decided that we will start from Brahmpuri and end the trip near ramjhula ,a distance of 12kms which includes 3 rapids named Initiation ,Double trouble and Hilton.
Till then I was not sure wether I wanted to do this (not knowing how to swim being the main reason) so we told them that 2 of us will decide on the spot wether we want to go ahead with it or not.
We were given a quote of 350 Rs per head for 3 guys and 300 Rs for all 5 of us.
The owner introduced us to our Guide/Instructor Sanjay who is known to be one of the best in rishikesh.
He was not wrong.

They got there camper/pickup truck ,loaded the raft ,the equipment and off we went towards the starting point but first they had to pick up 2 more people (a married couple) as they had also booked these guys for rafting.
The road from there office till the starting point was pathetic ,recent landslides had made the matters worse.
Parked the car at a safe place then walked downhill to reach the rafting point.
The view just took my breath away ,white sand ,the sound of the flowing ganga river ,all surrounded by lots of trees.
I looked at my friend who also not sure about it like me and just smiled ,there was no way in hell we were going to back out now ,the adventurer in us was awakened ,didn’t even need mountain dew for it.
Risk be damned ,we strapped on the life jacket and helmet ,grabbed the paddle and jumped in the Raft.
Our instructor Sanjay gave us all the necessary instructions like when to paddle forward/backword/stop, what to do incase any of us went overboard ,how to tackle the rapids etc.

Started the journey by shouting `Ganga maiya ki jai` and a little prayer.
The first rapid was coming up fast , I was getting more excited then nervous .
We hit Initiation and the raft went up and down like a horse in a Merry go round.!
What an adrenaline rush ,couldn’t wait for the next rapid ,but Doube trouble was disappointing.
It should have been named no trouble ,Initiation was much more fun.
Then we kept floating for sometime ,those who know how to swim can float with the raft by holding on to a roap tied around the raft.
Sanjay took us to a nice point where you can ummmm can I say park the raft ?
There 2 of my friends did Cliff diving , looked like a lot of fun but I passed.
After that it we just floated towards the end point with Hilton in between which was again not as fun as the first Rapid.
Reached Ramjhula after which its just 1-2 kms to the end point.
Phew.!

[faithless_1984]

Handed over the equipment and paid 1500 Rs as discussed before.
I highly recommend these guys to anyone who wants to do rafting in rishikesh ,Sanjay was very professional and made us feel very comfortable during the whole trip.
PM me if anyone wants there contact No.

It was 4pm by the time we finished the trip so we were had to get the car from the starting point asap.
Sanjay offered to take one of us on his bike to the car.
My friend came back with the car around 5 pm thanks to the bad road conditions.
After having some tea and snacks we left for Mussoorie.

The road towards Dehradun is pretty good ,reached there easily.
Kept driving towards Mussoorie with me behind the wheel.
I went there on a trip in 2006 with my friends so was familiar with the roads/route.
Got 2 rooms in the same hotel in which I stayed in earlier for 1400 per night.
The name of the hotel is Paradise hotel and its situated opposite Barista just at the starting of the Mall road.
We all freshened up then asked the room service guy to arrange for sitting on the roof of the hotel for some drinks followed by a hearty dinner .
We all were very tired so decided to call it a day after that.

Got up at 10-10.30 the next day ,completed the morning rituals and got ready to leave for Kempty fall.
I was not interested in going there as I hate going to the major Tourist spots ,too much touristy crowd.
As expected ,the place was full of such people so we left that place after taking few dips in the water but I must say the waterfall looks amazing from a distance.
Skipped the plan to go to Dhanaulti as it was too late for that plus I was not in a mood to drive again for 30+ kms on bad roads.
Headed back to the hotel with lots of stopping in between to click pics.
The weather was awesome ,perfect for such a trip.
Lazed around the rest of the day in the hotel.
Had dinner at a restaurant in mall road then went for a walk ,good timepass.

Left Mussoorie at 11am and reached Delhi around 6-6.30.
The best part of the trip was undoubtedly the Rafting in rishikesh,planning to go there again in Oct.
Am not very good at writing but still decided to give it a shot ,hope you guys liked the travelogue.

Now what matters the most………………the pics….

[faithless_1984]

Haridwar





Headin towards rishikesh





Hotel from where the crew picked up 2 more people.



View from the hotel





Heading towards the starting point



Roads we encountered



Reached the place.



Walk downhill



Starting point

[faithless_1984]

Ganga River (ignore the danda)



Our Instructor Sanjay inflating the raft



Done



Stopped here to take pics and Cliff diving





My friend performing a cliff dive



We move forward



Finishing point



Heading towards Dehradun



View from the roof of the hotel

[faithless_1984]

Random pic



Kempty fall





Going back to the hotel











Next day while coming back ,its 11 am.!



Visibility kept decreasing



And decreasing..



Reached Dehradun safely ,rest of the journey was uneventfull.





The End

[naman]

Nice travelogue well supported with pics.

The roads in that region look quite good. How are the overall roads from Delhi to Mussorie/Rishikesh. I might be headed to that direction first weekend of Oct.

Naman

[gd1418]

I practically go here every year, the circuit being haridwar, rishikesh, dehradoon, mussoorie, dhanaulti, kanataal and back. But seeing the pictures urges me to go again this year..

great pics Faithless..

[aZa]

awesome write up and pics faithless, i think this is the best time to visit these places ?

[mjothi]

Excellent place for adventure. In the pic where your friend is diving, how deep is the water? Good to see you have taken all precautions like life-jackets, helmet etc.
Cheers.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by naman

Nice travelogue well supported with pics.

The roads in that region look quite good. How are the overall roads from Delhi to Mussorie/Rishikesh. I might be headed to that direction first weekend of Oct.

Naman

Had come from Mussorie yesterday itself. Road from Ghaziabad till meerut is not that good. Too many potholes. If you wanna go to rishikesh take Hardiwar route. Otherwise take the roorkie dehradun one which has got really nice roads till mussorie.
In mussorie you can check Kasmanda Palace which is a Welcome heritage group hotel. Very nice and looks really like a palace. Excellent food and service. We paid around 2700/night for a 5500rs suite as its offseason so 50% discount.
In dhanulti if you wanna stay then Hotel Drive Inn is really good. Very modernised with LCD and pool tables.

Forgot to mention in Rishikesh if you wanna raft try Logout Camp. ITs also on net so google for link. Its the point from where rafting actually starts and you go through around 7-8 gr8 rapids.

[snaronikar]

Nice travelogue and pics. Where are the pics of white water rafting? Have you done this when you went for rafting?

[phamilyman]

Nice pics and decent travelog.

When is the last part of the season when one can go rafting in Rishikesh?

How late can one travel that side? Like start 12am from Delhi, Rishikesh by 6 types?

[sreenivass]

Studied at Roorkee and visited these places almost 15 years ago. Rishikesh water was so clear you could see the riverbed clearly. The pictures brought many fond memories of college days. Is that campty water falls in pictures, we trekked down there from Mussorie. Gobi Parnatha in chilled weather of January was a good experience too.

[faithless_1984]

Nice travelogue well supported with pics.

great pics Faithless..

Nice travelogue and pics.

Nice pics and decent travelog.

Thanks.

How are the overall roads from Delhi to Mussorie/Rishikesh. I might be headed to that direction first weekend of Oct.

The roads go from Ok to so so then at some points we were like please god help us.
The journey takes anywehre between 6-7 hrs.

awesome write up and pics faithless, i think this is the best time to visit these places ?

IMO yes ,the weather was just perfect.

Where are the pics of white water rafting? Have you done this when you went for rafting?

Its best to avoid taking pics while tackling the rapids ,its too risky.
We stashed away our stuff in a water proof bag and took the camera out while floating and clicked some pics.

When is the last part of the season when one can go rafting in Rishikesh?

How late can one travel that side? Like start 12am from Delhi, Rishikesh by 6 types?

Not sure about the first ques but i would not advise anyone to travel overnight on this route.

Is that campty water falls in pictures, we trekked down there from Mussorie.

Yup ,but we took the trolley since we were not in a mood to trek.

[shantyrocks]

awesome pics man!!
u guys seem to have had a great adventure!