The Blogs
RISHIKESH, THE HOME OF YOGA IN INDIA.
The Place where the Ganges River runs through brighter than you could ever imagine. A Spiritual Town made famous with foreigners by The Beatles back in the ’60s & ’70s.
Rishikesh is like no other place in India and it has to be visited by travellers to India, whether you visit for 3 days or 30!
I loved my week there, I met the most amazing group of women, enjoyed the sunshine, the cafes, the river, the yoga classes and seeing and listening to like-minded travellers live out their dream there too.
If you are going to Rishikesh, here is my full guide to help you have the best time, whether you’re looking for yoga, ashrams and spirituality, or hostels and adventure activities as it’s definitely one of the most beautiful places in India!
HOW TO REACH RISHIKESH
1.) Rishikesh by Bus
Places like Manali and Dharamshala are accessed via bus. I got an overnight bus from Dharamshala to Rishikesh. It wasn’t that nice because of the windy roads but it was the only option really.
There is also a bus from Rishikesh to Delhi which cuts out the need for transport to Haridwar, just to Rishikesh Bus station and this costs around 700-1000Rs depending on the quality.
2) Rishikesh by Air
I personally do not like air travels in mountains as you miss the beautiful views of mountains.
But everyone has their personal choice.
The closest airport is Dehradun Airport which is 25km from Rishikesh. If you are coming from Delhi to Rishikesh there isn’t much point getting an internal flight here but if you are coming from elsewhere in India it would be a good idea to look at flights on Skyscanner as some internal flights in India can be really cheap! To arrange a transfer from Dehradun Airport to Rishikesh for a good price
Where to Stay in Rishikesh
If there’s one thing you need to know about Rishikesh and it’s accommodation, it’s that there are 2 parts of the town with the river separating them, tourists generally stay in the Northern part of Rishikesh close to Laxman Jhula Bridge.
The Eastern Side is the ‘busier side’ and the Western side is the ‘Yoga side’ although they are both busy in their own way and both have yoga on offer.
Both sides are where you’ll find the most accommodation as well as cafes, restaurants, yoga classes etc! Note that during the day the popular bridge of Laxman Jhula does get very busy and it can take 10-15 minutes to cross it because of all the people, mopeds and cows! Also, the Eastern side of Rishikesh is not accessible by tuk-tuk so you will get dropped off on the other side from the bus station or Haridwar and will have to walk over the bridge with your bags, this may help you decide which side to stay on if you have heavy bags!
- Hotels in Rishikesh
Hotels are abundant in Rishikesh, I only went into Zostel hostel as I worked from their lovely restaurant balcony overlooking the Ganga River so if you want somewhere fancier but still at a great price, in a good location, this would be a good choice!
Alternatively, have a look for the best hotels in Rishikesh on Booking.com here! I always use Booking.com as they offer flexible choices and really good discounts once you’ve used them a few times!
Hostels in Rishikesh
There are a lot of hostels and guest houses in Rishikesh. I stayed in Shiv Shakti Hostel and whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of the hostel because I thought their private rooms were overpriced for their quality, others that stayed in the dorms seemed to like it and the dorms are cheap, it’s also in a really good location.
I heard good things about Live Free Hostel and The Hosteller from other travellers. Also Zostel Rishikesh however it is a bit out of the way on the main road. I heard bad things about Moustache and Bunk Stay.
In regards to the guest houses, after speaking to a few people who had decided to stay in Rishikesh for a few weeks it became apparent that a good number of the guest houses are not bookable online and therefore are a lot cheaper (I know, there are still places out there not online!!).
If you plan to stay in Rishikesh for more than a few days and want your own room over a dorm room but at a cheaper price I would recommend booking a few nights online first and then asking around the guesthouses once you are there. For example, there is a guesthouse behind Shiv Shakti Hostel offering private double rooms from 400, 600, 700, 800Rs which is much cheaper than anything you’ll get online!
This also applies to the Ashrams.
Ashrams in Rishikesh
Rishikesh has a lot of Ashrams thanks to it being such a holy and spiritual place. A number of these are still used by Indians which I really liked seeing but they are very popular with foreigners too!
I met a group that went to Phoolchatti for 1 week. They really liked it and liked that it’s a bit further from the town so they could totally disconnect. They run 1-week courses all Spring and Summer, you can view their site here and their TripAdvisor here. I would definitely consider going here if/when I go back to Rishikesh and visit an Ashram!
Visiting Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh is also recommended if you want a really good ashram experience in India!
What I didn’t realise until the end of my stay in Rishikesh is that some of the Ashram’s in town offer just accommodation with yoga classes on top if needed and again, the accommodation is much cheaper than hotels offered online and are usually private rooms.
My friend found out about The Omkarananda Ashram which is just at the end of Laxman Jhula Bridge and I went in with her to look around and it was really great! It was basic but very clean and the man who runs it is very nice.
Where to Stay in Rishikesh
If there’s one thing you need to know about Rishikesh and it’s accommodation, it’s that there are 2 parts of the town with the river separating them, tourists generally stay in the Northern part of Rishikesh close to Laxman Jhula Bridge. The Eastern Side is the ‘busier side’ and the Western side is the ‘Yoga side’ although they are both busy in their own way and both have yoga on offer.
Both sides are where you’ll find the most accommodation as well as cafes, restaurants, yoga classes etc! Note that during the day the popular bridge of Laxman Jhula does get very busy and it can take 10-15 minutes to cross it because of all the people, mopeds and cows! Also, the Eastern side of Rishikesh is not accessible by tuk-tuk so you will get dropped off on the other side from the bus station or Haridwar and will have to walk over the bridge with your bags, this may help you decide which side to stay on if you have heavy bags!
Hotels in Rishikesh
Hotels are abundant in Rishikesh, I only went into Kunwar Residency as I worked from their lovely restaurant balcony overlooking the Ganga River so if you want somewhere fancier but still at a great price, in a good location, this would be a good choice!
Alternatively, have a look for the best hotels in Rishikesh on Booking.com here! I always use Booking.com as they offer flexible choices and really good discounts once you’ve used them a few times!
Hostels in Rishikesh
There are a lot of hostels and guest houses in Rishikesh. I stayed in Shiv Shakti Hostel and whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of the hostel because I thought their private rooms were overpriced for their quality, others that stayed in the dorms seemed to like it and the dorms are cheap, it’s also in a really good location.
I heard good things about Live Free Hostel and The Hosteller from other travellers. Also Zostel Rishikesh however it is a bit out of the way on the main road. I heard bad things about Moustache and Bunk Stay.
In regards to the guest houses, after speaking to a few people who had decided to stay in Rishikesh for a few weeks it became apparent that a good number of the guest houses are not bookable online and therefore are a lot cheaper (I know, there are still places out there not online!!).
If you plan to stay in Rishikesh for more than a few days and want your own room over a dorm room but at a cheaper price I would recommend booking a few nights online first and then asking around the guesthouses once you are there. For example, there is a guesthouse behind Shiv Shakti Hostel offering private double rooms from 400, 600, 700, 800Rs which is much cheaper than anything you’ll get online!
This also applies to the Ashrams.
Ashrams in Rishikesh
Rishikesh has a lot of Ashrams thanks to it being such a holy and spiritual place. A number of these are still used by Indians which I really liked seeing but they are very popular with foreigners too!
A lot of the Ashrams in Rishikesh offer a package where you stay for usually 7 nights, have daily activities and meals and you are pretty confined to staying within the Ashram, which is fine as that is what a lot of people want. A week of silence, meditating, yoga, eating well and disconnecting to the outside world.
I met a group that went to Phoolchatti for 1 week. They really liked it and liked that it’s a bit further from the town so they could totally disconnect. They run 1-week courses all Spring and Summer, you can view their site here and their TripAdvisor here. I would definitely consider going here if/when I go back to Rishikesh and visit an Ashram!
Visiting Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh is also recommended if you want a really good ashram experience in India!
What I didn’t realise until the end of my stay in Rishikesh is that some of the Ashram’s in town offer just accommodation with yoga classes on top if needed and again, the accommodation is much cheaper than hotels offered online and are usually private rooms.
My friend found out about The Omkarananda Ashram which is just at the end of Laxman Jhula Bridge and I went in with her to look around and it was really great! It was basic but very clean and the man who runs it is very nice.
No strict schedule needs to be adhered to in terms of going to classes and to start with she just paid for accommodation and got a private room cheaper than most dorm rooms in Rishikesh so again, if you are planning to stay for a while, book a few nights to start with and then ask around in the Ashrams for accommodation!
THINGS TO DO IN RISHIKESH
- Sound Healing in Rishikesh
I went to a Sound Healing Session on Sunday at Devi Music Ashram by Yoga Svarupe which was soo good! It’s on from 5:00-7:00 pm but get there at 4:30 to get a good place, take some layers, cover-up and lie down and listen to the most incredible Sound Healing! It’s by donation basis too!
Neergarh Waterfall in Rishikesh
Neergarh waterfall is a great place to visit near Rishikesh! It’s walkable from Rishikesh, it’s along a busy road to start with but has amazing views of the Ganges below and lots of monkeys along the way! You then turn and the road is less busy, although it does start to get steep then!
It costs 50Rs to enter the waterfall and you can climb really high! Along the way are tea stalls with seating in the waterfalls and right at the top is Aqua Cafe which is further up from the waterfall and also a steep climb up steps but it’s well worth it as it’s so quiet and the owner is so nice. It offers freshly made food and drinks, complete with a valley full of prayer flags, and they also offer camping so if you want to go camping in Rishikesh, this is a good place to check out!
2.)The Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh
This is a big tourist place in Rishikesh by both foreign visitors and Indian visitors. To read more about the Ashram including The History of when The Beatles arrived, what effect this had on Rishikesh and Tips for visiting, CONTACT ME.
