Haridwar & Rishikesh Retreat

About this journey

This is the short retreat we suggest most often, and for good reason: three days is enough to see both of the Ganga's great river towns properly without ever feeling rushed, and the whole thing happens within an hour of your arrival point. It suits a long weekend from Delhi, a first trip to Uttarakhand, families with older parents or small children, and anyone who wants the atmosphere of the pilgrimage without the ten-day drive into the high mountains.

Haridwar comes first. You arrive in the afternoon, and we get you to Har Ki Pauri well before the evening aarti so you have a proper vantage point rather than a view of somebody's shoulders — the advantage of being a local house based ten minutes from the ghat. The following morning, before the heat and the crowds, we take in Mansa Devi by cable car, Chandi Devi across the river, and the old Moti Bazaar for brass, rudraksha and breakfast, at whatever pace suits your group.

The drive to Rishikesh takes forty-five minutes and the mood changes completely. Here the days are built around the river: the suspension bridges at Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula, the ashram belt at Swarg Ashram, the mural-covered ruins of the Beatles Ashram in the forest, and the evening aarti at Parmarth Niketan or Triveni Ghat, which is smaller and more musical than Haridwar's. Afternoons are yours for the riverside cafés, a yoga class, or a walk up to Neer Garh waterfall.

Anyone who wants more can have it. White-water rafting from Shivpuri or Brahmpuri runs roughly September to June with certified operators and full safety gear, and bungee jumping and cliff jumping are a short drive away — all optional add-ons we book on request. Equally, the entire three days can stay gentle: ghats, temples, cafés and river. The vehicle and driver are yours throughout, so the plan can change over breakfast without anybody having to renegotiate anything.