IndiaUttarakhandLate September to April

Rishikesh

Rafting season reopens and the Ganga runs clear again

Open departure windows

days

3–5 days

from · per person

₹12,000

Best window

Late September to April

Why go now

Rafting on the Ganga is suspended from the end of June to mid-September because the river is in spate and the riverside camps are dismantled. The season restarts around the end of September, and October and November are the best of it — the water has dropped to a safe but lively level, the silt has settled so the river runs green instead of brown, and the weather is warm by day and cool at night. Camps reopen on the sand banks between Shivpuri and Byasi.

September October November December February March April

Quick facts

Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
Language spoken: Hindi, Garhwali, English
Time difference: No difference — IST
Flight time: Dehradun: 1h from Delhi, then 1h by road
Typical temperature: 24–30 °C day, 10–16 °C night

Trip highlights

The 16 km Shivpuri to Rishikesh rafting run, Grade III rapids
A riverside camp on the sand between Shivpuri and Byasi
Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan, calmer than Haridwar's
A structured multi-day yoga or vipassana course, not a drop-in class
The Neer Garh waterfall walk and the Beatles Ashram murals

Departures

Open departure windows

Every dated window we can currently service, newest first. Seat counts update as they fill.

25 – 29 Sep 2026

4 nights / 5 days

Filling fast

First rafting window after the monsoon break

from

₹12,500

per person

Hold my seat

16 – 20 Oct 2026

4 nights / 5 days

Open

from

₹12,000

per person

Hold my seat

13 – 17 Nov 2026

4 nights / 5 days

Open

from

₹12,500

per person

Hold my seat

What a typical package covers

Return flights or train from your departure city
Hotels or homestays on twin sharing, hand-picked rather than allocated
Daily breakfast, and dinner where the location has no reasonable alternative
A dedicated vehicle with driver for the whole itinerary
All permits, entry formalities and inter-city transfers
A named coordinator on WhatsApp for the length of the trip

Not included

Lunches, and any meal not named in the itinerary
Monument and activity tickets unless stated on your quote
Anything personal — laundry, tips, phone, medical

Know before you go

1Only book rafting through operators registered with the Uttarakhand tourism board. The unregistered ones on the highway are cheaper and are how accidents happen.
2Rishikesh is alcohol-free and largely vegetarian by law and custom. Plan accordingly rather than being surprised.
3October nights at a riverside camp drop to around 10 °C. Camps provide bedding but not warm clothing.

Visa for Indian passports

No visa. Domestic travel.

Questions

Rishikesh — Frequently asked

If yours is not here, call or WhatsApp us — the desk answers, not a bot.

Yes. Life jackets and helmets are mandatory and the guide briefs you on what to do if you go in. The Shivpuri run is Grade III, which is exciting without being technical. Children under 14 and anyone with a back or shoulder injury should take the shorter Brahmapuri run instead.

If you want a structured course of a week or more, yes — the teaching depth in Rishikesh is genuinely hard to match. If you want a couple of drop-in classes alongside sightseeing, almost any hill town will do and you are paying for the name. We will ask which one you mean before booking an ashram.

Both are within ninety minutes. Haridwar suits a half-day for the evening aarti; Mussoorie needs a full overnight to be worth the climb. A four-night trip covering Rishikesh, one night in Mussoorie and a Haridwar evening on the way back is a well-balanced route.

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