Tour: Paddling down the Ganges (4 days)

Paddling down the Ganges

 

"The river so beautiful, the water so clean, the mountains so majestic, the surroundings so green..” is an apt description of the river on which Sir Edmund Hillary undertook his 'Ocean to Sky' expedition to try and get to the source of the river.

India has a range of rivers ideal for multi day river touring. The Ganga, believed to be the 'holiest river in the world' and 'the life and soul of India', is by far the most popular. The cultural diversity en route, Hindu shrines and temples, the friendly & helpful people, the wildlife and avifauna and Gangetic dolphin sightings all add up to make this a very special trip.

BEST TIME: November, Mid March – April

Day 01: Delhi – Haridwar: (Train, Dep. 06:55 hrs, Arr. 11:15 hrs)

Haridwar - Camp near Rishikesh; (Drive 40 Km/ 1 hrs)

Early morning transfer to the New Delhi Railway Station to board the Dehradun Shatabdi Express train to Haridwar. Here you are met by our representative at the station and driven to the camp near Rishikesh.

Welcome upon arrival at the camp, followed by an orientation talk by the Manager.

You will then have free time to settle down in to your tents.

Post lunch, leave for a 04-km. trek to a Garhwali village. This trek meanders through the local school and brings you down to a Himalayan stream. You wade through the stream to cross it and walk back to camp.

Enjoy a dinner around a merry campfire. 

 

Day 02: Camp (Yoga, rafting and sightseeing of Rishikesh).

An early morning wake up call is followed by a yoga session and then breakfast. Post breakfast, drive up to Marine drive for an exciting session of rafting on the Ganga.

   Upon arrival at Marine Drive, we gear up for the rafting session (with wet suits, helmets, life jackets and paddles).  

   After a thorough safety briefing by our experienced river guides, we get on to   the river and start our rafting session.   

   This section on the river has some exhilarating Grade II & III rapids viz ‘

   Investment’, ‘Black money’, ‘Three Blind Mice’, ‘Crossfire’, etc.

   We conclude our rafting session at Shivpuri and walk up to the base for our   much awaited hot lunch.

This afternoon, we go for a short sightseeing trip of Rishikesh and take a walking tour of this fascinating Holy town, the spiritual birthplace of Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda.

Located in the lap of lower Himalayas, Rishikesh is surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills on three sides with the Holy Ganges flowing through it. The town is sacred to Hindu pilgrims and is often referred to as the `Yoga Capital of the World'. Back in the 1960s, Rishikesh gained instant fame as the place where the Beatles came to stay with their guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

  After crossing Laxman Jhulla, a suspended bridge across the Ganges, we walk past several temples, ashrams, and   yoga centers to Ram Jhulla - bridges are named after the two legendary brothers Ram and Laxman from the Hindu         

  Epic “Ramayana”.

  At Ram Jhoola we walk down to the ghat for an evening “Aarti”

In Hindu homes and temples, “Aarti” ceremony performed at twilight, is one of the most important parts of the day.     The lighting of lamp, as the sun is setting, is supposed to ensure the presence of god of light and fire in the house.

Amid singing and chanting of devotional songs and hymns, the devotees line up along the bank of the river and float    lit “diyas” in the Holy Ganga. The sight of the flickering flames of thousands of “diyas” on the river is awesome. 

After “Aarti” drive back to the Camp. Overnight stay in Deluxe safari tents

 

Day 03: Rishikesh – Kaudiyala:

  Early morning wake up call followed by a yoga session. Then breakfast. Post breakfast, we drive to Devprayag, the    confluence of two sacred rivers, the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda. Both the rivers merge here to form the Holy Ganges.

   The people gather along the roadside to watch as we head into the white water, just above the confluence. We take

   a holy dip in the river and commence our rafting. Lunch en route on an isolated beach by the river.

 

   Today, it’s an easy rafting day in a wide, calm stretch of the river for the next thirty kilometers. We take out at Kaudiyala, board our waiting vehicles and drive back to the base.

   Dinner around campfire. Overnight stay in Deluxe safari tents

 

Day 04: Isolated Beach–Kaudiyala (Rafting / Kayaking)

Kaudiyala–Haridwar (Drive 2 hrs):

   Haridwar - Delhi: (Train, Dep. 18:20 hrs, Arr.22:45 hrs

Early morning wake up call followed by a yoga session. Then breakfast. Post breakfast we go for some more paddling on the Ganges and paddle through three big rapids called ‘Return to Sender’, ‘Roller Coaster’ (Grade III) and ‘Golf Course’ (Grade IV).

  We conclude our paddling at on an isolated beach near Rishikesh where changing tents will be set up at the beach.

 After changing our wet clothes, we board the waiting vehicle and drive back to the camp for lunch.

  Post lunch at leisure.

  Early evening transfer to Haridwar railway station to board the evening Dehradun Shatabdi Express back to Delhi.

Per Person basis:

BASIS – In INR

Period

Tour Type

06 – 10 Persons

Twin Sharing

Single Room Supplement

01 Oct 11 – 30 Apr 12

Rafting on Ganges

30185

6620

  • Best period for traveling from 01 Nov – 15 Dec & 01 Feb – 30 Apr
  • Seasons not recommended for traveling from 16 Dec – 31 Jan as it is too cold & from 01 May – 30 Sep as it is too hot
  • Rates are valid for a minimum of 08 paying pax traveling together

 

Hotel Envisaged: 14217

City

Hotel

Room Type

Number of Nights

Rishikesh

Mobile Camp

Standard Tent

03

 

 

 

 

 

TERMS & CONDITIONS

THE ABOVE COST INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

  • Accommodation on twin sharing basis as per the itinerary, in hotels mentioned or similar
  • Meal Plan: Full board basis beginning with Lunch on Day 01 and ending with Lunch on day 04
  • Arrival/Departure transfers, excursion’s and surface transfers using air-conditioned transport in Rishikesh and Haridwar
  • Meet and greet services by Eastbound/Associate office in each city - Rishikesh
  • Train fare in Air conditioned chair car from Delhi – Haridwar and back
  • 01 Bottle of mineral water per person per day
  • Celebratory dinner on the last night in Haridwar.
  • Use of river equipment, camping equipment, services by English river guides, cook, helpers, supporting staff etc. during rafting
  • All currently applicable taxes

 

THE ABOVE COST DOES NOT INCLUDE:

  • Any services other than the ones mentioned above
  • Any Airfare (quoted as supplement)
  • Visa charges, airport taxes, table drinks, telephone calls, tips to driver/guide/naturalist, camera fees, international airfare, laundry etc or any other items of personal nature
  • Any other expense/changes due to unforeseen circumstances while in India
  • Any other thing not mentioned in program or “Cost Includes”