Haridwar & Rishikesh
the Ganga, where it leaves the mountains

It takes place at dusk every evening, so the clock time moves with the season — earlier in winter, later in summer. Your guide will have the exact time for your date. Arrive well before it; the ghat fills and the best positions go early.

By private car it is roughly 220 km and five to six hours via the national highway. The Vande Bharat from Anand Vihar reaches Haridwar in about four hours and runs six days a week, not on Thursdays. In July and August the Kanwar Yatra closes stretches of the Delhi–Haridwar road for a week or more, and in those weeks we put guests on the train.

Rafting is included when the season is open, on a licensed raft with a certified guide. The season runs from September to the end of June and is closed for the monsoon. It does not always restart on 1 September — in 2025 the reopening slipped to late September after a safety inspection. Tell us your dates and we will tell you plainly whether it is running rather than promising it.

No. The old Laxman Jhula suspension bridge has been closed to the public since 2019 and remains closed. You cross the river on the other bridges, and the walk and the views are the same. A replacement glass-decked bridge has been built alongside it; we do not publish its opening arrangements until they are official.

Yes. Chaurasi Kutia, where the Beatles stayed in 1968, sits inside Rajaji Tiger Reserve and is open to visitors in the daytime with a ticket at the gate. Your guide handles it. It is a quiet, half-ruined, painted place and worth an hour in the morning before it warms up.

Yes, both, by long custom. Plan on it rather than against it. The food in Haridwar’s old town and along the river at Rishikesh is very good, and most travellers do not miss what is absent.

Yes. Several ashrams welcome visitors to drop-in sessions and a single class is included on request. Longer yoga or meditation programmes, and ayurvedic treatments, we arrange separately and in advance because places are limited.

Yes. The only exertion is optional — the hill temples at Haridwar can be reached by ropeway when it is running, the Beatles Ashram is a gentle walk, and rafting can be left out. The ghats involve steps and crowds, and your guide will pace the day around you.

Yes. Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport is about half an hour from Rishikesh and has nonstop flights to a dozen Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Many travellers drive in and fly out, which saves most of the last day.

October to March for clear, cool weather and reliable rafting from the autumn onwards; April to June is hotter but the river is open. July to mid-September is the monsoon: rafting is closed, the aarti is wet and the roads north are unreliable. We would steer you away from those weeks.

Easily. Rishikesh is the gateway to Garhwal: Auli, the Valley of Flowers and the Char Dham all begin here. See our Auli and High Garhwal, Valley of Flowers and Char Dham itineraries, or ask us to join two together.

Modest clothing with shoulders and knees covered, shoes that come off easily, and something warm for the ghat at dusk from November to February. Ask before photographing people at prayer.

Every Itinerary Diary journey is private and quoted to your own dates, party size and hotel category, so we do not publish a fixed price. Send us your dates and we will reply with a tailored itinerary and quote within one working day.

Yes. Itinerary Diary Tours & Travels is a registered company and every booking comes with a proper GST invoice.