One Day Delhi to Rishikesh Trip by Cab
Rishikesh is one of the nearest weekend getaways from the capital city of Delhi. Rishikesh drives you away from the hustle-bustle and brings you close to nature, adventure and helps you reconnect with your inner self. If you are somebody who is seeking all of this, add a One Day Delhi to Rishikesh Trip by Car in your bucket list.
Exploring the capital city of India in itself is a mystifying experience filled with culture, history, architecture, shopping, and food. With a new experience at every new lane that you turn to, the city of Delhi simply won’t stop to amuse you.
And when you are done exploring the city (even though in reality, you never really can be done), you have endless one day getaways from Delhi, and the favourite amongst most is Rishikesh.
Also nicknamed as the World Yoga Centre, Rishikesh is located in the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located approximately 250 km from Delhi and takes roughly 6 hours to reach via NH334 and NH 44.
The Ganges river flows through Rishikesh and river rafting here becomes a major tourist attraction. Being located on the banks of River Ganga, it also hosts various ancient temples that attract several tourists.
It is said that Lord Rama had come to Rishikesh to atone himself of killing the demon Ravana. He was joined by his brother Lord Laxman who had crossed the Ganges river and this crossing point today sees an iron bridge known as the Laxman Jhula.
Rishikesh is also famous for various yoga and meditation centres which makes it very popular amongst foreign travellers who come in search of peace and better health. Various thrilling activities like bungee jumping, camping, flying fox, Mountain biking, giant swing have also made Rishikesh a hot spot among adventure junkies.
What to Expect
Since Rishikesh has a lot to offer, we would want to start our trip early in the morning to avoid any congestion to reach Rishikesh as early as we can and cover all places of interest. We will first begin our Rishikesh sightseeing tour by first visiting the Chaurasi Kutia, a meditation centre which is now famously known as The Beatles Ashram.
From here, we will take a make a quick halt to the iconic bridge, Laxman Jhula, Next, we will visit the Neer Garh Waterfall which is a natural water body plus pool that can be reached by hiking for 10 to 15 minutes. We will take a short boat ride to reach the Parmarth Niketan Temple, and then attend the evening aarti (prayer) at the Triveni Ghats.
From here we’ll walk down the other bridge, Ram Jhula. This will bring our One Day Delhi to Rishikesh Trip by Car to an end and we will depart to our place of origin.
Places to visit during your One Day Delhi to Rishikesh Trip by Car
1. The Beatles Ashram
Nestled on a small cliff covering an area of 14-acres lies the Beatles Ashram. Earlier it was famous for being the International Academy of Meditation and was a training centre for meditating in silence.
During this time it was visited by Donovan, Mia Farrow and Mike Love, who were members of the internationally popular rock band, ‘Beatles’. They composed many songs here for one of their albums named “White Album”. This is how it got its name.
In the last decade of the 20th Century, the site was abandoned and was taken in control by the forest department from whom it was originally leased. In 2015, the Ashram was again open for public viewing with the meditation hall being turned into a gallery with works of the Beatles.
- Things To Do: During One Day Delhi to Rishikesh Trip, apart from visiting the gallery, you can also enjoy various nature walks and bird-watching tours that are provided by the forest department.
- Timings: Open on all days of the week
- Entry Fee: Rs.150 for Indians and Rs.650 for foreigners
- Recommended Duration: 1 Hour
2. Neer Garh Waterfall
Next place on your one day Rishikesh trip from Delhi is Neer Garh Waterfall. A small hike of 10-15 minutes will bring you to the Neer Garh Waterfall where you can find a natural pool and a series of three waterfalls.
The trail will take you through beautiful scenery and there are various refreshment shops and benches to make the hike more comfortable. From the waterfall, one can view the Ganges river and the city of Rishikesh.
Listen to the birds chirping, enjoy a hot cup of tea and gorge on a plateful of maggie and other snacks. Since the place is slightly on the outskirts of the city and is not known, it doesn’t attract a lot of people, which makes swimming at the pool a more serene and calming experience.
- Things To Do: Dip your legs in the pool, swim, or simply sit on the benches and enjoy the view that this natural escapade has to offer. This will surely be the highlight of your one day Rishikesh trip.
- Timings: Open all-day
- Entry Fee: Free
- Recommended Duration: 1.5 Hour
3. Laxman Jhula
Laxman Jhula which is built across the Ganges river is a suspension bridge that connects the two villages of Rishikesh, Tapovan on the west bank and Jonk on the east bank. It is a place not to miss on your one day tour to Rishikesh.
Apart from connecting the two villages, it also has a religious significance. It is said that Lord Laxman had crossed the river using a jute bridge which was washed away and later it was made into the iron bridge as it stands today.
This bridge was used by both veterans and tourists either on foot or on two-wheelers. However, it is temporarily closed due to safety reasons.
- Things To Do: Since the bridge is closed, one can only get a view of it from the base point which in itself is stunning.
- Timings: Open all-day
- Entry Fee: Free
- Recommended Duration: 10 Minutes
4. Parmarth Niketan
Pramarth Niketan is the largest Ashram of Rishikesh lying on the west bank of the Ganges River. It boasts of over a thousand rooms and offers a clean and peaceful environment to meditate, pray and practice yoga.
Most people who take a day tour in Rishikesh, often visit the Parmarth Niketan Temple to sit at the river bank and to pray to the 14 feet statue of Lord Shiva in a meditating position.
If one stays longer, one can even watch the students of the ashram recite the Hanuman Chalisa. If one visits the ashram ghats in the morning, one can even see a lot of people practising Yoga here.
- Things To Do: There is an Ayurvedic Massage centre where one can avail a massage for a nominal price.
- Timings: Open on all days of the week from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM
- Entry Fee: Free
- Recommended Duration: 10 Minutes
5. Triveni Ghat
During your One Day Delhi to Rishikesh Trip by car, attending the Maha Aarti at the Triveni Ghat is something that is not to be missed at all. It’s advisable to come early and grab a nice seat. With the sun setting, one can see hundreds of tourists flocking to attend the aarti.
The aarti begins with saints chanting mantras, the beating of drums and is followed by the signing of prayers. One can see various diyas floating in the river. You can see the ghat all lit up.
Many visitors even prefer taking a dip in the holy waters of Ganges river before attending the aarti. It is said that by doing so, one can wash away all of their sins. Many people even carry waters of the river (Gangajal) in containers which can be used for various religious purposes.
- Things To Do: Many visitors even prefer taking a dip in the holy waters of Ganges river before attending the aarti. It is said that by doing so, one can wash away all of their sins. Many people even carry waters of the river (Gangajal) in containers which can be used for various religious purposes.
- Timings: Open on all days of the week
- Entry Fee: Free
- Recommended Duration: 30 Minutes
6. Ram Jhula
Named after the primary mythical character of Ramayana, Lord Rama, Ram Jhula is similar in style to its counterpart, Laxman Jhula, only slightly bigger. Because it is located at the primary tourist spot and close to various temples, it attracts more crowd and is often confused with the former.
The bridge has been painted recently using tri-colours of the Indian National Flag and a walk in this bridge allows you a panoramic view of the river Ganges.
It is 2 km in length and can be accessed by foot. Many tourists use the bridge to reach from Sivananda Nagar area of Muni Ki Reti (on the east) to Swarg Ashram or the Parmarth Niketan Temple on the west.
- Things To Do: Take a stroll on the bridge to enjoy the vibes of the city of Rishikesh. It also doubles up as a great viewpoint to take pictures with the river Ganges and the Shivalik hills in the backdrop.
- Timings: Open all-day
- Entry Fee: Free
- Recommended Duration: 30 Minutes