True peace is found in the lap of nature, and one such place is Rishikesh. The holy city holds infinite hidden mysteries of Indian mythology. For travelers, it’s a great place to uncover ancient stories, explore the wonders of nature, and take a break from the everyday hustle of life. If you are planning to visit Rishikesh, then there is a lot you should add to your itinerary.

Simran is a young photographer and traveler. With the spirit to live and capture the world’s experiences through her lens, she went on a long solo trip to Rishikesh this February. While starting her journey to discover Rishikesh, she found her new friends in other solo travelers. 

Wandering in the Streets

Simran and her friends started their trip touring around the streets of Rishikesh. They rented scooters to commute locally. The famous twin Jhulas – Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula were some of their destinations.

If you are on the bridge, stand still, take in the scenic beauty of mountains and water beneath, listen to the buzz of temples and local markets surrounding the bridge, and feel the breeze grazing your skin. It’s euphoric! Don’t forget to visit the temples situated at the linings of the bridges, they are marvelous. After touring throughout the day, they finally made a stop to enjoy the sunset in Rishikesh. Between the mountains and rivers, the view was beautiful.

Explore the Waterfalls

Next, they went on to enjoy the famous waterfalls in Rishikesh. The Neer Waterfall was on top of their list. Exploring the unexplored places, they found their way to the Secret Waterfall of Rishikesh. As the name suggests, it’s a secret waterfall, one only locals are familiar with and often left unexplored by tourists. If you are vacationing in Rishikesh, the famous waterfalls of this place must be on your itinerary. The sounds of rushing water and the beauty of flora and fauna will soothe your soul.

Down the Historical and Holy Lane

Visiting the ghats and caves of Rishikesh was a major part of their trip. They went to the Vashistha Cave, Beatles Ghat, Triveni Ghat, and other ghats. The Vashistha Cave is the best place to visit for all meditation enthusiasts and Hindu mythology lovers. Sit here and meditate for 10-15 minutes, and you will feel the vibe. After visiting the Vashistha Ghat, they visited the Triveni Ghat. 

It is a sacred place where the Hindu devotees take a bath to become free of their sins. The Ganga aarti performed in the evening at Triveni Ghat is a holy experience. If you are in Rishikesh, you can’t miss it! The sounds of holy chants, the aroma of flowers and incense sticks, the light of diyas, the view is simply majestic and calms the mind. Besides the Triveni Ghat, they visited another seven to eight ghats in Rishikesh. 

Best Places to Relax and Eat

On their 10 day trip to Rishikesh, they explored a lot of local cafes and food hangout places but found the food is not so good at all places. While craving tasty food on their trip, they came across the Harry Cafe, which soon became their daily go-to cafe for the rest of their stay. The other cafes they frequently visited were Freedom cafe and Chillout cafe in Tapovan. They did a lot of shopping from the local markets. You should also stop by the local markets and shop authentically handcrafted and locally made items. Take gifts and souvenirs home.

They made their trip exciting with adventure sports and experiences of river rafting and cliff jumping. These were the highlights of their trip. Bungee jumping was also on their list, but they had to cross it out due to elections.

Simran stayed at goSTOPS hotels with her group to freely enjoy their trip. She had a budget of around INR 8,000 for the trip. The best place for her was Seva Sadan Ashram, and they got private rooms at a very low price of INR 500. While they were busy exploring every corner of Rishikesh on most days, some days, they took a break and spent the day indoors chilling out. Summing up her trip, it was filled with exploration and adventure. 

For more photos and videos, check out her page @simranagarwalphotography.

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