Rishikesh

Every evening at sunset, hundreds gather on the ghats at Parmarth Niketan for the Ganga aarti — priests in saffron robes performing fire rituals on the river while bells ring, conches blow, and diyas float downstream. One of the most moving ceremonial experiences in India.

The stretch from Shivpuri to Laxman Jhula (16km) offers Grade 3–4 rapids — "The Wall", "Three Blind Mice", "Golf Course" — with Himalayan scenery throughout. Budget operators from ₹600; quality operators with safety equipment from ₹1,200.

In 1968, the Beatles came here for four months to study Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — the retreat produced much of The White Album. Now a partially overgrown ruin covered in street art, it has a strange melancholy beauty unlike anywhere else in India.

Rishikesh has India's highest concentration of legitimate yoga schools — from one-day drop-in classes (₹300–800) to 200-hour teacher training programs (4 weeks). The Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Omkarananda Ganga Sadan, and Yoga Niketan are among the most respected traditional schools.

At 83m, India's highest fixed bungee jump overlooks a Himalayan gorge — operated by Jumpin Heights (₹3,550), it's well-run and internationally certified. The same complex offers a giant swing (82m arc over a river gorge) and flying fox.

A 45-minute trek from the roadhead to the Kunjapuri Devi temple (1,676m) for sunrise — on clear mornings from October to March the entire Himalayan chain is visible: Gangotri, Kedarnath, Bandarpunch, and Chaukhamba, turning pink in the first light.