Rishikesh is a small town on the banks of the holy river Ganga, also famously known as the hippie capital of India. It is a Hindu pilgrimage, teeming with followers of Lord Shiva and an international yoga destination full of backpackers and yogis that come looking for peace and shanti and stay back for the hippie culture.

If however you are someone looking to disconnect from all that and connect with yourself, we welcome you to our little corner of peace and tranquility – a camp on a hill that’s around 45 minutes away from the hustle-bustle of Rishikesh.

Why Rishikesh?

Come to Rishikesh if you are looking for an experience that is far from the regular backpacking stories. The city is an old Hindu pilgrimage, full of sadhus and hermits eager to bless you with moksha or even just happiness. Rishikesh is also the birthplace of the holy river Ganga or the Ganges –a dip in the Ganges is supposed to cleanse you of all your sins. The river touches the plains at Rishikesh and starts to be called so.

In the 1960s when the Beatles visited Rishikesh, it gained fame as a center for its hippie culture and yoga. Soon after many yoga ashrams opened their doors to visitors,gradually becomingone of the most famous international Yoga and meditation centers, dotted with ashrams offering yoga experiences for the newbie and to the yoga pros alike.

You can check into one of these ashrams where you can detox as well as learn the “asaana” way to a healthy life. Detox in Rishikesh doesn’t just end at yoga and meditation. The entire town is vegetarian and alcohol is prohibited.

If you are looking for some adventure, then Rishikesh can offer you some of the best white water rafting, river surfing and bungee-jumping in India among other adventure activities.

The Camp

Just 45 mins from town is our little piece of heaven. A short drive takes you up to the hills where we meet you and from there it’s a short 30-minute hike through beautiful forest to the top of a plateau where we have the camp. You have a 360-degree view of the mighty Shivalik ranges of the Himalayan Mountains and in the evening the glittering city lights of Rishikesh and the gurgling Ganges are below you.

You can get as far away from the crowds as you want here and experience India that is very different from the images you see of an overpopulated country with cows holding up traffic. At the same time, you experience and enjoy hikes in the forest, waking up to the call of birds, yoga early morning at sunrise and home cooked meals that you eat sitting on the floor with your hands – a very Indian way of life that tourist brochures do not tell you about.

If you are looking to disconnect from the crowds and yet not get too far away from the world, our camp is where you should be.

Your Hosts

How do we ensure you have an absolutely offbeat getaway in spite of being so close to the city? The camp is run by Yash, our inhousehermit and Adventurer. Yash lives the hermit life – away from people, away from the crazy city life, and he is an adventurer-cum-explorer himself.

He understands the need for getting an experience based on local flavours and here you live in tents with thatched roofs and participate in the local way of life, working in fields and helping the locals reap and sow.

Mr.Bhandari, the chef at camp was a local celebrity in Amritsar – the city of the Golden temple, but decided to come back home and join Yash. He is from the local village and is in charge of the kitchen at the camp. The food you eat is local and organic,cooked fresh by Chef Bhandari to complete your off-beat experience.

The camp is part of the Jugaad Hostels Responsible Tourism project, and the money you spend here goes to the local community. Everyone that works in the camp is employed from the neighboring villages and local community that benefit from the money you spendhere.

Activities

The camp is essentially about relaxing, disconnecting from the madness of the big city and reconnecting with oneself. Here we encourage you to do nothing except take in the beauty around. Wake up when you want to, sleep as you wish to and do whatever you like. There is no schedule or itinerary to follow. Its just you and nature.

If you want to get active, Yash, being an adventure junkie himself, can guide you to treks and hikes into the nearby areas and the mountains and depending on his schedule, can even accompany you on the treks.

The nearest village is a 20-minute hike away, and if you can tear yourself away from the tranquil calm of the camp, you can get to the village to help out the locals in any way you can.

A stay atour camp is the best of both worlds. You get to experience a side of India that most travellersdon’t get to see, and at the same your money is spent with local communities. It is your invitation to disconnect yourself, relax and reset before you plunge back into the chaos and colors of India.

How much?

Cost of stay Rs 1790/person/night

Including:

Accommodation

All 3 meals

Evening tea and coffee.

Any transportation cost is extra.

Book: Write to us at stay@jugaadhostels.com for availability and booking. Reach Sunkhiya

Reach Rishikesh

Bus: Luxury and non-AC buses depart all day from the Kashmere Gate ISBT and other boarding points in Delhi. Cost begins from Rs 400 uptoRs 800 for a Volvo luxury bus.
Car: From Delhi it takes around 5-6 hours to reach Rishikesh. Route: Delhi-Ghaziabad—Meerut-Muzaffarnagar-Roorkee-Haridwar-Rishikesh (approx 250kms)
Train: There is no direct train to Rishikesh. You can take an express or non-express to Haridwar and then take a local bus or taxi to Rishikesh from there.
Rishikesh is only 25kms from Haridwar.

Reach Camp

Cab: A cab from Rishikesh costs Rs 1500, from Haridwar costs Rs 2000. It is the same cost to return. Cab drops you till the point from where the hike begins.
Cab+Bus: This is a cheaper way to reach camp. Take a local bus from the Inter-state bus station to NarenderNagar, from there our cab will pick you up for Rs 700.
Trek: You can also trek back to Rishikesh from camp. It is a 3 hour hike with a beautiful waterfall on the way. It can be easily done and we recommend you do it on the way back.

Luggage: Do not take anything else but a backpack. The hike to camp does not allow you to carry a suitcase or any other baggage. If you are carrying luggage that requires a porter it will cost Rs 300/side.

Note: Rishikesh/Camp is easily reachable from Delhi, Dharamshala, Varanasi, Kyari and Sunkhiya