Now 14-year old enjoys river rafting in Rishikesh
River rafting is the best adventure sport when you visit Rishikesh. We had been planning to travel for years now. But you skip some trips when your children are small. We plan to travel as a family so this year we researched and our trip to Rishikesh was on. We booked our hotels, checked itineraries and actually reached our destination. On arrival, the first thing in the hotel was to check out the river rafting details. Here, we got our first shock. Now 14-year-old enjoys river rafting in Rishikesh. Our children are 11 years old and 6 years old.
Where did we go wrong? The misguiding Google search. We typed in the keywords ‘age limit for kids for river rafting in Rishikesh‘. There, you find titles saying the minimum age is 5 years old. Satisfied by these few lines, we didn’t bother to read more and packed our bags only to realise that last year June, Uttarakhand Govt. changed the age limit to 14 years old. This is for our safety only and we truly obey it.
Things to do in Rishikesh apart from river rafting
A road trip to Rishikesh for 4 nights and 3 days with family is enjoyable. Start with Thrill Factory at Shivpuri. Kids enjoyed water adventures like water Zorbing and rope climbing. Play indoor games with fully air-conditioned rooms and food facilities. Enjoy trekking and camping for a night but check the age limit first. So we moved on.
Both Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula are must-visit places and attending Ganga Aarti is divine. You can’t miss watching Ganga at night; always running at high speed. We spotted some great cafes in both markets. Happy to see what you love while you travel.
If you are missing river rafting badly then go for a speed boat that gives you some portion of thrill and excitement. The rest covers when your kids are hooting with water splashing on each other.
Rajaji National Park Safari
We know this is off-season to visit a National Park and there are no chances to see an animal or reptile in this heat. But to enjoy it as a picnic, we started the Rajaji National Park safari. The first hour was calm and we enjoyed the evening in the jungle. Then we spotted some adventure.
On the road, Monitor Lizard was crossing the road in front of us. Before we could realise to capture, it was already between the grasses. Still, we managed to cover it in our video. Huge one!
Next on the radar was jungli haathi (Elephant). Its tusks grabbed our attention first. Big white ones on the dark body. Rare to see especially in the city. I guess I have seen the tusk for the first time. Little fishes were playing in the water where we dipped our feet for some freshness.
Climate in June
The temperature is the same as in Delhi. Only if you want to cool off at Neer Gaddu Waterfall or go rafting, you may enjoy visiting Rishikesh in June. Otherwise, you have to wait for evenings to explore the city.
If you are a fitness freak like us and exercise is a daily ritual then you are going to enjoy it here too. While my partner enjoyed swimming in the hotel, I burnt my calories wherever we walked and explored the city. So binge on your favourite food because it is anyway going to shed off.
The best time to visit Rishikesh is March to May and July to October.
This was really unexpected fun. Always be optimistic about your trip. Because adventure can accompany you anywhere anytime. Rishikesh is surely a place for water adventure but our trip was a combination of both. A family that travels together combines all sorts of fun and makes the journey a memorable one.
I had an amazing experience in Rishikesh river rafting.
Life time experience.
Even the tent house we stayed was amazing.
http://www.shaandaarjenie.com
Wow great. Thanks
This post brings back such happy memories–I’ve done the white-water rafting a few times!
Wow. That must be interesting! Thanks Damyanti.
I did river rafting in Rishikesh 3 years back and had a blast. However did not get the opportunity to do the safari. It looks interesting
Yes, you should definitely try Safari. Thanks Ramya.
Guess what even we didn’t plan rishikesh as my 11.5 year old want to do rafting only, and we need to wait another few years. But after reading your post I can look for other options like trekking, camping, zorbing. thanks for sharing.
I am glad you found this post helpful. Thanks Pragun
Ah, reminds me of the many times I was fortunate to visit Haridwar and Rishikesh in the last couple of years. Thanks to the husbnad’s posting. It is sad that your kids couldn’t go rafting. But trust me, it’s good that the age limit has been increased. It is definitely dangerous for kids! Lovely account of your travel, Geethica.
Yes, Shalini. May be in some more years, we will again come and go for rafting with kids. Thanks.
Never been river rafting, although we have done coracle rides and kayaking too. But this looks like so much fun. Always enjoy spotting monitor lizards and other animals when we are outdoors in the midst of Nature. Looks like you all had a great time Geethica.
Hi Shailaja, yes with kids adventure is always around. More than us kids enjoyed. Thanks.