A person sits in quiet meditation on a cliff edge overlooking a mountain sunset.

Uttarakhand · 5 Days

Ananda Wellness Retreat

A single-base retreat in Rishikesh — Ayurveda and yoga by day, the ghats and the aarti in the evenings.

Day by Day

5 Days, In Full

A short, single-base retreat rather than a touring itinerary. Four nights at a wellness-focused resort above the Ganges, with an Ayurvedic consultation and daily treatments set to an individual programme. A day given to the town's yoga history, the former Beatles ashram and Laxman Jhula. A gentler rafting outing for those who want the river without the full adventure version. The evenings return to the ghats for the aarti. It suits travellers who want to arrive once and stay, not cover ground.

Rishikesh

Arrive in Rishikesh

The usual way in is a drive from Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport, about forty-five minutes, or from Delhi, about five and a half hours by road. The Dehradun–Haridwar rail line also stops close by. You settle in by the Ganges in the afternoon. The evening is for a first walk across Laxman Jhula and along the ghats, ending at Triveni Ghat for the aarti as the light drops.

A therapist gives a calming back massage in a spa setting, evoking an Ayurveda treatment session.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh — a Day of Ayurveda and Yoga

A day set around treatment rather than sightseeing, built for a stay at Ananda or a similar wellness-focused property. It opens with a morning yoga or pranayama session, followed by an Ayurvedic consultation and one or two therapies through the day, from the resort's own physicians. Meals follow the individual programme rather than a standard menu. The pace is deliberately slow, with long unstructured time on the terrace or in the gardens.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh — Ashrams, Laxman Jhula and the Beatles Ashram

A day given to the town's yoga history. A guided walk through the overgrown, graffiti-painted huts of the former Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ashram, where the Beatles studied in 1968, followed by a visit to a working ashram along the riverbank. A crossing of Laxman Jhula for the view up the Ganges, and time in the cafes and yoga-shop lanes on the eastern bank. The evening returns to the ghats for the aarti.

A raft full of paddlers powers through white-water rapids on a Himalayan river.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh — Rafting and the Evening Aarti

A morning of white-water rafting on the Ganges, a run of roughly two to three hours through named rapids from Shivpuri or Marine Drive down toward the town, grade two to three and suited to first-timers. The afternoon is free, or given to a yoga class at one of the riverside ashrams. The evening returns to the ghats for the aarti, either at Triveni Ghat or the quieter Parmarth Niketan.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh — Departure

A final unhurried morning by the Ganges, for a last walk across Laxman Jhula or a closing yoga session, depending on the stay. Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport is about forty-five minutes away, with Delhi a further short flight or about five and a half hours by road. It suits a shorter trip that stays entirely in the Rishikesh valley.

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