Rishikesh Rafting and Camping Packages

Rishikesh camping and rafting, put simply

Rishikesh is where the Ganga comes down out of the Himalaya and turns into India’s busiest whitewater river. A rafting-and-camping trip lets you have both in a day: the rapids in the morning, the riverbank at night. Our Rishikesh camping and rafting packages put the two together, so you book once, pay once and get picked up once. You stay at Himalayan Ganga Retreat on Neelkanth Road and raft whichever stretch you like, from a gentle 9 km float to the 35 km expert run. The same team runs the camp and the boats, so it’s one WhatsApp number for the whole trip and no last-minute scramble to find a rafting operator on the morning of your slot.

Rafting and camping in Shivpuri, Rishikesh

Shivpuri is the most-booked put-in on the Ganga, which is why “rafting camping in Shivpuri, Rishikesh” is where most people start looking. The 16 km run down to NIM Beach takes you through Roller Coaster, Golf Course and Double Trouble: two to three hours of Grade II–III water that’s a thrill without being scary for a first-timer. Our camp at Rattapani is about 15 minutes upriver of the Shivpuri put-in, 8 km past Laxman Jhula, so you’re not stuck in a car all morning. We collect you from your cottage door at 7:30 AM, you’re off the water by around noon, and you’re back for lunch and a bonfire by evening. Shivpuri rafting plus a night at a real riverside camp is our Couple Combo at ₹6,999 for two, and it’s the one most couples and first-time groups pick.

River rafting in Rishikesh: pick your stretch

Rafting here is priced by distance, and the distance sets the grade, the rapids and the cost. The 9 km Brahmpuri float is Grade I–II, gentle enough for kids aged 12 and up and for anyone nervous about a first go. The 16 km Shivpuri run (Grade II–III) is the value pick and the one most people book. The 26 km Marine Drive stretch (Grade III) throws in Three Blind Mice and Cross Fire for paddlers who know what they’re doing, and the 35 km Kaudiyala run (Grade IV) is the serious end of things. The Wall flips most rafts that take it on. On its own, rafting runs ₹599, ₹999, ₹1,499 and ₹2,499 a head, and any stretch can go into a camping package. Every trip comes with UTDB-approved guides, life jackets, helmets and a proper safety briefing.

Riverside camping with rafting: packages and prices

Here are the numbers in one place. A night at Himalayan Ganga Retreat is ₹6,000 for the AC Deluxe cottage (couples) or ₹12,000 for the Maharaja, which sleeps up to six. Add whichever rafting stretch you want at the rates above, or just take one of the two combos. The Couple Combo is ₹6,999 all-in for two: one night in an AC Deluxe cottage, 16 km Shivpuri rafting, breakfast and dinner on the Pahadi MAPAI plan, a bonfire, and free transfers to the river and back. The Group Combo is ₹29,999: two nights in the Maharaja plus the 26 km Marine Drive run for up to six. None of it is fixed. Every camping and rafting package in Rishikesh here can be changed, whether that’s the number of nights, the group size or the stretch, and we’ll re-quote on WhatsApp. You pay nothing until your dates are confirmed, and the secure payment link comes after that.

Camping in Rishikesh with rafting: what the camp is actually like

When most “camping in Rishikesh” listings say camp, they mean a canvas tent on a sandbank. Ours isn’t that. Himalayan Ganga Retreat is solid AC cottages set back from the water on Neelkanth Road, so you get a real bed, an attached bathroom and power that doesn’t cut out: a resort’s comfort with a riverside camp’s setting. Food is the Pahadi MAPAI plan (breakfast and dinner on combos), served hot, part local Garhwali and part the North-Indian food everyone already knows. Evenings are a bonfire and music, and someone from the team will walk you down for the Ganga Aarti if you fancy it. The camp is pet-friendly, has Wi-Fi and parking, and sits close enough for a morning walk by the river without being in the path of the monsoon current. Call it riverside camping with rafting for people who still want a proper bed.

Best time for camping and rafting in Rishikesh

Rafting season runs October to June. From mid-July to mid-September it’s monsoon and rafting stops, on government order, because the river is too high to be safe, but the camp stays open and rates drop to their lowest of the year. October to March is peak: crisp days, clear water, every stretch open, and weekends that fill two to three weeks out, so don’t leave it late. December and January are bonfire weather, cold mornings and blue afternoons, and the quietest, most romantic run of the calendar for couples. April to June is warm by day and cool at night, good for a swim and for mid-week rafting before the summer crowds show up. After the biggest rapids? The few weeks right after the monsoon, from late September, push the water levels and the grades up a notch.

Your 2-day, 1-night rafting and camping itinerary

Most trips run the same easy way. Day one, you arrive by afternoon, drop your bags in the cottage, and spend the evening on tea, a walk by the river, the Ganga Aarti and a bonfire dinner. Day two starts early: breakfast, a 7:30 AM pickup from your door, the safety briefing at the put-in, then your run, anywhere from one to five hours depending on the stretch, ending at NIM Beach with cliff jumping and body surfing if the water’s behaving. After that it’s back to camp for lunch and checkout, unless you’d rather add a second night and not rush. One team runs the camp and the boats, so the pickup, the guide and the meals all sit on one booking, with nothing to coordinate between operators.

More than rafting: adventure around the camp

Rafting and camping is the heart of it, but there’s more on the Rishikesh side if you’re up for it. NIM Beach, where the rafting finishes, is good for cliff jumping and body surfing. The travel desk can bolt on India’s highest bungee jump (83 m at Mohan Chatti), a run to the Beatles Ashram, a trip up to the Neelkanth Mahadev temple, or a guided walk straight from camp. Yoga and meditation by the Ganga are easy to set up for a slow morning. Doing it all through one desk keeps things simple: one number, one pickup schedule, one bill. That’s the reason to book your rafting camping adventure in Rishikesh with a single operator instead of piecing it together yourself.

How to reach Himalayan Ganga Retreat

The camp sits on Neelkanth Road, 8 km past Laxman Jhula and about 15 minutes from the Shivpuri put-in. From Delhi, most people drive or catch an overnight bus or train to Rishikesh (roughly 6 hours by road), then take Badrinath Road to Laxman Jhula and carry on toward Neelkanth. The closest airport is Dehradun (Jolly Grant), about 35 km and an hour out; the nearest railhead is Rishikesh, with Haridwar as the bigger fallback. Send us your arrival point on WhatsApp and we’ll share a pin and a pickup plan. There’s parking at camp if you’re driving yourself, so you can leave the car and let us run you down to the river.

Why book rafting and camping with Pahadi House

Plenty of sites resell the same Rishikesh camping and rafting packages. We run ours. The rafts, the guides and the cottages are one outfit, UTDB-approved, rated 4.9 on Google from 474 reviews, and on this river since 2006. So the price you’re quoted is the price you pay, with no aggregator markup and no transfer fee sprung on you later, and the person replying to your WhatsApp is the same crew that meets you at camp. If you’re weighing up the best camping and rafting in Rishikesh, it isn’t about who lists the most activities. It’s that one team is on the hook for the whole day, from the pickup to the last rapid.

Who it’s for, and how to book

The 9 km Brahmpuri float is the one for families and beginners. The 16 km Shivpuri combo is best for couples and first-time groups, and it’s the best value of the lot. The Maharaja cottage with the 26 km Marine Drive run is built for college groups, work offsites and birthday weekends of up to six. Whether you want riverside camping and rafting, beach camping near NIM Beach, or a plain one-night Shivpuri combo, your Rishikesh camping and rafting booking works the same way: WhatsApp us your dates and group size and we’ll confirm and quote the same day. It’s direct, with no aggregator markup, nothing paid until your dates are locked, and a real person on the other end who runs both the camp and the boats.