November 19-21, I was in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, before my Kuari Pass Trek. Fortunately, Kundan was able to join me on short notice. In my last post, I shared places we visited in Rishikesh. I will share the day trips we made from Rishikesh in this post.
We got a rental bike for two days from one of the agencies in Tapovan, Rishikesh. In Mussoorie, before our Kedarkantha Trek in 2018, we had rented a Royal Enfield. But, this time, we went for a lighter bike. The rent was INR 800 (~CAD14) per day for Avenger – a 220 cc bike.
Malakunti
We didn’t necessarily have any plan on our first day and just drove East of Tapovan, Rishikesh.
I knew this region was prone to landslides and rockfalls but didn’t expect to see boulders and debris at regular intervals on this highway.
After driving for 20 km, we arrived at Malakunti. We saw a resort on the other side of the bridge with a lovely beach. Only pedestrians and two-wheelers were allowed on this bridge. This explained all the cars that were parked along the highway.
We parked our bike just outside the resort and decided to do a short hike to the village higher up on the mountain. It was a steep trail with some good views.
We were back at the parking lot in about half an hour and made our way to the beach. To be honest, I didn’t expect a white sand beach in Rishikesh.
Given the somewhat restricted access, it was not crowded and felt peaceful. This was precisely the reason we had decided to head out of Rishikesh.
Kundan said he would love to come back with family and stay in this resort instead of somewhere in Rishikesh. I agreed. Once back on the highway we drove till Amkholi, watched the mighty Ganga from another viewpoint and then turned back.
Kunjapuri Devi Temple
Later in the evening, we read more about places to visit around Rishikesh and decided to drive to Kunjapuri Devi Temple for sunrise. The sunrise time was around 6:40 am. The next day we left Tapovan around 5 am. From Tapovan, it is about a 46 km drive to the temple. The majority of the first 44 km is National Highway 7, and it’s an easy ride. The last two km is on a gravel road, but not too bad.
We reached the parking lot for the temple around 6 am and had chai at a shop that had just opened. Then, after a brief break, we went up the 300+ stairs to the temple complex. There were about 15 people already on the terrace.
Fortunately, it was a clear day, and we had an excellent view of the mountain ranges and a beautiful sunrise.
While most of us took pictures, a couple of aspiring Instagram influencers took it to the extreme. For almost an hour, these people constantly took photos and videos of them at different spots and in various poses without consideration for others around them. I doubt if they even watched the sunrise.
Neer Garh Waterfall
We got back to Tapovan, and after breakfast, we drove to Neer Garh Waterfall. It was a short 4 km drive to the falls. There is a Forest Office stop on the way, and I think it was INR 60 (CAD ~1) for the entry pass. It was 10:30 am, and it was busy at the falls. We should have come here directly from the Kunjapuri Temple.
We hiked past several waterfalls and turquoise pools. Finally took a break at the last waterfall, just under a km hike from where we were parked.
A trail continued past the last waterfall to Nir village. We had time and nothing else to do, so we continued our hike. We passed a couple of nature retreats/camps with access to beautiful pools.
Around 11:15 am we arrived at Udibaba, another farm that offered campsites, accommodation and meals. We met a group who had driven up the road and then hiked down to this place for an overnight stay. I checked the map in GAIA, and it was just over half a km to the road.
After a brief break, we started our hike down. It was our last day in Rishikesh. The next day Kundan would travel back to Nashik and I will continue my journey east to Joshimath. Kundan couldn’t join me on Kuari Pass Trek, but I was glad we got to explore some places and do some hikes around Rishikesh – known as the gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas.
Resources:
India Domestic Air Travel: State Guidelines by Indigo
Uttarakhand: COVID Registration Form
Disclosure: The links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not Affiliate Links.
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