Rishikesh, Ladakh - the new getaway for adventure seekers

Not so long ago Rishikesh set in the foothills of the lower Himalayas and a site which witnesses the entry of the holy Ganga into the plains used to be a city of the pilgrims Now adventure trips are the reason why young enthusiasts from Delhi and nearby areas are flocking to this holy town for their weekends We are so much occupied in our lives that we hardly get time for ourselves Amid studies and competition one feels quite saturated You feel the need to break free from all the pressure and stress Himanshu Dubey 21 a recent firsttimer to Rishikesh told IANSu00a0 u00a0 Groups venture out for river rafting in Rishikesh Pic IANSu00a0Rafting in the Ganga jumping from a 20foothigh cliff into the flowing river scaling the mountains and rappellingu00a0 all this while you are camping in tents right in the middle of a forest According to adventure tourism companies Rishikesh an ancient pilgrim town in Uttarakhand is becoming a popular spot for white water rafting enthusiasts from India and abroad Recently experts from New Zealand have opened Indias first and only bungee jumping camp here Travel and tourism companies such as Adventure Tourism India Snow Leopard Adventures Fear Factor Adventures and Mercury Himalayan Explorations have opened more than 70 camps in Rishikesh over the years Around 6500 footfalls are recorded by each of the camps during the camping season Ladakh another emerging destination for camping is located in northern Jammu and Kashmir Set amidst the worlds two highest mountain ranges the Great Himalayas and the Karakoram Ladakh boasts of as many as 30 camp sites These camps started operating in the late 1980s when the first rafting expeditions were approved by the Indian government But only in the last 45 years a huge number of young boys and girls from nearby places like Delhi have been coming over for short vacations and indulging in adventure sports Rakesh Kumar of White Water Adventures told IANS We have the maximum visitors from October to May which is the ideal camping season The rest of the time the rivers flow is very unpredictable due to the rains so we have to close the camp said Anuj Shah of Adventure Tourism Indias Camp Ganga Riviera located 40 km uphill from Rishikesh While the camps in Rishikesh operate from October to June Ladakh witnesses camping in July and August Urban youth in the age group of 20 to 35 years opt for these adventure trips the most The rents of the camps start from around Rs1800 for one night to Rs3200 for a twonight stay Vivek Awasthi managing director of Hamara Holidays Pvt Ltd told IANS Emerging in the circuit of travellers are adventure biking trips which last for 20 to 25 days and are held in Ladakh according to Awasthi Biking trips take place in the months of July and August every year We charge around Rs40000 per person for a trip he said It is not just the men who seek adventure in the adrenalinerush trips as women also club in with adventure groups Parents are getting freer in letting their daughters out on such adventure trips said ace adventurer Ajeet Bajaj who accompanied his 17year old daughter on one such expedition Apart from young people coming with their friends parents from nuclear families with their kids also join these trips Adventure is an instant relief from work stress After one adventure visit itself you return to work with fresh enthusiasm and refreshed exuberance said PK Sahoo who visited Ladakh last year with his wife and eightyearold son