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Adventure near Rishikesh

A trip to Kaudiyala, 37 km from Rishikesh, is all about white water rafting and rappelling

PEACE PERSONIFIED A sunny morning at Camp 5 Elements

For those who usually reach home late at night after long hours at work, getting up early in the morning for a trip to icy cold Rishikesh, that too, in winter seems almost too challenging. But the car to take me to the waiting bus is at my doorstep. I stuff my bag with woollens, sports shoes, sunglasses, torch and beach sandals. A smiling crew from Leisure Hotel wait at the branch office at Kalkaji. Now, `me' becomes `we'. We start around 6.30 a.m. for Kaudiyala, a cold, sandy destination beside the Alaknanda river where Camp 5 Elements has been set up. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, this place is 37 km from Rishikesh.

Our luxury bus dares Delhi's bumpy roads, reaches The Grand Cheetal Hotel, nestled amid flowers, lush greenery and countless colourful caged birds, some 100 km from Delhi.

Haveli Hari Ganga

After a light meal, singing and playing Antakashri, we reach Haveli Hari Ganga at Hardwar, famous for its old temple and the well whose water reputedly has medicinal properties. We are welcomed with a performance of Lord Shiva's Tandav dance.

In the evening, we land at Camp 5 Elements at Kaudiyala. It takes us a good climb across the pitch-dark Himalayan foothills, partially lit by torch beams and lights from mobile phones. Looking at the vast sand stretch and huts lining it, we realise why it is called a camp. These huts with attached washrooms and running water are its USP. Each houses twin beds placed on sack-carpets. For light, we have to use lanterns. And, ahem, there are no modern toilets. Leisure Hotels have constructed sandpit toilets near the tented huts so as to not disturb the ecosystem. We wake on an icy cold morning to the chirping of birds and the breathtaking sight of the magnificent Himalayas on one side, with green towering trees, and the vast blue-green Alaknanda on the other. The fragrance from the trees mixes with the aroma of food inside the tented dining room. A chill wind tingles your spine, the boats on the river invite you to cruise.

An early morning nature walk through the camp may result in a rendezvous with leopards, Civet cats (the smallest jungle cats and great climbers), wild boars, porcupines and much more.

A group braves the icy cold rapids during a white water rafting expedition.

After a light breakfast we head for a pure adventure trip — white water rafting on the Ganga from Marine Drive to Shivpuri. Protected by windcheaters, we venture barefoot till the river. The guide makes us wear lifejackets and helmets. He directs us how to sail when high tides or rapids attempt to throw us inside the icy cold water. As we step into the boat, the vastness of the river sends shivers down our spines. The navigator hands us oars, and we are off. The guide has named various tides according to their intensity — black money, three blind mice, crossfire, body surfing and double trouble! The moment he shouts, "high rise — three blind mice, down-down, up-up," braving the heavy, freezing water spraying on the body, we sink inside the boat, sit back, sail fast and cross the rapids. "Well done, good sail," he says and right way prepares us for the next rise.

A few of us decide to swim. "Don't worry, you won't drown. Life jackets will keep you floating on the surface... " he encourages the adventurers. It takes us three hours to compete the stretch, braving 13 troubles, dense whirlpools, and competing with the other boats.

All drenched, we eat our lunch shivering on the beach, surrounded by smooth, silky sunlight competing with a gusty wind. A look at the whole stretch mesmerises you — shining white sand, black-brown mountains, blue-green water, lush green trees and pure blue sky.

We come back by early evening for one more adventure session: rappelling. Strapped into lifejackets, we are to rappel down the rope, and jump into the river from 10 to 20 feet. And the boatman is ready to pick us up and ferry us to the beach.

Dinner with a bonfire and a guitarist singing melodious old songs till late into the night... What more could one ask for?

A trip back to Delhi via Rajaji National Park and Chilla, along a scenic road skirting a canal. Not bad at all! Getting up early was worth it.

RANA SIDDIQUI

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