When River Rafting Is Closed in Rishikesh

Reopening depends on the river falling to a safe level and the launch and exit beaches re-emerging as the water drops. A late monsoon pushes the restart later; an early withdrawal brings it forward. Anyone who gives you a firm reopening date in May is guessing.

The same applies in reverse at the start of the closure. A heavy June can bring the suspension forward by a couple of weeks, which catches out people who booked around a date they read last year.

Most of what people come to Rishikesh for is not on the water. Bungee, the giant swing, zipline, the flying fox and the rope courses all operate through the monsoon, subject to the day's weather. Waterfall treks are at their best — Neer Garh is actually worth seeing when it is full rather than a trickle.

Camping continues away from the riverbank, and the town itself — the ghats, the aarti, the Beatles Ashram, the cafes — is quieter and greener than at any other time of year.

Tell us before you book anything. We will say plainly whether rafting is likely to be running, and if it is not, we would rather rebuild the trip around what does run than sell you a package with a rafting line in it that we expect to cancel.

If the rafting is the whole point of the trip and the dates cannot move, the honest answer is to go somewhere the season is different rather than to come here and hope.