The decision of the Uttarakhand state government to open adventure tourism has given a new life to state tourism.

Ever since this decision, the influx of tourists interested in adventure tourism has started coming up in the state and many adventure tourist places of Uttarakhand are now slowly reverberating.

The famous white river rafting in Shivpuri of Rishikesh has become the biggest attraction for tourists. Apart from this, activities like water sports, tacking, mountaineering, aero-sports, and camping are also attracting tourists to your side.

Talking about river rafting, Tourism Secretary Mr. Dilip Javalkar said, “When it comes to adventure tourism, white river rafting in Rishikesh comes first. This adventure sport has drawn tourists from abroad. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt has also enjoyed rafting for 6 hours. We are happy that this decision of the Government has a positive impact on tourism. The Uttarakhand Tourism Department welcomes all tourists and hopes that tourists and adventure support agencies will continue to follow the rules laid down for Kovid safety along with enjoying tourism. ”

It should be noted that apart from starting adventure tourism, the government had also issued guidelines for the prevention of Kovid 19 infection. As per the rules, adventure companies, agencies, and tour operators must first sanitize the equipment used during water sports activities including river rafting. They must compulsorily follow rules such as thermal screening, safe physical distance, mask, shield, hand washing system.

Shivpuri in Rishikesh is quite popular among adventure enthusiasts, as it offers the best river rapids for rafting.

The highest river rafting in Uttarakhand occurs in the Ganges River.
There is a 36 km stretch from Kodiyala in the Ganges River to Rama Jhula in Rishikesh where river rafting is done. The best time for rafting is between October to March.

There has been a steady increase in the number of rafting tourists in Rishikesh in the last four years. 68604 from September to December in the year 2017, 349736 in 2018, 334753 in 2019, and 29932 tourists by March in 2020 to enjoy river rafting. On the other hand, after the approval of adventure sports after unlocked, 5292 tourists have arrived in the state from October 2-4.

Dinesh Bhatt, president of the rafting association Rishikesh, said, “Since September 26, nearly four thousand people have been rafting so far. 90% of which includes tourists from UP, Delhi, and Haryana. There is a lot of booking for rafting right now and we hope there will be a lot of good business in the field of rafting in the coming days. Dinesh Bhatt said that we have 576 rafts giving employment to 2304 people. Four personnel are present with each raft to protect the tourists. ”

Rajpal Yadav, the owner of rafting operator agency Rishikesh, said, “He and his companions are very happy with the adventure tourism opened by the state government after unlocking.” After six months, people are in pain due to getting employment, they said that even pilgrims going on Char Dham Yatra who want to enjoy adventure sports are also getting calls from Rajpal Yadav, saying that to avoid this epidemic It is also necessary to follow social distancing.

Tourist from Haryana, Vicky Pal told that he has come with his friends on a weekly trip to Uttarakhand, after staying in one place for months, it is very nice to live in the cool breeze of the mountain. It is nice to spend some time in the holy city of Rishikesh while enjoying the natural scenery of the state of Uttarakhand and feeling rafting and spiritually vibrant. He said that he would like to come here every year to see the natural beauty of Uttarakhand.