Top 4 Adventure Sports Provided by Uttarakhand Tourism

The mesmerizing landscape of Uttarakhand, with its rolling hills, high mountains and roaring rivers, offers a plethora of exciting sporting experiences. Ranging from trekking to skiing to white water rafting, everything is possible here! With a multitude of government and private tour operators offering professionally supervised, customized Uttarakhand Tour Packages, it is not surprising that Uttarakhand has emerged as a hotspot for adventure activities, as well as various extreme sports. Stringent safety laws ensure a well-organised, safe experience, attracting groups of youngsters, families, or individual travellers. 

Being a relatively new addition to the adventure junkie's itinerary, Uttarakhand has several less-traversed and even unexplored destinations, adding to its charm.

White-Water Rafting

Rafting Season: March-May / September-Nov

The fast flowing rivers of Uttarakhand, many of them originating in the state itself — Ganga, Yamuna, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi — are perfectly suited for rafting. The thrill of maneuvering the rapids in the white waters is like no other! 

Rafting trips could extend from a day to over a week, depending on one's choice. The level of rafting expertise required is classified under Grades I to VI, with I being the easiest. 

Byasi and Shivpuri, upstream of Rishikesh, have emerged as popular hubs for rafting, with the Ganga, forming a variety of rapids here. Those looking for an adrenaline rush can also go rafting in the Tons valley, where the river flows more rapidly. 

Though not as popular, white-water rafting is also organised on the Yamuna, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Bhilangana and Mandakini as a part of Best of Uttarakhand Tour

Rafting trips can be customised with activities such as camping by the riverside, rappelling and rock climbing drawing a large number of tourists. The other water sports in the fast-flowing rivers of the state are canoeing and kayaking.

 

Trekking

Ideal trekking season: May-June / Sep-Oct

Uttarakhand, with its peaks of varying heights and gradients, affords myriad trekking options, for both amateurs and professionals. The trekking routes lead to temples, lakes, glaciers and waterfalls, enticing not just the serious trekkers but also the religious-minded traveller, nature lovers, photographers, bird watchers, botanists, etc. 

One can choose the trek to suit one's interest and ability. For the nature lover, the trek to the Valley of Flowers is a must. Cascading waterfalls tumbling down hills, give way to a vast valley carpeted with a dizzying variety of wild flowers - orchids, rhododendron, irises, poppies and many more. The other popular nature trek is to Har-ki-Dun, which takes one through dense forests of chestnut, walnut, willow and chinar trees. Religious treks are undertaken largely to the char dhams, Panch Kedar, and Panch Badri and Hemkund Sahib. 

Less-traversed treks include those to Roopkund, Pindari Glacier and Kagbhusandi Lake, among others, offering campsites amidst snow and virgin forests. One encounters few co-travellers on these treks. 

Mountaineering

Unlike the rest, mountaineering is a much specialized activity, attracting serious climbers. The high peaks of Uttarakhand (some over 7,000 m), many still unconquered, offer challenging climbs. Professional groups provide the required logistical support, base camp facilities and highly experienced guides to lead one up the mountains. Nearly all of the popular peaks are open for climbing, including Nanda Devi East, Chaukhamba, Trisul, Neelkanth, Bandar Poonch, Shivling, Gangotri and Kedarnath. The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), in Uttarkashi, is rated as one of the best mountaineering institutes in India. 

Skiing

Skiing Season —December to Feb/March

The gentle and steep inclines in the hilly terrain of Uttarakhand offer opportunities to ski at both basic and proficient level. 

Auli (2,519-3,050 m), in Chamoli district, is the ski capital of the state. Sixteen kilometers from Joshimath, it has ski slopes comparable to the best in the world, drawing throngs of skiers every year. 

Equipped with a 4-km long cable car, chairlifts and ski lifts, Auli employs snow beaters to maintain the snow levels. Skiers can enjoy an almost 20-km stretch of virgin slopes, which provide excellent opportunities for cross-country, slalom (or skiing between poles) and down-hill skiing events. 

The National Alpine Ski Championship is held in Auli, every year in February. Those wanting to take ski lessons can enroll in the short/long training courses offered here.

Auli is a big draw even for non-skiiers with its mesmerizing 180-degree view of the surrounding peaks, Nanda Devi, Trisul and Neelkanth. 

 The other ski destinations in Uttarakhand:

Mundali (2,700 m) — 128 kms from Dehradun

Dayara Bugyal (3,048 m) —28 kms from Uttarkashi

Munsyari (2,200 m) in Pithoragarh district. Skiing destinations here include Khaliya Top (7 kms from Munsyari) and Betulidhar (5-6 kms from Munsyari). 

Other Activities

While in Uttarakhand, one can also try a hand at rock climbing, bungee jumping, zipping, and the like. At Jumpin Heights, 13 kms from Rishikesh in the Mohanchatti village, one can bungee jump from a breathtaking height of 83 m. With expert trainers, it attracts travellers in hordes. 

High altitude biking and jeep safari tours organized in the hilly tracts are hugely popular. Wildlife tours to the national parks and sanctuaries in the state — Corbett NP, Rajaji NP, Nanda Devi NP — make for exciting trips. 

The Swan Tours – one of the leading travel agents in India offer multitude of packages, customized to one's choice of destination, activity and number of days. These include everything from tented camping to trekking trips to multiple day rafting expeditions, as well as providing trainers and equipment.