Ganga → LandourDEC ’26 Budget
Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge over the Ganga at Rishikesh
Six friends · 1–8 December 2026

From the Ganga to the clouds.

Four nights of rapids, jumps and sunrise in Rishikesh. A helicopter off Tehri Lake. Two cold nights in the deodar lanes of Landour.

Days
7
Nights
6
Per person
₹20,948
Highest point
2,275 m
Delhi
Tue 1 · Wed 2 Dec
Everyone meets. Ertiga leaves 09:00
Rishikesh
2–6 Dec · 4 nights
~240 km, 4.5–5.5 h on the expressway
Tehri Lake
Sun 6 Dec
Ertiga, ~3 h via Chamba
Dehradun
Sun 6 Dec
Helicopter, ~25 min to Jolly Grant
Mussoorie
6–8 Dec · 2 nights
Ertiga with your bags, ~2 h up
Delhi
Tue 8 Dec
Shatabdi 16:55 or Ertiga, 5–6 h
01 · Itinerary

Seven days, one river and a ridge.

Every day has one big thing and room around it. Times allow for December fog, cold mornings and sunset at about 17:20.

Lamps raised at the Ganga Aarti at dusk
Ganga AartiDay 1
DAY 01 · WED 2 DEC

Down the expressway to the river

Delhi → Rishikesh · the day before, Tue 1 Dec, everyone reaches Delhi
  • Ertiga pickup after breakfast, with a roof carrier and tarpaulin. Expressway via Saharanpur. By 9 AM the dawn fog has usually lifted.
  • Lunch stop at a highway dhaba on the way, 30–40 min.
  • Reach Rishikesh and check in. Check-in opens at 13:00, so there's no waiting. Chai and a short rest.
  • Cross Bajrang Setu (glass section ₹100) or Janki Setu, then walk down to Goa Beach for the last light (sunset ~17:20). Sit by the river; don't swim.
  • Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan, a short walk along the same bank. Free; arrive by 17:00.
  • Dinner at Chotiwala, then an early night.
Night in Rishikesh
Rafts running a rapid on the Ganga
Marine Drive → NIM Beach24 km
DAY 02 · THU 3 DEC

Twenty-four kilometres of white water

Rafting · Beatles Ashram
  • Pickup at the operator's Tapovan office (20–30 min by auto from town). 3–4 h on the water: Daniel's Dip, Roller Coaster, Golf Course and an optional supervised cliff jump. Ask for wetsuits.
  • Late lunch at Little Buddha Café, then a hot shower and rest.
  • Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutia, ₹150): graffiti-covered meditation pods in the forest. Golden light by 16:30.
  • Dinner at Om Freedom Café: thukpa.
Night in Rishikesh
The Ganga valley above Rishikesh
Mohan Chatti valleyDay 3
DAY 03 · FRI 4 DEC

Jump day

Jumpin Heights · Neer Garh waterfall
  • Jumpin Heights shuttle from Tapovan (₹500, back 12:15). Bungy or Giant Swing ₹3,700, Flying Fox ₹2,000 tandem. Non-jumpers watch (₹100) or walk to Patna waterfall.
  • Splash bungee instead: a 109 m jump where you dip toward the river at the bottom, about ₹4,000–5,000. Book only through a seller that names a licensed operator.
  • Neer Garh waterfall (₹30), all together: a short walk off the Badrinath road.
  • Sunset from the Laxman Jhula rooftop cafés or Pumpernickel.
  • Dinner at Beatles Café, on the river.
Night in Rishikesh
Kunjapuri temple on its ridge
Kunjapuri DeviSunrise ~06:55
DAY 04 · SAT 5 DEC

Sunrise above the Doon valley

Kunjapuri · Vashishta Gufa
  • Ertiga, 8 h / 80 km package to Kunjapuri temple: about 30 km and 1 h, then ~80 steps. The snow line shows on a clear morning.
  • Back for breakfast, then a nap.
  • Vashishta Gufa at Goolar, ~25 km up the Badrinath road: a cave and a quiet sand beach. Or Garud Chatti waterfall, closer by.
  • Splurge dinner on The Sitting Elephant rooftop. Then pack: big bags travel by road tomorrow; you fly with 5 kg each.
Night in Rishikesh
Tehri Lake among green hills
Koti Colony, TehriHelipad on the lake
DAY 05 · SUN 6 DEC

Lake, then lift-off

Tehri Lake → helicopter → Mussoorie
  • Check out. A local Ertiga hired for the whole day takes you and the bags via Narendra Nagar and Chamba, about 3 h.
  • Tehri Lake, Koti Colony. Speed boat, banana ride or jet ski (₹300–1,000 each). Pay at the counter, not to touts.
  • Call Heritage Aviation to confirm the flight. Once it's confirmed, the cab leaves with your big bags for Jolly Grant Airport (~3.5 h).
  • Report at the helipad 1 h before departure, with photo ID and true body weights.
  • Helicopter to Dehradun (Jolly Grant), about 25 min over the lake and the hills. Meet the cab and the bags at the airport.
  • Check in at Mussoorie. Walk Mall Road; dinner at Lovely Omelette Centre or Kalsang.
If the flight moves to the 16:50 slot, the cab waits at the airport and you reach Mussoorie around 19:30. If it's cancelled (fog or wind), stay with the cab: Tehri → Chamba → Dhanaulti → Mussoorie, about 3 h.
Night in Mussoorie
Snow peaks seen from Landour
Landour, 2,275 mDay 6
DAY 06 · MON 7 DEC

Landour, slowly

The Chakkar · George Everest · the Winterline
  • Optional sunrise from Lal Tibba (telescope ~₹50).
  • Breakfast at Landour Bakehouse or Char Dukan: pancakes, bun-omelette, Maggi.
  • The Landour loop, 3–4 km on foot: St Paul's Church (1840), Kellogg Memorial Church, Sisters Bazaar, Lal Tibba.
  • George Everest House, by taxi and shuttle (entry ₹0–200, shuttle ~₹100). Huge views of the Doon valley and the peaks.
  • Winterline sunset from Camel's Back Road: a false horizon you can see roughly mid-October to February.
  • Dinner at Kalsang Friends Corner, or Café Ivy if you book.
Night in Mussoorie
Hills from Camel's Back Road
Camel's Back RoadDay 7
DAY 07 · TUE 8 DEC

Two ways home

Mussoorie → Delhi
  • By train. Slow morning, lunch on Mall Road, 14:30 cab to Dehradun station (1–1.5 h). Shatabdi 12018 16:55 → New Delhi 22:50. Seen
  • By Ertiga. Check out around 12:00, one-way cab on the expressway, 5–6 h; reach Delhi around 18:00. About ₹5,500 for the group, which is cheaper per person than the train. Est.
Too early to reach from Mussoorie: Vande Bharat 22458 (07:00) and Jan Shatabdi 12056 (05:00). The UTC Volvo from Dehradun ISBT takes about 3 h for ₹709.
02 · Budget

Build your own total.

Shared costs (cabs, Airbnbs) are split six ways. Rafting, the helicopter, food and tickets are per person. Getting to Delhi on 1 Dec is not included.

Tehri → Mussoorie
Rafting stretch
Home on 8 Dec
How many will jump at Jumpin Heights?
0₹3,700 + ₹500 shuttle each
How many will do the Splash bungee?
0~₹4,000–5,000 each, budgeted at ₹4,500
Per person
₹0
Group ₹0
Line by line
The helicopter, two Airbnbs and a bungee won't all fit under ₹20,000. The default picks (Indrangan, Sneh Kunj, helicopter, train home, nobody jumping) come to about ₹20,950 each. Taking the road to Mussoorie saves about ₹2,350 per person. Each jumper adds ₹4,200 at Jumpin Heights, or about ₹4,500 for the Splash bungee.
03 · Stays

Thirteen homes, two towns.

Prices are Airbnb's all-in totals for six adults, checked on 28 Oct 2026. Swipe the photos, then open the listing to book.

Sort

Tehri Lake from the hills
The Koti Colony helipad sits on the Tehri Lake shore. The flight to Jolly Grant takes about 25 minutes.
04 · The helicopter

New Tehri to Dehradun, ₹2,000 a seat.

Heritage Aviation flies this route daily under the government's RCS-UDAN scheme. The service launched on 6 Dec 2025.

Fare
₹2,000 + GST
About ₹2,100 each Seen
Aircraft
Airbus H125
6 seats. Book all of them on one flight
Bags
5 kg each
No hand baggage; ₹100/kg extra if there's room
Body weight
75 kg
Each, or as a group average; ₹100/kg above
Departures
11:00 · 14:30
Another listing says 09:05 and 16:50 Confirm
Lands at
Jolly Grant
Dehradun airport, ~2–2.5 h from Mussoorie

Book on airheritage.in · +91 70114 09488 · +91 88510 72020 · [email protected]

No refund within 12 h of departure. Full refund if they cancel. It's a multi-stop route, so seats on the leg back toward Dehradun can already be taken by passengers from Srinagar or Gauchar. Sources: Heritage UDAN page, terms, Garhwal Post.

05 · Places

What you'll remember.

Ram Jhula is closed for repairs (reopening targeted for December 2026) and Laxman Jhula has been shut since 2019. Cross on Bajrang Setu or Janki Setu. Don't swim in the Ganga; drownings happen every year.

Rafting the GangaDAY 2
The Ganga rapidsDaniel's Dip and Roller Coaster on the 24 km run
Kunjapuri templeDAY 4
KunjapuriSunrise, ~80 steps, free
Beatles Ashram muralsDAY 2
Beatles AshramMurals in the forest, ₹150
Lal TibbaDAY 6
Lal TibbaLandour's highest point, with a telescope
Ganga AartiDAY 1
Ganga AartiParmarth Niketan, ~17:15
Ganga valleyDAY 4
Vashishta GufaA cave and a quiet beach
Tehri LakeDAY 5
Tehri LakeBoats at Koti Colony, then the helicopter
LandourDAY 6
LandourDeodar lanes, churches and bakeries

Activities & prices

Rafting, 24 km

Licensed operators, e.g. Red Chilli
₹1,500–2,000
3–4 h. Some operators require 16–18+. Season reopened 23 Sep 2026 Est.

Rafting, 16 km

Shivpuri → NIM Beach
₹1,000–1,500
2–3 h. 14+, ~40–100 kg Est.

Bungy / Giant Swing

Jumpin Heights
₹3,700
Age 12–45, 40–110 kg; no heart, BP, back or neck conditions. Shuttle ₹500 Seen

Flying Fox

Jumpin Heights
₹2,000
Tandem price; solo ₹3,500. December dates unclear Confirm

"Splash" bungee, 109 m

Thrillophilia; operator unclear
₹4,000–5,000
You dip toward the river at the bottom. Listings show ₹3,499–4,000, so budget ₹4–5K with transport and video. Ask the seller to name the operator and show its licence before paying Est.

Tehri water sports

Counters at Koti Colony
₹300–1,000
Speed boat, jet ski, banana; combos ₹2,000–3,000 Est.

George Everest House

Park Estate, Mussoorie
₹0–200
Plus a ~₹100 shuttle; reported fees vary
06 · Food

Thalis by the river, bakeries in the hills.

Plan on about ₹600–650 per person per day: a cheap thali or dhaba for one meal, a café for the other.

Madras Café

₹150–250

Ram Jhula side, since 1967. Dosa and filter coffee. Day 1.

Chotiwala

~₹300

Swarg Ashram. A thali with Garhwali kafuli and mandua roti. Day 1.

Little Buddha Café

₹250–650

Tapovan. Treehouse views, pizza, ginger-lemon tea. Day 2.

Om Freedom Café

₹225–350

Laxman Jhula. Thukpa and momos. Day 2.

Beatles Café

₹250–300

Laxman Jhula riverside. Day 3.

Pumpernickel German Bakery

₹200–350

Coffee and cinnamon rolls. Any morning.

The Sitting Elephant

₹600–900

Tapovan rooftop. The Rishikesh splurge. Day 4.

Desi Chulha / Sanskriti Vedic Retreat

₹300–500

Garhwali thali: mandua roti, bhatt dal, jhangora kheer. Swap in for any dinner.

Lovely Omelette Centre

₹100–250

Mall Road, Mussoorie, since 1918. Cheese-chilli omelette. Day 5.

Landour Bakehouse

₹200–400

Sisters Bazaar. British-era bakes and coffee. Day 6.

Char Dukan

₹125–250

Landour. Pancakes, Maggi and bun-omelette at the four shops. Day 6.

Kalsang Friends Corner

₹350–550

Mussoorie. Tibetan food and thukpa. Day 6.

Café Ivy

₹300–500

Landour Cantt. Book ahead.

KnowRishikesh is vegetarian and alcohol-free by law: no meat or eggs on sale within town limits, and police enforce the ban on drinking near the river. Mussoorie has neither rule.
07 · Checklist

Book it in this order.

Tick items as you go. The ticks are saved in your own browser only, so each friend sees their own list.

If plans change

The 2 Dec drive runs late

Skip Goa Beach and go straight to the aarti at Parmarth Niketan. Nothing on Day 1 is booked, so arriving late costs nothing.

Rafting is called off

Swap Days 2 and 3, or do the 16 km Shivpuri run, which needs less water.

The helicopter is cancelled or full

Stay with the Sunday cab: Tehri → Chamba → Dhanaulti → Mussoorie, about 3 h. Heritage refunds in full if they cancel.

Someone is over 75 kg

That's fine if the group averages 75 kg or less. Otherwise it's ₹100/kg above 75. Declare true weights when booking.

The Airbnb isn't as listed

Report it to Airbnb within 24 h. Fallbacks: The Hosteller Ganges or Live Free in Rishikesh, The Hosteller Mall Road in Mussoorie.

It's colder than expected

Mussoorie nights run about 3–12°C. Pack thermals, a down jacket and a beanie, and ask hosts about heaters before booking (Writers Chalet charges ₹500 per heater per day).

Labels:Seen read on an official or booking page, 28 Oct 2026 Est. estimate Confirm call before paying