Are you looking for the ultimate mindful retreat for your body and mind? Rishikesh, the city, is renowned as a Centre for studying yoga and meditation. Temples and ashrams (centres for spiritual studies) line the eastern bank around Swarg Ashram, a traffic-free, alcohol-free, and vegetarian enclave upstream from Rishikesh town. If you are planning to visit, look no further. In this blog, I shared my itinerary, including how to reach, where to stay, and my own experience. Before starting, I would like to thank Tripoto for this amazing experience. Chaliye shuru karte hai!
Me and my wife were thinking that this time we should go somewhere offbeat, but only where there is peace. Well, I'm a family member of the Tripoto community, so I thought, why not do a mindful retreat? Then I booked a train ticket from Bharuch to Haridwar. And we left. After 24 hours of train travel, we reached Haridwar station at 9 a.m. If you want, you can also go by flight; flight rates were high on such short notice, so we preferred train.
From there, we saw our location on the map, which was "Nature Care Village," and booked a taxi. After travelling for half an hour from Haridwar,
We reached our first stop where property caretaker Mr. Jag Mohan was already waiting for us, and from there, Tripoto's hospitality started. We felt as if we had gone from a fast life to a slow life. It was such a calm environment, with greenery and nature all around. That property was so big that they themselves used to do farming (vegetables and fruits); there was a big garden with a huge tree and swing; there was a nature pool; there was a horse; there was a dog; and there was a building for our stay that has a pretty good bed and washroom.
After being well checked in, we were so hungry. In lunch, they served rice, chole, potato curry, roti, and salad. "Ghar ka khana akhir ghar ka khana hota hai"
After having lunch, we sat for a while to relax and then rested. Then, in our itinerary, we had the evening walk, which Mr. Jag Mohan was going to take us for. After completing an hour of high tea at 5:30 PM, we went for an evening walk at 6 o'clock. The location of the property is by the river and the boundary of Rajaji National Park. Seeing that, we were shown the field and also given sugarcane along with it. To be honest, we are experiencing a pure village.
And our first day ended with such a calm mind and peaceful atmosphere.
Good Morning! Our first activity of Day 2 was a yoga and meditation session. So we got up at 7 a.m. and went to the session where Mr. Jag Mohan taught us yoga and taught us to calm our minds. After that, we did meditation and had gobi paratha with passion fruit and curd for breakfast.
We are told that we are supposed to go to our other property, which has a 40-45 minute hike. On hearing this, we got very excited and soon got ready, and Tripoto has arranged the vehicle to take us on the new experience.
After 1 hour road trip we reached to our location where we supposed go for 40-45 minutes hike. And we were so excited that we just started hiking without any wait. In the beginning, we were very energetic, but as we were going up, the energy was getting low. But while climbing up, the views were very nice. We saw the Neer Waterfall, which is a famous place in Rishikesh. People were enjoying a lot there. People were taking a dip, and it looked like a family picnic spot. The place had Maggi, tea, paratha, and other food items as well.
After badi mehnat, Finally, we reached the top and saw our camp site from a distance, and as soon as we saw it,we were relieved that we had finally reached, but our feet moved too quickly to reach. After hiking in this hot sun, all I was thinking about was getting food and getting cold water. As soon as we reached it, we said, "WOW! Everyone should know this place. Then he showed us our camp and said that when you get fresh, we will cook for you and arrange lunch. The camp was very nice to see; it had ports for charging and lights too.
After getting fresh, we started seeing the first camp site, and there was also a poolside, so we drowned in it till we got dressed. Till the time the food was being prepared, we used to sit on the poolside. Then there was a unique arrangement to sit there, so we sat there to soak the body and feel the peace there. There was also a special dining area for food, but the hospitality there was so polite that the staff said, I will arrange the dish here for you so that you can enjoy the view while eating.
They say that good food uplifts your mood too. Who wouldn't be in a good mood if they got home-style food? After having a nice meal, we just spent time there and felt the peace there, looking at the mountain. And take a nap in the afternoon. Because it was a harsh day, we thought of having a photo session in the evening, when the light is very soft.
It is evening, and our rest is also complete. The staff brought hot tea for us, and we enjoyed it and sat and enjoyed it. As the sun slowly set and soft light started coming in, we started the photo session.
The way the sun is shining, the hues and colours of the sky are shining. And you can see what a sight we experienced. It seemed that this sky was changing its colours only for us. Whatever photos are there, they are without filters. And the wind started as soon as the sun set; that too was different.
After spending a good amount of time, the evening set in and it became night. The cold level had increased in the night, and the wind was blowing very strongly.
Even at night, this complex was shining differently. That light was giving you real vibes of glamping, which was good to see.
Then we saw that another couple had also come and talked to them, sharing their experiences with each other. And we didn't have dinner with you. And after having the food, the staff also arranged a bonfire for us, asking where we lived and how we came to know about them. I like this thing about travelling where we meet unknown people and then they become unknown.
Slow music, a cool breeze, the warmth of a bonfire, and the companionship of a life partner thus ended our beautiful days, and the best thing was that even though it was so cold outside, we were not feeling cold in the camp. We had a much better experience than we thought and special thank you, I have to say to Tripoto community.
After a unique experience, it was a peaceful morning, and after finishing the morning nature call, we drank tea and had parathas for breakfast. The morning was not at all as cold as it was at night, and there was a feeling of peace. Our check-out time was 12 o'clock, so we freshened up after having a good breakfast, and after spending such a good time and having a good hospitality experience, we clicked a photo with the staff boy to add to our travel memory. No matter how much I thank Tripoto, it is less for the experience and less for the hospitality. I'm grateful to be a family member of the Tripoto community.
Collecting all the memories, we came out of the niche. It is more convincing if you are the one taking off the shorts. That's why slowly, slowly, we will get down.
After a hike of about 40–45 minutes, we got poached down and are thinking that it does not seem that such a good experience could have been found at the top. Tripoto arranged vehicle facilities for us and dropped us at the station from which our train was from Rishikesh railway station.
The experience was really surreal. I've been on many trips, but this was a whole new experience. This place is surrounded by nature, so there is no road noise, and doing yoga and meditation was really relaxing. Above all of it, Aunty serves home-made food and fruits from their own farm. It has all the needed amenities in the simplest and best form.
And this is something you can experience again and again.
I definitely recommend this place if you love homestay, yoga, meditation, and nature. You will love this place. Below are the details that can help you if you plan to experience this.
How to reach
Road: Nature Care Village can be reached by road from Delhi (224 km) and Dehradun (34 km).
Train: The nearest railway station is Haridwar, at a distance of 20 km from the property.
Air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant airport, 16 km away from the property. It takes about 30 minutes from the airport to reach the property.
Bus stop: The Haridwar bus stop (23 km) and Nepali Farms bus stop (10 km) are in close proximity and it takes 40 minutes and 15 minutes respectively from the stops to the farm.
Inclusions:
• Accommodation on Nature Care Village and Parvata Cafe / Neerville Campsite, Rishikesh
• All meals plus evening tea from Day 1 lunch to Day 3 breakfast
• Hike to Rajaji National Park
• Transportation from the farm to waterfall campsite and back
• Trek to Neer Gaddu waterfall
• Bonfire on both nights
I am a member of the Tripoto community, and I used my credit for this trip, so thank you to Tripoto for allowing me to claim 100% credit and experience a unique travel mindful retreat.
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