The word trek at once conjures up images of a rocky terrain with your backpack as your companion, spending the night in an uncomfortable sleeping bag inside a make-shift tent. No tap water, climatic extremes and canned food are the usual bonuses.
My clich?d notions were challenged on a recent trip to Rishikesh. An hour?s drive from Haridwar, I lodged at the Sarovar Camp at Rishikesh. The rafting camp is equipped with 20 double-bed tents and two deluxe tents facing the river. The rooms are furnished with basic amenities of urban life ? attached bathrooms, 24×7 electricity and cane furnishings.
It can be a perfect outing for corporate executives, without missing their lifelines. General Manager, Charit Dimri, Sarovar Portico, Badrinath shares, ?No other camps in the vicinity have electricity or telephone connection. And soon we will have internet connection at the camp,? making it a perfect corporate getaway. The meeting room, inside a tent, is equipped with amenities such as LCD projectors and plasma TV. The camp has facilities for holding seminars and conferences. At Rs 3,500 for one night and two days, the place gives you more than just value for money. An added attraction ? unlike seasonal camps, the specialty of these tents is that they are open all through the year.
The tents have no numbers but were called after rafts, with names like ?Roller Coaster?, ?The Three Blind Mice? and ?Return to The Sender?. Mine was called ?Tea Off?, which made me crave for the ginger-laden stimulant.
The treks gave my tired body and mind a perfect opportunity to recuperate. I had the option of a ?jungle trek? where I would be left on my own to find my way up and a ?nature trek?, basically going up a hill, which I eventually opted for. But the high point of the trek was canyoning, where I had to climb down a 30-foot high water fall halfway and then dive in the water. Having no experience of swimming and putting my life in the hands of the guide was ?a moment?. Even more memorable was rafting in the Ganga for 17 kilometres. Jumping into the cold, 30-metre deep water made me forget my perennial back pain! Making it worth the effort.
The trip was sponsored by Sarovar Hotels & Resorts
Fact File
Where 24 km drive from Haridwar
When Best time: September 15 to June 15
Cost Rs 3,500 for one night and two days