A weekend of nature retreat & detox, just five hour drive from Delhi.

Tucked away on the banks of Ganga, at a foothill of an unnamed mountain ahead of Tapovan(Rishikesh) is this rustic wellness homestay called Rainforest House.

You will have to hike down 200 meters of mountainous terrain from the main road to reach this boho wellness home stay. Yes! It may not be the most convenient approach to take for most of us city dwellers who are accustomed to well leveled-state of the art highways walkways, however if you choose to undertake it, I promise you will land up in a real rustic gem.

It is run by a couple who stay in a tiny outhouse within the property premises. From what I understand they have shifted from their erstwhile busy lives to create a more meaningful and peaceful life for themselves in Rishikesh, where they also host like minded people to share a “peace” of this pie.

During the stay, you can expect to digitally detox with no television or a high speed internet on the property. Along with that, expect to soak up a lot of nature, while you live under the canopy of a huge mango tree over hearing the sound of Ganga and that cascading waterfall which passes right through the property.

The interior of the property are just as calming. A lot of natural material is used to keep the vibe of the place in sync with the outdoors and nature. Elements like pebbles to twigs, terracotta water vessels, fresh leaves etc are used to decorate the common area. It all comes together beautifully, giving the entire place an extremely calming vibe.

They have a tiny dining area attached with an open terrace where I would love to sit with my friends and stare into the calm and nothingness of the surrounding.

A super short hike from this restaurant will take you to the river bank, and you will be greeted by magnificent sight of the river Ganges as well as some huge boulders lying around happily to become your throne for the time being. I sat there for hours listening to the river and the birds. Enjoying nature in its purest form.

I hear that in the summer months, the water levels are quite low, exposing a soft and sandy patch of river beach making it ideal to hang out with your picnic basket.

Talking about the rooms, the ones on (what they call) first floor are conveniently sized to accommodate a king size double bed. It has an attached bath and western toilet. However storage is almost missing, which I believe is the case with all the rooms.

The balconies of the first-floor rooms overlook the front lawns which get refracted sunlight coming through the dense foliage of the trees. The corner room on the first floor also gets a glimpse and sound of the waterfall.

The property has a tiny home style kitchen which shuts after dinner, till then it serves three meals a day, for which the guests have to pre-order, as it is like in any home which has to arrange for groceries and provisions in advance. The produce is sourced fresh and the recipes are simple yet delicious.

You should stay in this property if you wish to experience a calm stay away from the bustling ghats, yet living in the Tapovan area of Rishikesh.Be mindful of the hike up till the main road which you have to undertake every time you need to go somewhere.

I would recommend at least an overnight or a two night stay in this property as bare minimum to relax your mind. However if you need good connectivity then this place may be a challenge especially in the monsoons where the water levels in the river are soaring high, drowning the internet cables on the bank. But besides that if the idea is to get a feel of a wellness holiday and detox then this property is definitely worth a try, specially with the group yoga classes the owner can arrange for you on separate charges it can become almost a holistic wellness holiday.

Having said this, I would like to share a few things in which did not appeal to me. The rooms on the ground floor are super tiny for even two people. The queen size double bed just about leaves enough space for a chair and a coffee table.

Also the rooms have a dearth of storage, no cupboards, chest of drawer etc, making it a bit messy as the luggage stays in sight. Especially for an appreciator of organized looking surroundings, having to see the clothes towels etc lying around was a bit of an irritant.

Another thing which was a bit inconvenient was limited choice of food and strict timing, as that leaves little scope to get fed in the property in case you have come back after an outing. However I am sure this can be avoided if you do plan and communicate with the owners well in advance.

Last but not the least, the entire property is nestled on a foothill and is covered by this huge Banyan tree. Even though it looks beautiful, one would definitely miss out on Sunbathing especially in winters.

However I would like to emphasize the fact that it is a homestay after all, and the owners with their tiny staff earnestly try to make it as comfortable as possible for the guests. Including escorting you to the main road ensuring the monkeys found in abundance in the area do not attack.

So if you are looking for a short and peaceful stay not too far from Delhi NCR, Rainforest house Rishikesh is a fantastic option and I highly recommend it for a two night stay.

You can book this property via the Tripadvisor link of the roperty which you can find by clicking here . I also logged my stay experience which I shared on my Youtube channel, and you can watch the vlog by clicking here

If you are also a sucker for rustic homestay then definitely leave me a high five in the comments below.,