Published on Mar, 2025

I’m going to divide this review in three parts, the sunrise at the temple, the hike and the guide. The drive up to the temple was a bit crazy. The driver drove a bit fast for my taste, (someone even got car sick from all the speedy curves) but the thing that bothered me most was the lack of working seatbelts in the backseat. In reality, if we drove off the mountain, the seatbelts wouldn’t help anyway. The sunrise was absolutely spectacular. Such a phenomenal way to start the day. Breakfast at the temple was lovely and it was really fun to watch all the monkeys. And now the hike…Right off the bat I will admit that this hike was too long and difficult for us. There are steep parts, rocky parts, slippery parts, jungle parts, narrow parts and the trail is about 5.5 miles/8.5 km long. And we ended at the shortest possible spot. The guide said they usually go further. He told us what we were getting into. I’m glad we did it, but it wasn’t easy for us. Someone younger and more accustomed to hiking probably would have thought it was a piece of cake. Our guide, Shelesh, was absolutely amazing. It was apparent at the very beginning that this hike was going to be a challenge for us. He gave us the option to bail, but also encouraged us by saying there was no rush. He instructed us on tips to hike in a safer manner. He was kind and friendly. He shared pictures with us of his sister’s recent wedding and talked about life in India. He was very supportive. REALLY GREAT GUIDE!

Published on Sep, 2024

Everything was excellent and the guide shelesh was professional and friendly. We enjoyed the trek and captured the memory for the life time.

Published on Apr, 2024

The short summary is - I recommend this excursion. The sunrise from the Kunjapuri Temple was beautiful and the trek down was really enjoyable. Selesh (I hope I spelled that correctly) was a great guide and we really enjoyed our time with him. We had a great, easy conversation as we hiked down the hillside. Things to know: In looking at the various excursions, it can get very confusing which excursions offers what, what they don’t offer, what are the differences, etc.. So hopefully this helps: You will be picked up at (or near) your hotel and driven to the Kunjapuri Temple. The drive is about 30-45 minutes. After watching the sunrise, you’ll grab a quick breakfast from a vendor near the temple. You’ll then hike down the mountain for about 2 - 2 1/2 hrs into Tapovan. We stopped by the Secret Waterfall (not so secret) and then went to a nearby watering hole. We soaked there for a bit and then finished the trek. In our case, the path went right by our hotel, so we finished at that point. If you don’t happen to be staying near the end point, you’ll be offered a ride back to your hotel. A couple of notes, this is not a private trip, so unless you have a large group, you may have a few others with you. In my case, it was my partner and myself, and one solo traveler from Germany. The path down isn’t difficult, but you really need some experience hiking in the wilderness. In spots the trail can be steep and covered with lose rocks (scree). That said, you don’t need trek poles and can easy just walk down. The reason I mention this is that your group’s speed will be gated by the slowest hiker. If you’re someone who likes to hike quickly and cover lots of ground, you may have to adjust your expectations if one of the other party members isn’t a fast hiker. All that said, we really enjoyed our trip and I have no reservations in recommending this trip.

Published on Mar, 2024

Shelesh and driver were right on time for our pickup 5am from Rishikesh. We enjoyed masala chai around 6 then walked the last steps to the top to watch. The Himalayas were visible in the distance. The sunrise was beautiful. After sunrise we gave offerings in the temple and tied a scarf piece for good luck outside. Then we walked back to chai place and had breakfast. After breakfast we began our trek all downhill to Tapovan. It was a great adventure and Shelesh was a friendly and knowledgeable guide who asked us questions too and has very good English! We enjoyed the trek and suggest wearing hiking boots or trainers with good traction for this expedition. We highly recommend this guide, company and particular tour.

Published on Mar, 2024

Shelesh and driver were right on time for our pickup 5am from Rishikesh. We enjoyed masala chai around 6 then walked the last steps to the top to watch. The Himalayas were visible in the distance. The sunrise was beautiful and a must see. After sunrise we gave offerings in the temple and tied a scarf piece for good luck outside. Then we walked back to chai place and had breakfast. After breakfast we began our trek all downhill to Tapovan. It was a great adventure and Shelesh was a friendly and knowledgeable guide who asked us questions too and has very good English! We enjoyed the trek and suggest wearing hiking boots or trainers with good traction for this expedition. We highly recommend this guide, company and particular tour.