Rishikesh Wellness

Journeys

Rishikesh Wellness

Ananda in the Himalayas — the Maharaja's palace estate and a wellness programme that earns the word.

The valley drops away below the palace terrace at Ananda in the Himalayas, and the Shivalik range fills the horizon. This is not a spa weekend. It is a sustained recalibration, set within the estate of the Tehri Garhwal royal family above Rishikesh.

Your mornings start on the yoga pavilion as mist lifts off the valley floor. Ananda’s practitioners assess your constitution and build an Ayurvedic program around it — specific oils, specific timings, specific foods. Nothing is generic here. June through August brings monsoon rain that deepens the green and quiets the grounds. It is the best time to come.

Alp Travel Co. books your stay directly with the Ananda team and arranges access to experiences most guests never reach. You move slowly. You stay longer at the things that matter.

Below the palace gates, Rishikesh runs along the Ganges. You stand at the river’s edge, watch the evening Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat, and walk the lanes near the ashrams at your own pace. It is a pilgrimage town, not a resort town. That distinction shapes everything.

Alp designs the balance between silence and activity, between treatment room and riverbank. You leave with more than memories. You leave with a practice.

Ananda sits above a pilgrimage town that has not changed its purpose in centuries — the wellness programme is built around your constitution, not a schedule.

How it unfolds

FLY IN
Flight Fly into Dehradun (Jolly Grant, DED) — 50 minutes from Delhi. Ananda's private car transfer completes the journey in 60 minutes up the Narendra Nagar plateau.
DAY 1

Ananda in the Himalayas

Ananda occupies the Viceregal residence of the Tehri Garhwal royal estate — a Himalayan forest on a ridge above the Ganges valley at 1,000 metres. The Shivalik range fills the palace terrace on arrival, and mist from the valley floor rises through sal forest below as the light fades.

The afternoon Prakriti assessment with the resident Ayurvedic physician is the first and most important appointment: a 90-minute consultation that shapes every treatment, meal, and schedule for the days ahead.

  • Prakriti (Ayurvedic constitution) assessment with the resident physician · 1.5h Scheduled on arrival afternoon — this assessment determines every treatment type and meal plan for the stay. Arrive at the spa without eating heavily beforehand.
  • Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat, Rishikesh · 1.5h Ceremony starts at sunset, around 6pm. Ananda arranges a private car down — 20 minutes each way. Arrive 15 minutes early for a position on the ghat steps.
  • Dinner on the Viceregal terrace · 1.5h Sattvic menu is calibrated to your constitution from the first evening — the kitchen is briefed after the Prakriti assessment.
DAYS 2–4

Ananda in the Himalayas

The programme moves to a rhythm set by the physicians: Abhyanga or Shirodhara in the morning treatment rooms, then the Himalayan yoga pavilion at dawn when mist still sits on the valley below the estate. The Shivalik range holds its presence across every clear afternoon from the palace terrace.

One afternoon descends into Rishikesh itself — the suspension bridges at Laxman Jhula, the ashram lanes, the chai stalls along the Ganges — because the town below the gates is the reason a place like this exists here at all.

  • Sunrise yoga at the Himalayan Yoga Pavilion · 1.5h Sessions begin at 6:30am. The pavilion faces the valley — arrive before the mist lifts for the full effect.
  • Daily Ayurvedic treatment — Abhyanga or Shirodhara as prescribed · 1.5h Treatment type is assigned by the physician from the Prakriti assessment; it is not selectable independently. Sessions run mid-morning.
  • Walk through Rishikesh: Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula, and ashram lanes · 3h Private car from Ananda is 20 minutes. Morning visits are quieter on the suspension bridges; afternoons draw more foot traffic and vendors.
  • Sattvic cooking class with the Ananda chef · 2h Covers dishes from the estate kitchen that can be replicated at home. Book through the concierge on arrival — class size is limited.
  • Evening meditation on the palace terrace · 1h
DAY 5

Ananda in the Himalayas

The final day has a different quality: the closing consultation with the physician produces a written departure protocol — diet adjustments, a daily routine, and the yoga sequence calibrated to your constitution to continue at home.

One last dawn session in the Himalayan pavilion, then the 60-minute transfer back to Dehradun through the sal forest and into the plains.

  • Closing Ayurvedic consultation and home-protocol review · 1h The physician produces a written departure plan covering diet, routine, and recommended supplements. Schedule before noon to allow time before checkout.
  • Final dawn yoga session — Himalayan Yoga Pavilion · 1h
  • Morning walk on the estate forest trail via the Ganges viewpoint · 1.5h Ask the concierge for the longer trail route — it runs through Himalayan sal forest to a viewpoint above the river before looping back to the estate.

Destination

Explore the place

Full destination guide →

India

Rishikesh

The Ganges at dawn, before the city wakes. The most serious wellness address in India.

BEST FEBRUARY–MAY AND SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER • VISA: VISA FREE

More journeys

rail-journey

Japan in Bloom

Cherry blossoms by Shinkansen: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima in full bloom

12 nights · from ₹365k pp

Slow Travel

Rome · Amalfi · Capri

Rome's ancient streets, Amalfi's cliffside calm, and Capri's blue grottos — 10 nights, no rush

10 nights · from ₹450k pp
Barcelona & the Costa

Slow Travel

Barcelona & the Costa

Barcelona's Eixample stays, a coastal breeze by train.

6 nights · from ₹210k pp

Rishikesh Wellness, designed around you.

This is a starting point. Tell us your dates, who is coming, and what the trip should feel like.

Plan this journey → All journeys