Shivpuri

Organised rafting on this section of the Ganga developed through the 1990s and expanded rapidly from the early 2000s, as Rishikesh's reputation for adventure tourism grew alongside its older identity as a yoga and pilgrimage town. The sandy beaches at Shivpuri also attracted informal riverside camps, pitched directly on the exposed banks each dry season, and by the mid-2010s their unregulated growth had drawn scrutiny from the National Green Tribunal, which sought explanations from both the central and Uttarakhand governments over unlicensed camp operations along the Shivpuri-to-Rishikesh stretch. The tribunal's intervention pushed a shift toward fixed, licensed camp sites set back from the waterline rather than temporary tent clusters on the sand itself, though enforcement has been inconsistent and beach camping continues in some form each season. Rafting operators, by contrast, have operated under a more consistent licensing regime through the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board for over two decades, requiring certified guides and inspected safety equipment.

Life jackets and helmets are mandatory on every commercial rafting trip and operators are required to provide both; a rafting company that skips this fitting is not one to book with, licensed or not. Only Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board-certified operators are legally permitted to run trips from Shivpuri, and their guides carry identification cards that can be checked before boarding. Swimming is restricted to designated calm pools pointed out by the guide, since the current in unmarked stretches can be strong even where the surface looks flat. Alcohol before or during a rafting trip is prohibited by operators as standard policy, both for insurance reasons and basic safety on grade II–III water. Plastic bottles and wrappers should be carried back out rather than left on the beach, an issue local operators and the forest department have both flagged repeatedly.

Rishikesh operators sell rafting packages ranging from a short 9-kilometre stretch starting closer to town to the longer 16-kilometre Shivpuri run and, for experienced groups, a 24-kilometre trip starting further upstream at Marine Drive or Kaudiyala — choose based on available time and appetite for bigger rapids rather than price alone, since longer routes cost only modestly more. Booking directly through an operator's storefront in Rishikesh's Tapovan or Lakshman Jhula areas, rather than through a tout at the Shivpuri beach itself, generally gets a clearer price and a company with an actual office to return to. October–November and March–April offer the most comfortable combination of manageable water levels and warm air temperature; December–February rafting is cold enough that most operators provide wetsuits. Carry a dry bag for phones and valuables, since even calm-water sections routinely splash enough to soak an unprotected pocket.