Where yoga ashrams meet white-water rapids and the Beatles met their guru.
Rishikesh Laxman Jhula: selfie sticks and cafe menus. Chopta: prayer flags and the Milky Way.
Rishikesh scores 8+ out of 10 in these months — if you must go, this is when:
Mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand — rhododendron meadows, Himalayan views, and the easiest gateway to a 4000m summit.
If you came for spiritual mountains but found tourist rafting and Instagram yoga, Chopta is the real thing — world's highest Shiva temple and a 4000m summit.
Army cantonment frozen in time — silent oak forests, no commercial circus.
Army cantonment frozen in time. Silent oak forests. No rafting touts, no selfie sticks.
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