The Kunjapuri Sunrise Ride
- Distance
- ~35 km each way from Rishikesh
- Riding time
- ~1 hour up
- Leave by
- 4:30 AM summer · 5:15 AM winter
- Temple altitude
- ~1,676 m
- Steps from the car park
- ~300
- Road
- Sealed, good, tight hairpins
- Any bike works
- Including the Activa 125
- Cost
- A tank of fuel and one alarm
The best ninety minutes available to anyone with a bike in Rishikesh, and almost nobody staying here does it. One alarm, thirty-five kilometres of empty switchbacks in the dark, three hundred steps, and then Bandarpunch, Swargarohini and the Gangotri group going pink one after another while the valley below is still under mist.
The Route
Out of Rishikesh on the Narendra Nagar road, then up through Hindolakhal toward Kunjapuri. Sealed the whole way, well graded, with a long run of tight hairpins on the climb. At 4:30 in the morning you will not meet another vehicle.
The temple sits on a ridge with a car park just below it and roughly three hundred steps to the top. Park, walk up, arrive fifteen minutes before sunrise.
Check sunrise time the night before and leave ninety minutes ahead of it. Riding an hour in the cold to arrive ten minutes late is a particular kind of frustrating.
What You See
North, across the whole visible width of the range: Bandarpunch, Swargarohini, Gangotri group, Chaukhamba on a clear morning. South, the Ganga valley and the Doon, usually under a layer of mist that the light works through slowly.
Kunjapuri is one of the fifty-one Shakti Peethas, and there’s usually a small morning aarti. Chai and Maggi at the top from about 6 AM.
Riding It Safely
It’s dark and it’s cold. Colder than Rishikesh by a good margin — 8–10°C in winter, near freezing occasionally. Wear more than you think. Gloves especially; cold hands on unlit hairpins is a bad combination.
Check the headlight before you leave. We check it at handover, but check it again. There is no street lighting on that road.
Watch for animals. Cattle and dogs sleep on the warm tarmac at that hour, and monkeys are active from first light.
Take the descent slowly. Everyone rides down faster than they rode up because they can now see. That’s when people come off.
Which Bike
Anything in the fleet. It’s a sealed road on a short ride.
- The Activa 125 at ₹500 does it happily and is the cheapest way
- The Hunter 350 is best suited to that many hairpins
- The Classic 350 at the top at sunrise is the photo everyone comes to Rishikesh for
- The Guerrilla 450 makes the descent a genuinely good time
Making a Day of It
Add Neelkanth Mahadev. Come down from Kunjapuri, cross to the Neelkanth road, and ride the 32 km of forest ghat and thirty-plus hairpins on the other side of the valley. Back in Rishikesh by lunch, having done both of the best short rides in the area before noon.
Add Vashishta Gufa and Byasi. Ride up the Ganga on the Devprayag highway afterwards, stop at the cave, breakfast at one of the Byasi cafés. Sixty relaxed kilometres.
Ride on to Dhanaulti and Kanatal. Kunjapuri is on the way. From the temple, continue via Narendra Nagar and Chamba — a full day, all sealed, all good.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time should I leave Rishikesh?
Can I ride an Activa to Kunjapuri?
Are there really 300 steps?
Is it safe to ride alone in the dark?
Is the temple open that early?
Can I do Kunjapuri and Neelkanth in one morning?
Do you rent bikes at 4 AM?
· Rates · Bike rental in Rishikesh
Related routes: Chopta & Tungnath · Kedarnath