Affordable Volunteer Programs in Rishikesh, India

My trip to Rishikesh was one of my best memories that I will remember in days to come in my life. I experience lots of fun and enjoyed working in pahadi village. Living with a local family for 7 days was the best part of my trip. The family hosts me very nicely, the child was very keen to learn about the outer world and asked many interesting questions which sometimes I was not able to answer. Thanks to TTW team for finding me such a good trip which I will never forget. I will definitely recommend others to go through TTW.

Although I am Indian, I have never really lived here. I was born in the US and came to visit Delhi only a few times where my relatives stayed. When I decided I wanted to spend my summer break exploring my home country, I wanted to stay in a place away from the crowded cities, somewhere quiet where I could get the true essence of my home country. I found this place in Rishikesh with its beautiful valley and friendly people. It is like a small town with everything at a walking distance! I was hosted by Ramesh and worked at a small school run for poor children. Teaching them Maths and English was like therapeutic for me. Rishikesh will always hold a very special space in my heart and I will always remember it in my heart. Really thankful for TTW for giving me such an amazing opportunity.

I would’ve never thought that I would ever travel to India. I had often thought about travelling abroad after school but it had always ended with thoughts of partying in Europe. I would have never thought that I would go for a volunteering program in India and I am really glad that I did. The things that I learned through this experience were immense. Humility, understanding, respect for other religions, cultures - the list just goes on and on. I learned to respect the things that I had taken for granted for life. The children I worked with in the school didn’t even have a quarter of what I often took for granted and were still so happy, always enjoying life. Even after facing so many hardships they harboured no resentment or hate. They just spread love wherever they went. It was really a life changing experience and I will look back to these weeks in India even when I grow old. A huge thanks to Ramesh, my host during my stay in Rishikesh. You are a really amazing person and I hope you stay blessed. Also appreciate all the effort put in by TTW to make sure my project went smoothly and I never faced any issue from my arrival to departure.

It was such a crazy and memorable experience. India is a beautiful country. My project was in Rishikesh but I spend my weekends travelling to all corners of Uttrakhand, Delhi and Rajasthan. There is so much to see that I think it will take me a lifetime to explore the whole India. There are so many things to see and to do. I could just go on and on and on. It might sound crazy but you will have to actually visit this country to find out the real beauty about it. There is no other way about it at all. Once you arrive in this beautiful country only then will you understand what I am talking about. There is so much to do and try that you will never get have to repeat the same activity twice. Things such as trekking, rafting, kayaking, camping etc are in abundance in Rishikesh. The place is also known for its yoga, being hosts to the Beetles and a lot more.

From the very start to the end my volunteering project was very smooth. On sending an enquiry I got a response within an hour and by the end of the day I was already having a Skype call with Aryen who was my coordinator all through the application process and during my stay in India. On arrival I was picked up from the airport and transferred to Rishikesh which is a beautiful hill station. Opposite of what India is considered as noisy, it is such a quite little hill station with a beautiful river and so many fun things to do. During my stay here I did rafting, bungee jumping, camping, trekking, basic yoga classes and so much shopping. I was hosted in a school in Rishikesh itself where I taught children drawing. All the kids aged 5-12 were really sweet and funny. They would be playful all the time, always running around and very energetic. Overall as I said my trip was very smooth and anyone who comes to India, I would recommend either going for the Rishikesh program or at least staying there for a few days.

My project to Rishikesh was amazing. Being a student, signing up for a budget project was very important for me. The Tarzan Way charged very less and I got my meals and stay included in the project fees. Before arriving in India, I hadn't expected super comfortable accommodation or meals considéringnth low cost. I was pleasantly surprised to see that that was not the case. Not only was my guesthouse super comfortable, but it was also located right across the river Ganga and I would go sit at the river banks every weekend with the other volunteers. The food was also pretty good and the cook knew how to make lots of different dishes. I ended up trying a different Indian dish every day.
Rishikesh is pretty famous for its' adventure sports so I ended up going for an adventure camp and river rafting. My coordinator from The Tarzan Way was really helpful in arranging all of these for me.
I will definitely cherish my experience in India for a very long time.