On the banks of the Ganga, 45 kilometres from Rishikesh, reached by a two-kilometre walk through forest and village, Depi Chaudhry built three cottages — one for each of his daughters. Then a woodpecker arrived and tried to tell him something. Then the guests arrived. The AQI here is 16. The river is turquoise. The forest is fruit trees. This is Aashraya.
The word aashraya means refuge, or shelter — the place you return to when the world requires it. Depi Chaudhry chose it because that is what he had in mind: not a business proposition, not a commercial venture, but a refuge. Three cottages, one for each of his three daughters — Aishwarya, and twins Aditi and Anisha — on a ridge above the Ganga, in the foothill forest of the Uttarakhand Himalaya, 45 kilometres from the crowds and smoke of Rishikesh.
The land was not unfamiliar. Depi had run a river rafting business called Real Adventures on this property since 2003. He had been here in all seasons, watched the Ganga in all its moods, trekked the surrounding hills, understood the particular quality of this stretch of river — the turquoise colour, the clarity, the silence that returns when the water is the only sound. When he decided to build, he knew exactly where to build. The only question was what.
The answer was the cottages. A father’s love letter, as those who have seen Aashraya consistently call it. One for each daughter, named for the river’s many identities: Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Ganga — three of the names given to the sacred river across its different reaches, each carrying a different mythology, each with its own story. The naming is not decorative. It is deeply intentional, the expression of a man who has sat on this riverbank for long enough to understand all the things the river contains.
The Trek and the Arrival
Getting to Aashraya is part of the experience, and this is not a figure of speech. There is no road. The 2.2-kilometre trek from the road — approximately one hour at a comfortable pace, crossing a river bridge and then continuing through forest and a village — is the transition between the ordinary world and the Aashraya world. Depi’s staff receive guests at the starting point of the trek and help with luggage. Mules can be hired in advance for those who need them.
The walk itself is the decompression: the sound of the city replaced by bird sounds, the smell of exhaust replaced by the smell of the forest, the pace of a car replaced by the pace of the legs. By the time the cottages appear on the ridge above the Ganga, the body has already begun its adjustment to a different rhythm.
The AQI — Air Quality Index — at Aashraya stands at 16, against a North Indian average that borders on 200. This number, in isolation, explains more about what Aashraya offers than most descriptions of its beauty.
The Construction
Depi built Aashraya himself — self-architecting, designing, and executing with the conviction of someone who has a clear vision and the patience to realise it. The cottages are built primarily with dry stone and recycled wood — wood sourced from a former car showroom, repurposed into the bones and surfaces of structures that carry the weight and warmth of material that already has a history. Little cement was used. Dead wood is collected for heating. Solar power runs the property. The sustainability is not a marketing claim; it is the operational reality of a property that was built, from the foundation, to have as light a footprint as possible.
The woodpecker story is inseparable from the property’s identity. Shortly after the three cottages were completed, a woodpecker arrived and began pecking at the window panes — intensely, persistently, moving from one cottage to the next. Depi and his team tried everything to discourage it. They kept a carpenter on hand to repair the damage. After several days, Depi understood: the bird was trying to tell him something. Termites in the wood. After treatment, the woodpecker stopped visiting. Its job was done. This story — of the forest collaborating in the making of the property — is told by Depi with the laughter of someone who has come to see it as characteristic of Aashraya: the place where nature participates.
The Cottages
There are three main cottages — Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, and Ganga — each spreading across 1,000 square feet, each with large floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the forest and river views. The interiors give a vintage feel: four-poster beds at the centre of the room, old-world chairs, wooden cupboards, antique mirrors in the bathrooms. Each cottage has two extra beds in addition to the main, accommodating four guests comfortably. AC and heating address the valley’s temperature range. Private sit-outs overlook the wilderness.
The fourth accommodation option is the Frangipani Cottage — a one-bedroom retreat set apart from the three main cottages, offering maximum privacy and the particular quiet of a space that has been deliberately separated from the rest of the property.
The Art House is Depi’s personal residence — a two-bedroom cottage made almost entirely of dry stone and large glass windows, self-designed by Depi and decorated with artworks collected from different parts of the world and created by artists who have visited Aashraya over the years. It is available for weekly or monthly stays: the most immersive possible version of the Aashraya experience, living in the founder’s own home among his collected art.
The Food and the Forest
The meals at Aashraya reflect local and indigenous culture, sourced from neighbouring farms. The pahadi dinner — the traditional cuisine of the Uttarakhand hills — is the daily gathering: guests eating together, the food tasting of the valley it came from, the sound of the Ganga audible from the dining space.
The fruit forest surrounding the property is one of Aashraya’s most extraordinary features: thousands of fruit trees planted by Depi over the years, their branches filling with seasonal produce that arrives on the table with the directness of a kitchen that grows what it serves.
In-house tea infusions — made from the herbs and plants of the property — are available throughout the day. Freshly squeezed vegetable juices. The simplicity of food that has been made with the knowledge of where every ingredient came from.
What to Do and Explore
The natural world around Aashraya is the activity programme — and it is exceptional by any standard. The birdsong, described by guests as a treat for wilderness lovers, begins before sunrise and continues through the morning. Yoga in the morning, with the Ganga below and the forested hills above, needs no arrangement: the space itself is the studio.
A waterfall and a secluded river beach are a few minutes’ hike from the property. The forest trails in every direction offer walking of varying difficulty. The Ganga at this stretch is swimmable in the right seasons. Kayaking and river rafting are accessible from the property for those who want activity alongside solitude.
The broader Rishikesh circuit — the yoga ashrams, the temples, the Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula, the ghats — is 45 kilometres away, accessible for a day visit before or after the Aashraya stay.
Why It Stays With You
Depi Chaudhry built Aashraya for his daughters. He built it with dry stone and recycled car showroom wood, with solar power and composted waste, in a forest he planted himself with thousands of fruit trees. He listened to a woodpecker and found termites. He built the Art House as his own residence and filled it with collected art.
The property is listed on RARE India — the network of conscious luxury properties committed to environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and community empowerment. It is listed on Hushstays. It is consistently described as a paradise upon arrival, a hideaway like no other, a place where the wilderness is the experience and the solitude is the luxury.
Depi felt alone many times in the journey to build this. Nature kept him company. The woodpecker did its work. The daughters have their cottages. The river runs below. The AQI is 16.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Aashraya on the Ganga, Village near Badrinath Road, approximately 45 km from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand Website: aashrayaonganga.com Booking: Direct via website · Hushstays (hushstays.com/aashraya-rishikesh) · RARE India (rareindia.com) · Airbnb (search Aashraya Ganga)
Founder: Depi Chaudhry (built for his daughters: Aishwarya, Aditi, Anisha) History: Land used for Real Adventures river rafting since 2003 · Cottages built by Depi himself
Important note on access: There is no road access to the property. A 2.2 km (1-hour) moderate trek through forest and village is required. Staff receive guests at the trek starting point and assist with luggage. Mules available on prior request (₹300 per mule, paid by guest). A good fitness level is required. Arrive before dark.
Accommodation: 4 options — Cottages Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Ganga: 1,000 sq ft each · Floor-to-ceiling windows · Four-poster beds · AC + heating · Private sit-outs · Sleeps 4 each — Frangipani Cottage: 1-bedroom · Most private option — The Art House: Depi’s own 2-bedroom dry stone residence · Full of collected world art · Weekly/monthly stays only
Sustainability: Dry stone and recycled wood construction · Solar powered · Minimal cement · Dead wood heating · Organic farm sourcing · Fruit forest (thousands of trees) · AQI 16
Meals: Pahadi cuisine · Local and farm-sourced ingredients · In-house tea infusions · Freshly squeezed vegetable juices · Community dining
Experiences: Morning yoga by the river · Birding · Forest trails · Waterfall and river beach (few minutes’ hike) · Kayaking and river rafting · Rishikesh day trip · Art House visits
Getting There — From Rishikesh: approximately 45 km by road to the trek starting point — around 1.5 hours. Taxis from Rishikesh available and recommended. — Jolly Grant Airport (Dehradun): approximately 55 km — around 1.5 to 2 hours by road to Rishikesh, then 45 km further. — Haridwar Railway Station: approximately 30 km from Rishikesh — around 45 minutes. — From Delhi: approximately 270 km — around 5 to 6 hours by road to Rishikesh, then 45 km further. — Coordinate exact meeting point and arrival timing with Depi’s team before departure — staff will meet you at the trek start for luggage assistance.
Nearby — Waterfall and river beach: 10-minute walk · Rishikesh (ghats, yoga ashrams, Laxman Jhula): 45 km · Dehradun Airport: ~90 km · Haridwar: 75 km · Badrinath road: the property is along this route
Best Time to Visit: October to June · October to December for post-monsoon clarity and the river at its most beautiful · March to May for spring and warm forest days · February for the quietest and coldest season — the heating in the cottages comes into its own · Avoid July and August when monsoon makes the trek potentially dangerous and the river unsafe
