Sports & Recreation in Delhi

We have got this information from some websites, please note some of the phone numbers may not be working, for some of them add a '2' at the beginning of the number - this may make it work as that convention was added after some of these numbers were published. If you still can't get the numbers to work, don't worry in future we are going to do research on all of the numbers so we can provide you with the latest working numbers.

Ballooning: The Balloon Club of India on 8-B, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, telephone 3317977 is a wonderful way to view the surrounding area. Check it out…you won’t be disappointed. Balloons generally hold from one to ten people and can rise to heights of over 800 feet. The other place to contact regarding this sport is Wanderlust located opposite the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. Contact them on 6875200 for more information.

Bike Safaris: are an excellent way to discover Delhi and its surrounds. Call Indian Shepherds located at 491, Pocket C, Sector A, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi on 6898191 for more information.

Billiards (Pool & Snooker): If your hotel doesn't have these facilities and you are ken on a game then pop by one of the following venues and challenge someone to a game. Vertex, located at G-31 Kalkaji Extension call them on 6487180 or 6487280. Cues, opposite the Priya cinema, 38 Vasant Vihar Community Centre. Give them a call on 6140598 or 6140475. Blade Point located at Jassum House, 44 AY 2 Kalu Sarai. Phone 6861353.

Boating: Delhi Tourism has provided paddleboats on various bodies of water in the heart of the city. These include the lakes near India Gate, Purana Qila- Prasad Nagar Lake and Naini Lake in Model Town. A variety of fiberglass boats have been acquired by the Corporation and can be hired at reasonable rates. Special training programs in kayaking and canoeing are organized at the latter too.

Bowling: can be done at First Bowl located at 32, Milestones Complex, Delhi-Jaipur Bypass, Gurgaon Phone them on 8-322528 or at Leisure Bowl which can be found at Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Vasant Kunj. They can be contacted on (91-11) 6895247 or 6121574 or you can try Little paradise located at 12/7, Mathura Road, Faridabad. Call them on 8-278469 and another good venue is at Qutabowl located at the Qutab Hotel, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg. Call them on 6862711 or (011) 652 1234 for more information. Then there is Bowl Out located at the Hotel Surya Continental J- Block, Community Centre, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi. Call them on 5122881/80. There are others too and your best bet is to ask which, if any are located close to your hotel on arrival.

Bungee Jumping: Wanderlust Travels has set up a mobile crane for bungee jumping in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. This is a great activity for those brave folk out there. If you are not up to it yourself, you can get some photos of those who are mad enough to give it a go.

Camel Safari: An ideal trip for those with time to spare and with the desire to experience the subtle sunset shades of the desert and the solitary magic of the rolling golden sands. Camel safaris are available in the Thar desert, and range from one to fifteen days duration. The best safaris are in the heart of the Thar, in the Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner region, and will pass tiny villages and remote trading posts. Another popular area is the Shekhawati region. The safari organisers attempt to recreate the atmosphere of the old caravan journeys; music, traditional food and campfire hospitality are all part of this unique experience. Staff are available for assistance, and all necessary equipment is provided.

Cricket In India: cricket reigns supreme and is played everywhere, from smart cricket clubs to the grassy spaces of New Delhi and street corners. If you are keen on a game, just ask any of the locals playing on the nearest patch of open grass, and you’ll be invited to join in. If watching is more your forte, go and watch a professional game. In Delhi, Test Matches are played at Ferozshah Kotla Stadium, located on Bahadur Shah Zhafar Marg, between September and March. Attending a Test Match here is quite an experience and is not for the faint-hearted. For more info call the Tejpal Cricket Club on 2051994 or the Sunrise Cricket Club on: 2484611.
Cycling can be done at the Yamuna Velodrome, Indraprastha Estate. Phone it on 3731613 for more information.

Fishing: This is a wonderfully relaxing pastime and if you enjoy this sport or want to try your hand at it, pop down to the Badhkal Lake, Surajkund, Okhla located on Mathura Road (closed on Mondays).

Flying: Take to the skies and discover Delhi and her surrounds from the air. This can be done at the Delhi Flying Club, Safdarjung Airport. Give them a call on 4618931

Gliding: is another skyway to enjoy Delhi and its surrounding landscape and is certainly a lot quieter than being on terra firma. For information on this peaceful activity give the Delhi Gliding Club, at Safdarjung Airport a call on 4436052. They have daily flights departing anytime from 1 pm till sunset except Wednesdays. Excellent western air disturbances make it possible to glide as far a field as Calcutta from here, although typically flights are less ambitious. generally, the best seasons are September to November and March to June.

Golf: Several golf courses offer visitors temporary memberships, under certain conditions. For more info ask at your hotel on arrival or give the Delhi Tourism folk a call. Most local golf clubs issue temporary memberships to visitors. Clubs to call are the Army Golf Club, Delhi Cantt. The Delhi Golf Club, call Dr. Zakir Hussain Road on 4362235 or 4361236, the DDA Siri Fort Sports Complex phone 6467842 or the Noida Golf Club phone 8572753 or 914-72753. The Arawali Golf Club, Surajkund TouristComplex, Hotel Raj Hans, Faridabad Golf Club on 8214810 or 91-214810 Caddies and ball-spotters are available on the courses. (Please note that the above golf course telephone contacts may not be correct as at the time of writing I received differing information...you are therefore advised to double check on arrival in Delhi - editor)
Hang Gliding is rapidly growing in popularity and it is one which provides an exciting way of seeing the landscape of India. There are clubs in Pune, New Delhi, Bombay, Chandigarh, Shimla, Devlali and Bangalore. Many hang-gliding sites in India (particularly in the Himalaya region) have been highly rated by experts, and the climate of the country gives particularly good thermal soaring effects in the summer months; the monsoons are the only bad period for this sport. For more information or to partake in this type of sport pop out to Water Banks, the lakeside Swiss camp 42kms from south of Delhi or give the place a call on any of the following telephone numbers: 4679059, 4679107, 6875200, 6111889, 6881206

Horse Racing: Delhi Racecourse, off Safdarjang Road, can be contacted on 301 2943 and has regular meetings during the racing season, which runs from October until the end of April. Delhi’s racecourse is an informal, almost provincial course, in marked contrast to Mumbai’s grand stands and spacious lawns. There is a large covered shed, which contains the bookies’ pitches.

Horse Riding: It is a wonderful pastime for the whole family and the following establishments have horses for hire as well as lessons for beginners. The Delhi Riding Club located on Safdarjung Road can be contacted on 3011891 or if you have kids with you try the Children's Riding Club on 3012265. The other place to contact for more info is the Delhi Gymkhana Club Limited 2, Safdarjung Road, ND-11. Phone: 3015533.

Motor Rallying: The topographical diversity of India makes it ideal for running road rallies, over anything from desert roads to beach, hill, mountain and forest tracks. There are many picturesque vintage car rallies, but also events featuring more modern vehicles, providing a supreme test of a driver’s mastery of both machine and conditions. Principal among these are the Monsoon Rally, the Charminar Challenge and – most demanding of all the Himalayan Car Rally. This rally is usually divided into four legs totalling of Himachel Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. For more info call 6835258.

Motor Sports: If you like the roar of engines and the smell of fuel get in touch with the Performance Car Racing Trust on 147 Kilokari, Ring Road, or phone them on 6835258. They have information on rally racing. For other motor sports such as Vintage Cars contact the Statesman House at 148 Barakhamba Road or call them on 3315911-17

Mountaineering: contact the Indian Mountaineering Federation, Benito Juarez Road on 4677935 or try 4671211, 6883412 before you set out as here are numerous rules and regulations you will need to follow as well as your requiring permission before you set out. Not only that it’s always a good idea to let the authorities know before you set off on this type of intrepid adventure.

Parasailing: For the truly adventurous, parasailing is available at Kanwar Shikha near Sohna in Haryana, about 60 km from Delhi. Soar like an eagle under the watchful eyes of professional instructors. No advanced training or special skills are required to learn this inexpensive sport, which can be enjoyed by any one weighing between 40 kg and 80 kg without any element of risk under the watchful supervision of trained staff. Parasailing is under an open parachute with the aid of a special rope hooked up to a jeep. As the jeep moves, the parachute opens and the para-sailor ascends to a height of about 100m Since the parasailing is limited in number and the flying hours regulated, bookings will have to be made in advance. The sport is also available at the Safdarjung Airport under the guidance of trained experts. Call them on 4617623.

Polo: is a very popular sport throughout India and you will have the opportunity to see some brilliant horsemanship at the Polo Club, 61 Cavalry Cariappa Marg, Delhi Cantt. Call them on 3299444/777 Note: The polo season is from October to March only.

Rock Climbing: Equipment and training is provided to aspiring rock climbers in and around Delhi from October to March for more information contact the tourist authorities. Call them on 3317011, 3321238, 3321242 or fax them on 3321246. There is an artificial wall on Benito Juarez Marg, or the real thing at Lado Sarai Adventure Park. Delhi Tourism provides the requisite equipment and training to scale the rocks in the vicinity of the Qutab Minar. In fact Delhi is the centre for most rock climbing activity in India, the prime area being Tughlaqabad. Slightly further a-field, excellent climbing may be had in the Aravalli Hills (particularly Dumdama, Dhauj and Nuh). Beyond Pune on the Western Ghats the gentle hills from picturesque rock formations and many places are ideal for climbing. Further north, the Manali valley and Rohtang Pass regions of Himachal Pradesh are popular, as are the Chamundi Hills in Karnataka and the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttar Pradesh. More gentle climbs can be had in the area of Mount Abu and Sariska (Rajasthan). Excepting the monsoon periods, rock climbing is virtually a year-round activity, and most equipment can be hired locally.

Roller Skating: can be done at the Talkatora Skating Rink or in some parks in the city.
Sailing can be done on a number of lakes within the city or you can watch the real action at the Defence Service Sailing Club (for members only) Okhla, ND-25. Phone: 6910863

Shooting: The Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range on Surajkund Road, will more than cater to your shooting needs. Give them a call on 6986802.

Skiing: is fast becoming a popular sport. Facilities are offered by some resorts in the north of the country. The two major ones are Gulmarg in Kashmir and Kufri in Himachel Pradesh, set in some of the most beautiful mountain landscape in the world. Contact 3322251 or 3325320 for more information.

Squash: If your hotel doesn’t have a court visitors are welcome at any DDA Sports Complex or Clubs throughout the city.

Swimming: If your hotel doesn’t cater to this wet activity, there are others around the city that do, as follows:
Talkatora Pool phone 3019901
National Stadium Complex opposite India Gate, near Patiala house. Call them on 3389470
NDMC Pool Nehru Park, Laxmi Bai Ngr. School and Sarojini Ngr. Phone: 6110552

Tennis: Again if your hotel doesn’t have courts the following places welcome guests who are ken on a game:
Delhi Tennis Association on Africa Avenue. Phone 6515899
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Bhishama Pitamah Road. Call them on 4629400
National Sports Club of India opposite Purana Qila, Mathura Road. Phone 3385564
Trekking India is the ultimate destination for a trekking holiday, offering everything from short and easy excursions to the long challenges of the snowy peaks. To take a trek in India is to rediscover the awesome majesty and beauty of nature around us. Trekkers are reminded that it is forbidden to enter Restricted and Protected Areas without the correct documentation. Please consult the Tourist Office before departure or local tourist offices on arrival in India to ascertain what restrictions may apply and what documentation may be required. The trekking season varies from region to region; check with the Tourist Office for further information. In general, the season runs from April to June and September to November.

Water Sports: A multi-sports and leisure complex has been created by Delhi Tourism at Bhalswa Lake, situated at Delhi’s north-eastern edge. This offers facilities for boating in pedal boats, kayaks, canoes and speed boats. Keen anglers can also indulge in fishing. Hovercraft and water scooters are also available here. Pedal boats at reasonable rates are available at the Hari Nagar, India Gate, Purana Quila and Naini lakes. Special training programmes in kayaking and canoeing are organised at all the lakes. Call the Tourist Department for more information.

White Water Rafting or River Running is a fairly young sport in India. The snow-fed mountain rivers that run down from the mighty Himalayas make northern India one of the best regions in the world for this sport. Amateurs and first-timers have their choice of quieter waters, but with the promise of a passage through some truly spectacular riverside landscapes. Some rapids hit Colorado 8 (the highest is 10) on the scale, but most are on the 4 to 6 grade. The main regions are Ladakh, Garhwal and the four rivers of Himachal Pradesh. For more information contact the Indian River Runners Association, 606 Akashdeep, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi. Phone: 331 3229.