Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Comfort Garhwal · Balanced
Eight nights by private car for the two great shrines of the high Garhwal, Kedarnath and Badrinath, linked by the forest road through Chopta with a morning walk to Tungnath. We sleep low before and after Kedarnath, spend a night at the temple, and keep driving days under eight hours.
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsThe Do Dham, Kedarnath and Badrinath, is the most popular pilgrimage in Garhwal, and most packages rush it. We do it in eight nights so that nobody has to walk 33 km and sit in a car the same day. Two nights at Sitapur or Guptkashi bracket a night at Kedarnath itself, so you see the evening aarti and the dawn darshan without the day-trip crowd.
From Kedarnath the car takes the short cut through Ukhimath and Chopta, where you walk to Tungnath, highest of the Panch Kedar temples, and then crosses to the Alaknanda at Chamoli. A night at Auli breaks the climb, Badrinath and Mana take the next day, and a final night in Rishikesh at Aloha on the Ganges gives a soft landing before the flight home.
Sleeping altitude, night by night
Red points are nights above 3,000 m. We pace those climbs by the usual advice of no more than 300–500 m of sleeping height a day. This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor before a high trip. Try the altitude planner.
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Jolly Grant airport or Haridwar station and brings you to Aloha on the Ganges in Tapovan. In the afternoon we check your Char Dham registration and helicopter or pony plans, and brief you on kit for Kedarnath. At sunset, walk to the Ganga aarti at Parmarth Niketan across Ram Jhula, or watch the river from the hotel.
About RishikeshLeave by 6 am. Stop at Devprayag to see the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet, then follow the Alaknanda through Srinagar and Rudraprayag, where the Mandakini joins. Turn up the Mandakini valley past Guptkashi to Sitapur or Sonprayag. Check into a hotel with hot water and heating, eat early, and lay out your bag for the walk: rain jacket, warm layer, water, snacks and your registration.
About KedarnathTake the shuttle jeep from Sonprayag to Gaurikund before 6 am and start the 16–17 km climb to Kedarnath, about 1,600 m higher. Walk at your own pace or ride a pony or palki booked at the official counter. The path follows the Mandakini, past Jungle Chatti, Bhimbali and Linchauli. Reach Kedarnath by afternoon, rest, and join the evening aarti at the temple, with Kedar Dome lit behind it.
About KedarnathJoin the early darshan queue, see the Bhim Shila boulder behind the temple that stopped the 2013 flood debris, and walk to the Adi Shankaracharya samadhi. Begin the descent by 9 am; most people take 4–6 hours down. Your driver waits at Sonprayag and takes you back to the hotel for a hot shower and a long night's sleep.
About KedarnathA slow morning, then drive to Ukhimath to see the Omkareshwar temple, winter seat of Kedarnath. The road climbs through oak and rhododendron forest to Chopta at about 2,700 m. Check into a cottage camp with attached bathrooms near Chopta. Afternoon free to rest your legs or walk in the meadow and watch for monal pheasants.
About Chopta & TungnathWalk the 3.5 km paved path to Tungnath at first light, about 2–3 hours up, and on to Chandrashila if you are strong. Back by late morning, drive down through Mandal and Gopeshwar to the Alaknanda at Chamoli and up to Joshimath and Auli. Check into a resort on the Auli slope with Nanda Devi views, and rest.
About Auli & JoshimathDrive past Vishnuprayag and Govindghat to Badrinath. Bathe at Tapt Kund and join the darshan queue at the Badrinarayan temple. In the afternoon, drive 3 km to Mana to see Bhim Pul over the Saraswati and Vyas Gufa. Sleep at Badrinath to see the evening aarti and the brightly painted temple facade under the Neelkanth peak.
About Badrinath & ManaLeave Badrinath at dawn for the longest drive of the trip, down the Alaknanda past Nandprayag, Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag. Stop for lunch at Srinagar. Reach Rishikesh by evening and check back into Aloha on the Ganges. If you prefer a shorter day, we can break the trip with a night at Srinagar or Rudraprayag at extra cost.
About RishikeshA free morning by the river, then transfer to Jolly Grant airport or Haridwar station for your journey home.
About RishikeshWhere you sleep
Photo: Roliwrites · CC0 · Commons
Mid
A riverside hotel on the Badrinath road in Tapovan, near Lakshman Jhula, with rooms and apartments facing the Gang…
Questions
At least 6–7 nights from Rishikesh by road, and 8 nights for an unhurried trip with a night at Kedarnath and Tungnath on the way. With helicopter shuttles to Kedarnath, it can be done in 5–6 nights.
This 8-night plan starts at ₹54,000 per person, twin sharing, with good hotels, meals and a private car. Ponies, palkis or a helicopter seat to Kedarnath are extra at notified rates.
Yes. We can swap the walk for a helicopter shuttle from Phata, Sersi or Guptkashi if you book a seat on the IRCTC HeliYatra portal after registration. Weather can cancel flights, so we keep the overnight at Sitapur either way.
It is 16–17 km each way, climbing about 1,600 m to 3,583 m. Many seniors use a pony, palki or helicopter instead. Talk to your doctor first, especially about heart, lung or blood pressure conditions.
In a GMVN or private tent camp, hut or simple cottage near the temple. Facilities are basic, with shared or simple attached bathrooms and heavy blankets. Book once your dates are fixed.
May and the second half of September through October. May is busiest; late September and October have clearer skies, fewer crowds and lower hotel rates. Avoid July and August for landslides.
Yes. Register on the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board's portal or app before you travel; it is free and checked on the road. Rules and slot limits change each year, so check current status before you travel.
Yes, as a full Char Dham of 10–11 nights, starting via Mussoorie and Barkot for Yamunotri, then Uttarkashi and Harsil for Gangotri, before crossing to Kedarnath. Ask us for the longer plan.
Jio, Airtel and BSNL usually have some signal at Kedarnath and along the path, but it can be slow or drop out in bad weather or crowds. Download your registration and tickets before you start the walk.
More from Garhwal
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
UTC and GMOU buses, shared jeeps and a shared taxi
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
UTC and GMOU buses, shared jeeps and walking
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Plan with a local planner
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