Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Signature Garhwal · Balanced
Eight nights that put the two high shrines within reach of travellers who cannot walk 33 km: a night at Taj Rishikesh, two in Guptkashi with a helicopter to Kedarnath, two at Auli for Badrinath and Mana, and three nights of recovery at Ananda in the Himalayas. Private car and guide throughout.
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsThere are no luxury hotels in the Kedar or Badri valleys, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we can do is take the hard parts out: a helicopter seat from Guptkashi or Phata to Kedarnath, a private guide who knows the queues and the rituals, the best rooms in Guptkashi and Auli, and drives timed to start early and end before dark.
The trip is framed by the two best hotels in the Rishikesh area. Taj Rishikesh, on the Ganga at Singthali, is a short first day from the airport and puts you 30 km up the yatra road. Ananda, in the old Tehri royal estate at Narendra Nagar, takes you at the end for three nights of yoga, Ayurveda and quiet after a week of mountain roads.
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 and guide meet you at Jolly Grant airport and drive to Taj Rishikesh at Singthali. Your guide checks your Char Dham registration and helicopter booking and walks you through the plan, the kit and the altitude. Rest of the day at the hotel on the river.
About RishikeshLeave after an early breakfast. Stop at Devprayag, where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet, and at the Dhari Devi temple near Srinagar. At Rudraprayag turn up the Mandakini to Guptkashi. Check into the best hotel in town, with heating and views of the Chaukhamba massif. In the evening, visit Guptkashi's Vishwanath temple and the Ardhanareshwar shrine beside it.
About KedarnathDrive to your helipad at Guptkashi, Phata or Sersi for the shuttle to Kedarnath, a flight of under 10 minutes. From the Kedarnath helipad it is about 500 m on foot to the temple. Your guide manages the queue, shows you the Bhim Shila boulder and the Adi Shankaracharya samadhi, and brings you back for the return flight. If weather grounds the helicopters, we use the spare day or switch to a pony.
About KedarnathDrive via Ukhimath, where the Omkareshwar temple is Kedarnath's winter seat, and up through the oak and rhododendron forest to Chopta. Fit travellers can walk part of the way towards Tungnath; others take tea in the meadow. Continue down through Mandal and Gopeshwar to Chamoli and up to Joshimath and Auli. Check into a resort on the slope facing Nanda Devi.
About Auli & JoshimathAn early start for Badrinath, 45 km above Joshimath. Bathe at Tapt Kund if you wish and join the darshan with your guide. Drive on to Mana, 3 km away, for Bhim Pul over the Saraswati and Vyas Gufa. Lunch in Badrinath and return to Auli for the sunset on Nanda Devi.
About Badrinath & ManaThe long day. We leave Auli at dawn and follow the Alaknanda down past Nandprayag, Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag, with lunch at Srinagar. Reach Ananda at Narendra Nagar, above Rishikesh, in the evening. If you prefer, we break the drive with a night at Rudraprayag or Srinagar at extra cost.
About RishikeshA day inside Ananda's programme: morning yoga and meditation, a consultation, spa treatments chosen with the staff, and walks in the grounds of the old palace estate with views down to the Ganga valley. Meals follow Ananda's menu.
About RishikeshAnother day at your own pace. Your driver can take you to the nearby Kunjapuri temple for sunrise over the Garhwal peaks, or you can stay in and rest after the high valleys before the flight home.
About RishikeshWhere you sleep
Photo: Sutharsan Shekhar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
A Taj resort on 13 acres above the Ganga at Singthali, about 30 km upstream of Rishikesh, with rooms and villas fa…
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/peem/ · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Luxury
India's first destination spa, opened in 2000 on the 100-acre estate of the Tehri royal palace at Narendra Nagar, …
Questions
Yes. Helicopter shuttles from Guptkashi, Phata and Sersi land about 500 m from the temple. Ponies and palkis also run from Gaurikund at notified rates. Seats sell fast on the IRCTC HeliYatra portal; check current status before you travel.
This 8-night plan starts at ₹1,60,000 per person, twin sharing, with a helicopter seat, private car and guide, the best hotels on the route and three nights at Ananda. Ananda room choice changes the price most.
No. Kedarnath has tent camps, huts and simple cottages, and Badrinath has plain hotels and GMVN rooms. We sleep at the best hotels in Guptkashi and Auli and pair the trip with Taj Rishikesh and Ananda.
Flights stop in cloud and rain, often in the afternoon. We keep a spare day at Guptkashi where possible and can switch to a pony or palki from Gaurikund. Refund rules follow the portal's terms.
Yes, it is designed for travellers who cannot walk long distances. The altitude is still real, so talk to your doctor first, and carry your regular medicines and prescriptions.
Yes. Kedarnath and Badrinath both require free registration on the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board's portal, and the helicopter booking needs your registration number. Check current status before you travel.
After a week of mountain roads and early starts, three nights with yoga, spa treatments and set meals help most people recover before flying home. Ananda is about an hour from Jolly Grant airport.
May and late September to October. Avoid July and August, when the roads and helicopter flights are most disrupted by monsoon rain.
Yes, by road via Mussoorie, Barkot and Uttarkashi, adding 4–5 nights, or with a Char Dham helicopter charter package from Dehradun. Ask us for options.
More from Garhwal
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Signature
Private car with driver
Plan with a local planner
We reply within one working day with a route, a sleeping-altitude profile and an itemised price in your tier. Change anything. Pay nothing until you are sure.