Chardham Yatra: A Complete Guide (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Chopta, Badrinath & Rishikesh)

For starters i would recommend to fly in and out of Dehradun to reduce the unnecessary and unproductive travel from Delhi. But the lack of flight options and exorbitant airfares makes it very difficult to go for it. Nonetheless, Flying to Delhi and then getting a connecting cab or train is also fine. Remember if you opt for a road travel you can reach Dehradun anytime of the day with ample of options, where for the journey via train there are limited options for Dehradun as most of trains terminate at Haridwar. For us it was morning flight to Delhi and then a private cab till Dehradun. We decided to stay the night there and start early in the morning for Sayanchatti. I would suggest taking a evening flight to Delhi and and take the Nanda devi express which leaves around midnight from Hazarat Nizamuddin railway station to reach Dehradun early morning by 8 am. Now the advantage here is you can transfer directly to Mussoorie which a couple of hour ride to utilize the day for sightseeing and enjoy the evening at the queen of hills. Staying at Mussoorie also reduces the overall distance to be covered till Sayanchatti for the next.Now why Sayanchatti instead of Barkot? I will explain that later.

Barkot is the last major town on the way to Yamuntori and hence is swarming with tourists with sub standard options for stay. A better option to halt for the night is Sayanchatti which a much less crowded and a beautiful town located some 20 km before Yamunotri on the banks of river Yamuna. It is the best place to relax and rejuvenate in the lap of nature.

A 6 km trek to Yamunotri temple is steep and challenging. The trail is a unevenly paved often slippery due to the narrow water streams running across the path from the mountain. There are numerous pony and palki services available at very competitive prices if you bargain. It shouldn't cost more than a 1000 bucks per person on a pony to and fro Yanunotri Temple. In the months of April & May it may even be as high as 5000 pp depending upon the availability another reason to plan your trip near fag end of the Yatra season. As i mentioned, the trek is not a casual walk and would test your stamina and endurance. Although, i finished it at the same time on foot with my family walking adjacent to me on the ponies, i was struggling at certain patches where the trail tuns into an almost 60 degree inclined climb for a considerable distance. The hot water springs at the top are the boon for devotees reaching on foot as it relaxes your aching muscles and gets the mind ready for the descent. In my opinion, apart from the religious sentiments attached the trail is hardly scenic and interesting as compared to the others in the Himalayas. It's a closed valley with negligible openings for mountain view and carrying bleak prospects to enjoy an occasional breeze. It should not take more than 6 hrs (to and fro) for the trek and one can reach Uttarkashi before sundown if manage to start the day early as we did.

Uttarkashi is the base town for the Gangotri yatra however i would definitely suggested to spend the night in Gangotri itself which offers descent means of accommodation. The valley is surprisingly untouched and pristine as compared to others on the Yatra route. Harsil valley on the way is an all season hidden gem overlooking the Bhagirathi river. The roads are spellbinding moving along the river approaching the snow capped Himalayas with enchanting valley views. The journey is refreshing with a couple of pit stops on the way to Gangotri. Dharali village provide better breakfast and refreshment options. The temple premises are blissful and one can spend hours sitting beside the river bed soaking sun and enjoying the fresh mountain breeze.

This day is a long transit day to reach Phata, Guptkashi. Phata is the base village for all the helicopter service to Kedarnath. The trek route for Kedarnath start from Sonprayag (Gaurikund) 20 km further ahead of Phata.

There are numerous private operators providing to and fro helicopter services to Kedarnath temple. The last year's 2 way fare fixed by the state government was 4900 pp. The best operator according to the word of mouth is UT Air and the worse is Indocopters, whose services we availed. A bunch of understaffed morons running the show with minimal resources. We waited for an average 6 hours both ways even after getting a designated slot. It takes maximum 15 minutes from Phata to reach kedarnath. Those 15 minutes were the most memorable ones of the entire journey. The chopper literally goes past the clouds traversing between the mountains providing mesmerizing view of the Kedar valley and the accompanying Mandakini river. Within a span of 15 minutes, the elevation increases by roughly 2000 mt and inversely the temperature drops by at least 10 degrees Celsius. After reaching we waited at the helipad to get acclimatize to the sudden change of terrain and weather. It is hence advised to not rush immediately as you land and give it some time to let your breathing pattern get accustomed to the elevation. The air here is dangerously thin and cold making you gasp for breath even after brisk walking for hardly 100 mts. We checked into Swargrohini Cottages, a premium one among all the other accommodations in Kedarnath. The accommodation has individual Cottages with 6 beds at 750 rs per bed. We booked all the 6 beds to get an entire cottage to ourselves for 4 people at 4500 rs per night. We went straight for evening darshan after dropping the luggage at our cottage. The evening view of the temple was enchanting as the kedar dome behind the temple glittered like gold under the last light of the day. The evening aarti was magical enough to make an atheist believe in god. The place went below the freezing point as the night started to creep in. Just before the midnight, i ventured out to catch a glimpse of the deserted ancient religious symbol. The sight was unquestionably unique to be sketched in my memory for the lifetime. The mountains behind the temple were shining white in the moonlight and the temple itself was illuminating under the artificial yellow lights. For a while after clicking some memorable shot, i resorted to my accommodation as the cold become almost unbearable.

This day was entirely for the transit except for the Ganga aarti at Triveni ghat. It was a blissful evening seeing the vintage Laxman Jhula all light with a themed decoration. An equally satisfactory dinner at the nearby eatery.

Onward flight to Mumbai.

Some observations and suggestions:

1) Late October just before the Kapat band ceremony (closing of the high altitude temples during the harsh winter conditions) is the best time to undertake the Yatra owning to minimal tourist activity facilitating better resource availability

2) Mussoorie for Haridwar, Sayanchatti for Barkot and a day in Harsil/Gangotri instead of Uttarkashi should be given a thought if possible. I am sure it would a very different experience diverging from the usual Yatra path

3) Should break the tiring journey from phata to Badrinath at Chopta, it is really an unique experience. Though Chopta itself demands attest 3 days to explore the vicinity

4) Rishikesh should ideally be the last stop instead of Haridwar (not much to look out for) as offers the opportunity to explore white water river rafting and other adventure sports.

5) Don't get overwhelmed by the pony/palki vendors. Bargain till the last breath as there is always scope to save some extra bucks. For example we were quoted Rs. 2500 per pony and we ended up paying Rs. 800 plus added tips

6) keep an eye out for the helicopter booking commencement. It's the hottest selling commodity during the Yatra season. Even though there is a fixed fare determined by the government, the tickets from the back door sources sells as high as 3x the amount

7) A night stay at Kedarnath is must to completely soak in the divine energy of the place. Swargrohini cottages is the best option. A cottage contains 6 beds for 750 bucks each

8) The Himalayan Stag camps in Chopta treated us like at home. I would definitely endore them. Contact: Dharmendra 9756997985

9) We hired a private cab for 9 days journey with Shreya taxi, Dehradun. They are absolutely punctual and professionally sound operators. Ask for Guru ( our driver) if you decide to book with them. I inquired with numerous different agencies all across Haridwar and Dehradun but they had the best rates among all of them which didn't impact the high standards of service as one might imply

10) Fly in and out of Dehradun if possible, it would save at least a day and more importantly minimize the toll on your body due to the longer road journey

11) Don't miss out on the chance to take a dip in the hot springs, they are invigorating and helps with muscle relaxation

12) Kedarnath by trek is a long 16 km journey, start before sunrise if you want to make it before the dawn

13) Can't emphasize enough on carrying proper woolens even if you travel during the summer months. The nights are bone chilling any time of the year in the mountains

14) The helicopter services at Kedarnath provides the facility to carry only 2 kg of baggage along with you. Keep a smaller bag ready for that specific purpose if you wish to stay the night

Please get in touch for any further help and information, i will be more than happy to assist.

Our ride out of Kedarnath was deferred for almost 4 hrs in the morning. We took the opportunity to go get one last glimpse of the temple and the surroundings. We also took a half an hour hike to the Bhaironath temple located at an elevation on the right hand side of the peaks surrounding the temple. It gave us a birds eye view of the surrounding valley and the entire settlement around Kedarnath, a closer look at how this place has survived the flash floods of 2013 and resurrected from scratch after such a devastating calamity. I went for the Deoriatal trek on the way to Chopta while my family had their lunch at Sari village. It was a quick affair as i completed trek in 2 hrs including a half an hour stop at the top besides the lake. I couldn't spot the reflection of Chowkhamba in the lake as it was a rather cloudy day but the lake itself was beautiful and placid as always to warrant my attention and affection. We reached Chopta just before the dark and checked into The Himalayan stag camps in Baniyakhnd some 4 km before the start of the Tunganath-Chandrashilla trek. The camps were well managed by a very fine gentleman Dharmendra. It took care of all our needs and not to mention the delicious dinner he served in the midst of those remote mountains.

We visited the temple early in the morning to avoid queues. The hot water spring in the temple premises which is usually quite soothing was shut down owning to a very high temperature making it unsuitable for human use. After this the plan was to trek till Vasundhara falls but looking at the paucity of time we limited out visit till Mana, the last Indian village on Indo-China border It's all out a tourist place offering sightseeing spots that charts out historical beliefs. It is also the only place on earth where one can spot the river, Sarawati before it vanishes into the ground. We left early afternoon from Badrinath for a night halt at Chamoli to break the long journey till Rishikesh.

This day was for leisure exploring nearby temples and other religious place in Haridwar. We took the cable car to Mansa Mata and Chandi Mata mandir located on two different hills opposite to each other separated by the river, Ganga. After witnessing the famous Ganga aarti at Har ki Pauri in the evening, we called it a early day to board a morning train to Delhi.

I started alone early for the Chandrashilla summit from the my camp quite early in the day. I took a shortcut till the actual spot from where the trek Tunganath officially starts and hence ended up sort of doing a mini unknown trek before the actual trek itself. The trail is well laid out with an easy to moderate level difficulty up till the Chandrashila peak. The accompanying vistas are enough to keep you engaged even if you are trekking solo. Numerous pony's tread along the path if one doesn't want to go on foot. It wasn't a clear day to spot the adjoining peak from Chandrashila as dark clouds began to crowd over the valley. I waited at the top to enjoy the shattering winds blowing across the peak. It was so peaceful until a group of noisy kids showed up as i decided to talk the walk back to the base. There are a lot of small eatery at the base which are an ideal option for a scrumptious lunch. I wondered all the good things Chopta alone has to offer for a wonderful mini vacation including a camp stay, an exciting trek and not to mention mind boggling hospitality. I waited for my ride towards Badrinath, one of four major Dham's according Indian mythology stories.