A spiritual journey to Kedarnath

How to reach?

Assuming you are starting your journey from Delhi, board a train to Dehradun/Haridwar or bus to Dehradun/Haridwar/Rishikesh, preferably in night so that in morning you can start early as possible. 

Next day, you need to reach Sonprayag which is 229 km from Haridwar which will take approximately 8-9 hours. You can go there by taxi or buses run by Uttarakhand government or shared taxis. 

Places on the way

You may make a stop at Devprayag and Rudraprayag to watch the spectacular view of holy confluence of rivers which flows down to plains of India with the name of Ganga.

Devprayag

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Stop your car for some time to watch the confluence of river Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. This river is known as Ganga when it reaches plains of India

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Rudraprayag

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Take a tea break here and watch the rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini meet!

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The holy journey to temple

The trek to temple starts from GauriKund which is 5 KM from Sonprayag and is travelled in government approved shared taxis. 

Before beginning the trek, you may take a dip at hot spring at Gaurikund and visit the temple of Goddess Gauri there to take the blessing.

The trek (16 KM) offers beautiful landscapes, takes you through lush green forest, waterfalls and is along the Mandakini River. 

You can reach the temple at your pace as there are lots of food stalls along the way and camps at some points and is well lit in the night as well. Enjoy the nature in the way!

On the top, near temple there are places to stay. You can easily pre book government run tents or camps or stays at this website.

Accommodation

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After taking the halt at night there, you can start the return journey the next day and reach sonprayag and then head back to delhi by same route or move to some other beautiful places of Uttrakhand. From Sonprayag, you can easily get shared taxi to Badrinath and  Chopta. 

Next destinations from Kedarnath

Badrinath Temple

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Badrinath is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and the road till temple is motorable and distance is 208 KM.

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Chopta chandrashila Trek

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Reach Chopta in the night if you have returned from Sonprayag by afternoon. Take a good sleep and then trek to Chandrashila peak and also bow at Tungnath temple which is the highest Shiva Temple. It offers panoramic vistas of the famous peaks, namely Nandadevi, Trisul, Kedar Peak, Bandarpunch, and Chaukhamba peaks.

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Auli Hill Station

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This place is famous as sking destination in winters. In other days of year, it is best to chill and relax

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Important Tips

1) Start early from Haridwar at 4 AM or 5 AM to reach Gaurikund by evening. 

2) The trek from Gaurikund opens from 2 AM in night and closes around 4 PM in the evening. So, you may start your trek around 3-4 AM in the morning to avoid crowd and sun. 

3) It is suggested to reach temple before 4 PM to spend some time in temple premises and attend the evening aarti. 

4) Before returning, you may visit the temple at 3 AM in the morning and start return journey around 4 AM to reach Sonprayag by 2 PM. 

5) If you do not wish to trek, you may book helicopter service from the Uttrakhand tourism website. 

Places to stay near Sonprayag and Guptkashi

Hotel Rama Palace

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For a budget stay near the parking Sitapur Parking area.

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Hotel Blue Pine Sitapur Kedarnath Rudraprayag

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Just a KM away from Sitapur Parking

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Best time to visit

September and October - Less chances of rain and temperature fall at night is upto 0-2 degree.

The opening date for the Kedarnath temple is decided on the auspicious day of Mahashivaratri, whereas Akshaya Tritiya (in the month of April) marks the beginning of the yatra. The doors of the holy temple will be opened after a ceremonial puja.

The closing date happens after two days of the Diwali festival (in the month of November).