A Guide for Kedarnath Trek

Kedarnath, the Tirth of Lord Shiva, is no less than a spiritual heaven on the foothill of the lofty Himalayas. Along with being one of Chota Char Dham sites, it is one of twelve revered Jyotirlinga temples also. Due to its high religious significance, the devotees embark on this challenging Yatra from corners of the country. It is believed that if a person visits, this sacred Dham of Lord Shiva gets free from all past sins.

To make your journey experience smooth and free from hustles, here we are sharing the necessary information about the trek route, distance from main cities, nearby Attractions, etc.

Complete Travel Path Overview

Ideally, Kedarnath Yatra begins from Haridwar and Rishikesh. Both of these cities of Uttarakhand are located in the plains and well connected with railway mode from other big cities of India.

However, the aerial journey of Kedarnath commences from Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand. The reason behind this is that the nearest airport to this shrine is situated in Dehradun only.

• In a nutshell, if you want to cover the Journey from your hometown by train, then you should reserve the train tickets to Haridwar or Rishikesh.
• Whereas, if you prefer luxury, then you should book the air tickets for Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun.

Route Information and Travel Time

Once you reach Haridwar, Rishikesh or Dehradun then here is the further breakdown of the journey to reach the sacred temple.

Haridwar to Guptkashi

• Drive Distance: 204 Km
• Travel time: 6 hours
• En Route Towns: Rishikesh, Shivpuri, Devprayag, Srinagar, Augustmuni

Guptkashi to Gaurikund

• Drive Distance: 32 Km
• Travel time: 1 hour 15 Minutes
• En Route Towns: Narayankoti, Phata, Sersi, Rampur, Sitapur, Sonprayag,

Gaurikund to Kedarnath Trek Route

• Trek Starts from: Gaurikund
• Trek Length: 15 Km
• Trek Time: 5 to 6 hours

En Route Points: Prachin Hanuman Mandir, Jungle Chatti, Meetha Pani Waterfall, Bhimbali and Lincholi.

• On this trek route, there are several lodges, camps, and GMVN cottages to provide stay at affordable cost.
• Besides this, you will get to see a variety of food points, like Maggie point, tea point, fruit and juice corners and a few restaurants as well.
• On the way, there will be some medical relief points to offer emergency medical help to pilgrims.
• Lastly, there are a few pony service providers on this temple trek route.

Distance from Main Cities

• The distance between Delhi Airport and the Kedarnath temple is about 493 Km.
• From Bangalore, it is about 2585 Km away.
• It is 2133 Km distant from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana.
• The distance from Mumbai to the religious site is about 1835 Km.

Road Conditions

• The Delhi to Haridwar road condition is first class, and you are going to enjoy this long drive surely.
• When you move from Haridwar to Guptkashi, initially, the road is smooth and less elevated. But as you cross Rishikesh and move forward, then you will feel the increasing elevation of roads. In some points, the roads are narrow due to the uneven terrain of the Himalayas.
• From Guptkashi to Gaurikund, it’s an uphill road, which is many a times narrow. However, the scenic views of Himalayan ranges and Mandakini River are something you will cherish on this journey.
• Lastly, there is a trek of 15 km from Gaurikund to the holy destination Kedarnath Dham. The trail is moderately challenging, but if you are physically fit, then you can trek with some effort and dedication.

Vehicle Details You Should Follow

As the Himalayan roads connecting the plains with Kedarnath are comparatively narrow, and so there are a few guidelines for the vehicles that everyone should follow.

1. The vehicle with which you are commencing on the road journey should be under the maximum width of 98 inches and wheelbase of 165 inches.
2. At the high altitude, the roads are either uphill or downhill; there are no plain passages. Hence, you must set the handbrake every time you park the car.
3. As you are heading to a challenging geographical region, you must check the working of headlights, indicators, fog lamps and brake lights of your taxi or car.
4. To avoid any pause on the way, you should keep all the documents of the vehicle in the car.
5. It is necessary to include a first aid kit and tool kit in your vehicle for any unexpected emergency.
6. Apart from all this, the most important thing is that only expert drivers who have prior experience in mountain driving should take charge of the cars with pilgrims.
7. Further, there might be some blind turns on the mountainous roads. Hence, you should drive within the range of a safe speed limit.
8. During the road journey amid Himalayan topography, you must be aware of warnings about landslides on the way.
9. If there are weather alerts of severe rainfall and storm, you should postpone the Journey by 1 or 2 days.

What Not to Do on Mountainous Roads

Here are a few tips on what not to do on mountainous roads to avoid accidents or other severe damage.

1. You should not travel by the large vehicles which are not allowed on the high-altitude roads.
2. In the mountains, it’s recommended to avoid driving before dawn and after dusk.
3. It’s safe to adhere to the passenger limit in the Car. You should not overload the car with an excess number of passengers or heavy luggage. Otherwise, you will be unable to take strong control of the car.
4. Generally, you should avoid overtaking the vehicles out of curiosity or fun.
5. For the sake of life, you should not neglect the road signs.
6. If you are exhausted, then do not drive anymore. It’s safe to take a break for smooth driving.

Nearby Places to See

Triyuginarayan Temple

• This beautiful temple, famous as the wedding site of Mahadev and Maa Gauri, is worth visiting nearby.
• It is located at about 31 Km distance from Kedarnath Dham. To reach there, you can take a taxi from Gaurikund, which will take 40 to 50 minutes.

Gaurikund

• Gaurikund, which is the basecamp of Kedarnath Trek is itself a holy place seeking the significance from Maa Gauri story. As the name expresses, this is a place where Maa Gauri had done the tough penance to achieve Lord Shiva as her life partner. That is why we call it Gaurikund.
• There is a beautiful temple made in Pahadi architecture, so you must visit to seek blessings of Maa Gauri and Lord Shiva.

Bhairavnath Temple

• Within the 1 Km range of Kedarnath, there is a small temple of Bhairavnath. It is said that Lord Bhairav is settled here as the protector of his ideal Mahadev.

Sonprayag

• Sonprayag, a beautiful town in the foothills of mountains, is famous for the holy confluence of rivers Mandakini and Vasuki. It is approximately 23 Km away from the temple, and you can reach there easily by hiring a taxi from Gaurikund. Moreover, it falls on the route to the temple, so you can visit it twice.

Conclusion

Whatever information you need about the Kedarnath route and safe way to travel is described in this page. As this pilgrimage is situated in a high-altitude region surrounded by rugged mountains, it is a challenging trip. However, if you plan the Yatra carefully and follow all the rules and guidelines, then there is no chance of any mishap. We hope that you will check out the details of the Kedarnath Yatra and will leave the home to experience spirituality.

Suggested Tour:

• Badri Kedar Yatra Package from Delhi
• Do Dham Yatra Package by Car
• Badrinath Kedarnath Helicopter Tour
• Kedarnath Dham Yatra from Delhi
• Panch Kedar Yatra Package