Char Dham Yatra

The next morning after breakfast, you will start for Barkot.

On your way through Mussoorie, you can stop for visiting the Kempty Falls to click some nice snaps. A quaint little hill town, Barkot is situated at a height of 1220 meters above from the sea level. This beautiful hill station is blessed to receive water from both the rivers - Ganga and Yamuna. The Yamunotri Dham or temple is around 50 km from here. Reaching Barkot, check-in at the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the mountains and getting acclimatized to the weather.

You are bound to be amazed by the beauty of this place. Lush green hills and meadows give you a chance to indulge in small treks. Barkot is an absolute nature lover's delight. The view of the Bandarpunch Peak along with other snow-capped peaks is bound to take your breath away.

Spent the night at Barkot.

Day 3 of the Char Dham Yatra 2019, marks the beginning of your pilgrimage with a visit to the Yamunotri Temple. After breakfast, you will start for Janki Chatti, which is the starting point for the trek. Don't worry, if you have trouble walking, you can hire a horse or a 'palki' for covering the walking trail (cost not included). If you decide to walk the trail by foot then you are sure to get some wonderful experiences.

The road is smooth and has benches and small water points along the way so that pilgrims can take rest whenever necessary. Large mountains on both sides and Yamuna River flowing along will give you company along the trail. The trek is not much difficult and can be completed easily.

The mountains, green valleys and a variety of trees soothe your eyes.

Yamunotri is the westernmost shrine of the Char Dhams and is situated at an altitude of 3291 meters. The Yamunotri Temple stands tall amidst the towering mountains, mesmerizing waterfalls and the gushing river Yamuna. The temple is situated at the Bandarpunch range and is dedicated to goddess Yamuna. The Yamuna is the daughter of Surya and is called in the Vedas as 'Yami' and 'Kalindi'. Hence, the color of the idol is black.

The actual source of the Yamuna River is from a frozen lake and glacier known as Champasar Glacier. It is located 1 km farther from the temple at an altitude of 4321 meters.

Since the trail journey is not long, you will reach the temple by afternoon. You can take a dip in the holy river Yamuna before going to offer puja at the sacred temple.

After 'Darshan', we will come back via the same route and stay at Barkot for the night.

On the fourth day, you will start for Uttarkashi from Barkot. It takes approximately three hours to reach Uttarkashi. Check-in at the hotel on arriving there. True to its name, Uttarkashi is rightly the 'Kashi' or 'Varanasi of the North'. Situated on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, the city is famous for numerous temples and ashrams that are located there. Similar to Varanasi, Uttarkashi has Manikarnika Ghat and the renowned Vishwanath Temple.

For the adventure lovers, Uttarkashi has the renowned "Nehru Institute of Mountaineering".

You can explore Uttarkashi as you want in the evening. Visit the Vishwanath Temple or simply take a walk in the city to relish the surrounding beauty of the place.

Stay at Uttarkashi for the night.

After breakfast, you will start your journey via road to Gangotri. The journey is short and takes around 2.5 hours to complete. The beautiful temple made up of granite is located at an altitude of 3048 meters in the Garhwal Range.

The temple is dedicated to goddess Ganga, worshipped as holy 'Maa Ganga' in India. The sanctity of this temple is because the holy River Ganga came down to the earth here. Although Ganga here is known as Bhagirathi River and it is later called as Ganga after its confluence with river Alaknanda.

The view of the mountains from the temple premises is awesome. The whole place has a holy ambiance. After offering puja at the temple you can visit the Bhagirathi Stone, where, as per mythology, king Bhagirathi worshipped Lord Shiva.

Late afternoon, we will come back to Uttarkashi. Have a wholesome dinner and rest for the day at Uttarkashi.

On the sixth day, you will leave for Guptkashi. Nestled en-route to Kedarnath on a ridge on the west side of the Mandakini River Valley at an elevation of 1,319 meters above sea level, the place will take your breath away with its natural scenery. This town is located at a distance of 47 km from Kedarnath. There is a temple at Guptkashi known as Vishwanath Temple that is similar to the Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. The religious importance of this temple makes it one of the most visited temples in this region. As per the legends, Lord Shiva proposed Goddess Parvati here.

You will spend the night in Guptkashi and get your medical check-up done for your next day's journey to the Kedarnath.

Today, you will leave Guptkashi after breakfast and drive to Sonprayag. From Sonprayag, you will start your trek on a beautiful mountainous road to Kedarnath. If you don't want to walk, then you can hire a 'doli' or a horse to take you to Kedarnath (cost not included).

The journey is blessed with splendid views and River Mandakini will be your constant companion while you walk. Snow-capped peaks at a distance and the road echoes with 'Jai Bholenath' chants from the pilgrims. It's an absolute pleasure to walk to reach the temple. The Kedarnath Temple, due to its remote location, is one of the most beautiful temples in India.

Reaching Kedarnath, you will check-in at camps/hotels. You will get all the facilities for a decent stay here.

Sleep early and get refreshed for the next day.

You have to get up quite early today, before dawn and after taking bath you will go to the temple by 4.45 am to witness the 'Abhishekam' of Lord Shiva at Kedarnath Dham. The unique thing about this temple is that anyone can go inside the temple's innermost sanctum, perform puja and worship Lord Shiva by touching the idol. You can perform puja yourself, unlike other Hindu temples. Maybe, for this reason, every visitor to this holy place feels serene and closer to God.

The beauty of the mighty peak that is behind the temple will leave you spellbound.

After darshan, you will return to the accommodation. The same day, check-out from there are start your trek downwards from Kedarnath to Sonprayag. Our vehicle will be waiting for you in Sonprayag and will drive you to your hotel in Rudraprayag or Guptkashi.

Dinner and overnight stay at Rudraprayag or Guptkashi.

Begin your journey for the last stop of this trip - Badrinath Temple. You will drive to Badrinath via Joshimath. An important pilgrimage site, Badrinath Dham is the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The colorful architecture of the temple is quite different and unique than other Hindu temples.

The road to the Badrinath town looks astoundingly beautiful with imposing cliffs. After reaching Badrinath, check-in at the hotel and take some rest. In the evening, you will visit Badrinath Dham for darshan. It is a ritual of bathing in the 'Tapt Kund' or hot spring before entering the temple. The idol of the lord looks heavenly. After darshan, come back to the hotel.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Badrinath.

Early morning, you can again head to the temple for 'darshan' of the almighty. Later, after having breakfast, go for local sightseeing at Badrinath.

You shouldn't miss the view of Neelkanth Peak from Badrinath. Visit Mana village, which is the last village of India. The small village is picturesque and the views of the surrounding mountains and deep gorges are simply mesmerizing. It is surely a great place for landscape photography. After this visit Bheem Pul, a natural stone bridge over the River Saraswati. As per mythology, when the Pandavas from Mahabharata were going to heaven, Bheem, one of the Pandava brothers build this bridge, so that Draupadi, their wife could easily cross the river.

Another attractive place to visit is the Ganesh Cave, a naturally formed cave. It is believed that Lord Ganesha penned the epic Mahabharata as recited by Vyas Dev Ji here.

After this, you will check out from the hotel and drive to Rudraprayag via Joshimath. A beautiful town, here you will witness the confluence of two rivers, Alaknanda and Mandakini. Check-in at hotel in Rudraprayag. You can spend the rest of the evening relaxing and exploring the town on your own.

Stay there for the night.

You will start early morning from Rudraprayag and drive to Rishikesh, a city known for its ashrams and yoga around the world. You will see the local attractions here like Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula. In the evening, continue the journey to Haridwar.

Check-in at the hotel in Haridwar for an overnight stay.

Your Char Dham trip ends today and after breakfast, you will drive down to Delhi bidding adieu to the Himalayas. We will transfer you to the airport/railway station depending on your plan.