The Only Trip to Kedarnath Guide You’ll Ever Need
Kedarnath – It is one of the most sacred pilgrimages of Lord Shiva situated in Rudraprayag district of Garhwal region in Uttarakhand. It is one of the Char Dham in Uttarakhand and the most important dham among Panch kedar. Kedarnath dham is situated at an altitude of 3586 mts, in the lap of the majestic mountain peaks and near the head of kedarnath river Mandakini, it’s range stands one of the twelve Jyotirlings of Lord Shiva. The article mentions shiv kedarnath history.
Opening and Closing Dates of shiva kedarnath temple
Opening date depends on the auspicious day of ‘Akshay Tritya’ and ‘Maha Shiva Ratri’; according to the calculations by Omkareshwar priests in the morning with special Pooja. In addition, the opening date of Dham has been declared on Mahashivratri. Its closing date has been set, and on the day of Bhai Dooj (the day after Diwali in November), the temple closes after Pooja archana in the morning.
The opening of kedarnath shiv temple Kapat is an auspicious occasion for numerous pilgrims visiting Kedarnath India from all over the country and the world. Pilgrims could only have darshan once priests had opened Puja at the Temple. Likewise, to the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony is also grand. Garhwal Bands take Baba Kedarnath Doli to Winter Abode of Dham i.e Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath.
Complete Information of Kedarnath Dham Yatra (केदारनाथ की यात्रा)
Here you will get complete information about Kedarnath ki yatra. For example- (menu anchor)
- How to register
- How to reach there and what will be the fare of transportation
- Haridwar to Kedarnath bus
- Intermediate villages
- After reaching Sonprayag
- About taxis
- Cost and facility of stay and food
- Ways to reach the temple from Gaurikund and fare cost
- Villages that fall in the middle of trekking
- What to carry in bag while trekking
- Precautions that should be taken on tour
- What to do after reaching Kedarnath Dham
- Procedure of darshan in temple
- How to complete the journey
- When should one visit Kedarnath
- How many days will it take to complete the journey
- Kedarnath darshan budget
How to register
First let’s talk about lord shiva Kedarnath yatra registration; you can do this online as well as offline. For online registration, you can go to this link and fill in the details. After this, take a print out of the registration and take it with you. In the online registration, a barcode will be generated, which will be scanned there in sonprayag, it will not take that much time.
If you are not able to register online then you will get registration counters in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Rudraprayag, Guptkashi and Sonprayag; there you can register online. For registration you must have an ID it can be aadhar card, pan card, and water ID card whatever.. However, if you don’t register online, you’ll have to wait in line for an offline registration, which may be hectic. That’s why my suggestion will be to go for online registration only; it will save your time.
How to reach there and What will be the fare of transportation
Now we will talk about how you will reach there but before that let’s know about the vaccination certificate and corona report. If you have a vaccination certificate then you must carry it. And as far as the corona report is concerned, there has been no demand for that corona report and RT PCR report. It means there is no need for such reports.
One must come to Haridwar or Rishikesh to reach Kedar nath (કેદારનાથ). To reach Haridwar, you have both bus train and flight options available.There are many trains running from Delhi to Haridwar, through which you will reach Haridwar. If we talk about train tickets, then from Delhi to Haridwar Rs 185 in sleeper class; Rs 505 in 3rd AC; Rs 710 in 2nd AC; and Rs 1175 in 1st AC. And will reach Haridwar from Delhi in 6 hours. If you want to come by flight then the nearest airport in Haridwar is in Dehradun whose name is Jolly Grant Airport-which is about 40 km away from Haridwar. If we talk about flight tickets, then you will reach Dehradun from Delhi in 5000 rupees to 6000 rupees, that too in just one hour.
Haridwar to Kedarnath bus
Now you have reached Haridwar. As soon as you reach Haridwar, you will get to see the bus stand and railway station face to face. From Haridwar bus stand, you will have to sit in the bus and go from there to Sonprayag. Distance from Haridwar to Sonprayag is 230 Kms and you will reach Sonprayag in 8 to 9 hours. Let us tell you that the buses that run from Haridwar to Sonprayag are Non-AC and ordinary buses. And they are not booked online, you must book a bus on the spot. But I suggest that if you reach Haridwar between 4 am to 6 am, then you have to book the bus first. Because it doesn’t happen that the seat gets full and you can’t get the bus.
And so, if you reach Haridwar in the afternoon or evening, you will not be able to get the bus. If the bus is not booked, then whichever time you reach Haridwar, the same time has to book the next day’s bus. If we talk about Bus tickets, then tickets will be available from rupees 700 to rupees 800. Apart from the bus, you can also go by private taxi, sharing taxi and personal vehicle, but it will be very expensive. The whole journey will be 45 minutes.The bus stops at one place for lunch; you can get down and have lunch.
Intermediate villages
When you go from Haridwar to Sonprayag, you will get to see towns and villages on the way. Here I will tell you about that- Rishikesh will be 28 kms after leaving Haridwar; After that Devprayag will come after a distance of 72 kms; After going 36 km ahead of Devprayag, it will be Srinagar; And after 33 km from Srinagar it will be Rudraprayag; Tilwara will fall after 10 km from Rudraprayag; At a distance of 12 km from Tilwara, comes Augustmuni; After 25 kms it will be Guptkashi.
I want to give you some kedarnath information about Guptkashi. Here is the helipad in Guptkashi, if you want to go to Dham from Guptkashi then you can go by helicopter. You need to book a helicopter from Guptkashi, the fare for coming and going of one person (round trip) from Guptkashi to temple (કેદારનાથ મંદિર) will be Rs 7750. If we talk about booking a helicopter, then you can book by visiting the given link.
After 3 kilometres from Guptkashi, we will reach a village named Narayankoti, where it is the last petrol pump. If you’re driving your own car, get the diesel or petrol you want delivered beforehand, because no petrol stations will be open after then. Phata comes after 11 km of Narayan Koti, there is also a helipad here. From here the fare for the round trip is Rs 4720 for one person. Sirsi will fall 8 km after Phata, there is also a helipad. The fare for the rounded trip is Rs 4681 for one person. These are the three helipads (Guptkashi, Phata and Sirsi), you can choose one of them. Most of the pilgrimages that go by helicopter go from Phata only.
After reaching Sonprayag
After moving forward, 4 km from Sirsi will fall to Sitapur. After 4.5 kilometres from Sitapur, you will arrive in Sonprayag, which is where the bus will drop you off. After Sonprayag you can neither go by bus nor by car or bike. Sonprayag is the last destination where you can take your vehicle.
If you are coming by your personal vehicle then car and bike parking will be available in Sitapur and Sonprayag. Talking about the parking fee for one day, then the bike parking fee is 100 rupees; car parking is around 150 rupees to 200 rupees. And if you are having tempo travellers the parking fee is 300 rupees to 400 rupees. If you have come by bus from Haridwar, then the bus running from 5-6am in the morning will drop you at Sonprayag at 3 pm to 4 pm.
In the month of May-June, the day temperature of Sonprayag is 22°C to 25°C while at night the temperature reaches 10°C to 15°C. Now talking about staying, you can also stay in Sonprayag and further you can also stay in Gaurikund. The distance from Sonprayag to Gaurikund is 5 kms.
These are the ways to reach Gaurikund- one way is to walk to gaurikund,
Takes 1 to 1.30 hour to reach there. Another way is to go by khachar (खचर), these horsemen charge 2500 to 2600 rupees which is the government rate.
About taxis
And the third way is a taxi which is the best option, and it takes half an hour. There the shared taxi runs, Bolero runs, that demand a cost of 30 to 40 rupees per person. But let me tell you one thing, here too there is a very long line; so, get up as early as possible and get in line in the early morning. Because the sooner you go out for tracking, the more benefit you will get. After reaching Gaurikund, the journey begins; the distance is around 16 cm. But when you start walking, it comes to know that the distance is around 21 kms and not 16 kms. There is also a Tapt Kund in Gaurikund from where hot water comes out. Some people take baths there and then go.
Cost and facility of stay and food
It is a matter of reaching here now it comes to the point where to stay. Price changes according to season, rent increases in May-June and decreases in July-August. If you want, you can stay in private hotels in which the rent is 500 to 4000 rupees. There are also hotels and dormitories available in GMVN, whose online booking is possible. There are also several private dormitories there, with halls and other amenities; where they charge 200 rupees for a person in which they give a mattress, pillow and blanket.
Clock room facility is also available in Sonprayag. If you have extra luggage and you are going for trekking and have checked out from the room; then you will think about where you will keep your extra luggage. So, there is a cloak room there, you can keep your extra luggage there. Those people charge 50 rupees for 1 day of 1 bag. This happened to stay the night in Sonprayag.
Now let’s talk about the food facility in Sonprayag. In Sonprayag you will get pure veg food of very basic quality and not of high quality. If you want to do shopping like Jacket, Cap, Gloves, Umbrella, etc then you can do it from Sonprayag market. Further, there is a market in Gaurikund too, but the cost of Sonprayag Market is less in the comparisons of Gaurikund. By the way, you can do all these shopping from the previous village itself. Next day, you can go to Gaurikund from Sonprayag and start trekking. You can also stay overnight in Gaurikund and there is also a cloak room.
Ways to reach the temple from Gaurikund and fare cost
There are 4 ways to reach there. The first is a helicopter about which I have already given the kedarnath yatra details. Another way is by khachar (खचर), the government rate of khachar (खचर) is from Gaurikund to Kedarnath, that is Rs 2300. The fare for coming back from Kedharnath to Gaurikund is 1500 rupees. And if you go directly to Sonprayag from Kedernath, then the fare will be 1700 rupees. When the crowd is more, then the horsemen take more money. These people take 4000 to 6000 rupees and in compulsion people give it too. And sometimes in the month of september- October they may charge even less upto Rs 1200.
Apart from this, you can also go by palanquin (पालकी). There is also an option of palanquin (पालकी) from Gaurikund to Kedarnath. If your weight is up to 75 kg then will charge up to Rs 4550; and for 90 kg they charge 5050 rupees. And if you want to do a round trip, then 75 kg people will have to pay 7950 rupees; and those with 90 kg will have to pay Rs 8450.
Apart from this, there is also the option of Kandi (कंडी). If you have more luggage, then you can also take a Kandi. If 25 kg weight is there then those people will charge 1500 for Kedarnath from Gaurikund. And if the weight is up to 50 kg, then it will charge Rs 2900. The fourth option is to trek on foot. If you want to enjoy and shoot the view then go for trekking.
Villages that fall in the middle of trekking
There are many stops along the way like Jungle chatti which is 4 kms from Gaurikund. Bhimbali is 3 km from Jungle Chatti. Rambada is 1 km from Bhimbali. Chhoti Lincholi is 1 or 1.5 km from Rambada. Bdi Lincholi comes 1.5 kms after Chhoti Lincholi. And after 4 kms you will reach Kedarnath baba Base Camp. You will find good dhabas to eat and drink all along the way, where you will get Maggi, Paratha, Chai, and Coffee, etc. You will get to see toilets and clean drinking water facilities all along the way. Some places have free wifi zones like Bhimbali and Lincholi where you can connect to free wifi.
This journey on the banks of the Mandakini River gives a wonderful and memorable experience. You will see waterfalls, snow and glaciers from place to place. You will also get medical facilities everywhere on the way. This means that even if you are trekking on foot, then you will not face any kind of inconvenience in the whole trek. It takes about 10 to 12 hours to track this entire route. The rest depends on your speed.
What to carry in bag while trekking
Now let’s talk about what we should keep with us while tracking. First thing you should keep cash with you because online transactions may not work sometimes due to higher altitude. Other things are as follows-
- Medical kit
- Woollen clothes
- Water bottle
- Raincoat
- Umbrella
- Trekking shoes
- Comfortable clothes
Precautions that should be taken on tour
Look, you are going from low altitude to high altitude; which has a lot of chances of getting mountain sickness and getting high altitude sickness. Acute level symptoms which include dizziness, headache, restlessness, nervousness or vomiting. Because Dham is at an altitude of 11656 feet above sea level. To avoid this, you should drink water little by little but not too much.
Carry snacks with you and if possible, take popcorn with you. Eating popcorn gives great relief in mountain sickness. Patients with high blood pressure, asthma and sugar should avoid foot treks. And I would like to say one more thing; you must cut your toenails. Because when you come back down from the climb, your nails will hit the shoes and your feet will be very painful.
What to do after reaching Kedarnath Dham
See, first I will advise you that after reaching Dham, you should plan for the stay. The charges for hotels range from Rs 1000 to Rs 6000. If the crowd is more, then the charges of the hotels change, if the crowd is less than the charges of the hotels also decrease. Huts of GMVN (garhwal mandal vikas nigam) are also made there; there are 8 bedded huts; in which 900 rupees are charged for one bed for one person.
There are also GMVN camps there, where a person pays 400 rupees and; is given a sleeping bag and is required to sleep on the floor. Go to the given link for hotel booking on GMVN . There are limited hotels in Dham. If you are kedarnath travelling by horse then you can come back after travelling early in the morning.
Those who go by helicopter come back the same day. If you don’t want to stop then go by horse and come back by horse. If you leave early in the morning; it will be better because the arrangement for staying is not very much in Dham. And is very costly sometimes.
When it comes to food, there are several options in Dham, one of them is GMVN’s Annapurna restaurant. Breakfast costs Rs 100, lunch costs Rs 200, and dinner costs Rs 300. Simple puri-sabji, dal-rice is served. And if we talk about so in that simple puri-sabji and one sweet is served. There have also been some private dhabas built where you can get basic vegetarian food for around Rs 250 to 300.
Procedure of darshan in temple
You can visit kedarnath dham for darshan from 5 am to 8 pm. The morning aarti is at 5 o’clock and the evening aarti is at 6 o’clock. Evening aarti is amazing, don’t miss it. There are many places around the temple where you can kedarnath visit. Behind the temple is Bhim Shila. When the disaster happened in 2013, the temple was able to remain safe due to the same plateau. Today that plateau is worshipped and that plateau is known as Bhimshila. You can also visit Shankaracharya’s samadhi, which is located just behind it.
How to complete the journey
If you go back only after visiting kedar mandir, then your journey will not be complete. It is believed that after visiting Mahadev Temple, you should also visit Bhairav Baba temple. There is a way to go to Bhairav temple from near the temple, that’s a path of 500 to 700 metres. An iron bridge built over the Mandakini River, crossing which you must go to Bhairav temple. You will get a very beautiful view of Kedarpur from Bhairav Temple. This experience is also a wonderful experience. After worshipping Bhairav temple your journey is complete.
When should one visit Kedarnath
After the opening of the doors, there are more crowds in May and June. If possible, go between July and August. Because the crowd is very less this time. And things get a lot cheaper too.
How many days will it take to complete the journey
I have made this tour in such a way that you can come to Haridwar from any city. And the days of travel to kedarnath I have considered are to go from Haridwar to Kedarnath and come back from Kedarnath to Haridwar.
Days are as follows-
- Haridwar to Sonprayag
- Sonprayag to Kedarnath (কেদারনাথ)
- Kedarnath to Sonprayag
- Sonprayag to Haridwar
- Haridwar to your city
To complete this journey, you should have a time of 5 to 7 days.
Kedarnath darshan budget
If you go in May or June, then the budget of a person will be 8000. And if you go between July to August, then the budget of a person is 6000 to 7000 rupees. Rest of the budget depends on how much you are spending.