Ultimate Uttarakhand Pilgrimage Peaks Wildlife

Route: Airport – Hotel, Delhi

Your trip lead meets you at arrivals and takes you to the hotel. There is no sightseeing today. The next 26 days climb from the plains to 3,600 m and back, so today is for sleep.

A short briefing follows over breakfast tomorrow: your registration QR codes, the trek kit list, and a check of your medical questions with the guide.

Food

• Hotel dinner. Ask for a light, early meal after a long flight.

Route: Delhi – Haridwar

Haridwar is where the Ganga comes out of the Himalaya and enters the plains. That is why the town became the gateway for every yatra that heads north. It is also where the BizareXpedition office sits, so your registration is finished in person here.

Yatra registration is free and compulsory for every pilgrim. A passport is listed as accepted ID; we confirm this at booking. Biometric counters are open in Haridwar and Rishikesh from mid-April, and the QR code you receive is scanned at checkpoints, trek starts and temple entrances all the way to Badrinath.

In the evening you watch the Ganga Aarti from the ghats: brass lamps, a bell, and hundreds of leaf boats going down the river at dusk.

Experience of the Day

–  Complete your Yatra registration with the BizareXpedition team.

–  Watch the Ganga Aarti at dusk.

Food

Recommended: Chotiwala, the town's best-known family restaurant. Must-try: kachori with aloo sabzi at breakfast, and hot puris with potato curry.

Shopping

Bara Bazaar for brass lamps, rudraksha beads and Ayurvedic oils. The guide points you to fixed-price shops.

Activities to Do

• Ganga Aarti (evening)

• Ghat walk at sunrise or sunset

• Registration formalities and kit check

Route: Haridwar – Dehradun – Mussoorie – Kempty Falls – Barkot

The road leaves the plains at Dehradun, climbs the Mussoorie ridge, and drops into the Yamuna valley. Kempty Falls is a good break on the way. From here the road follows the Yamuna to Barkot, the base town for Yamunotri, about 55 km before the trailhead at Janki Chatti.

Barkot is a quiet river town. Dinner is early because Day 4 starts at first light.

Experience of the Day

–  Ridge views from the Mussoorie road.

–  Kempty Falls stop.

Food

Must-try in Garhwal: kafuli (a green leaf curry), phanu (lentil), and mandua (finger-millet) roti.

Route: Barkot – Janki Chatti – Yamunotri – Barkot

Yamunotri sits at 3,293 m. The river itself begins higher, at the Yamunotri Glacier near Bandarpunch, and cannot be reached on foot in a day. The shrine marks the point where pilgrims can stand beside it.

Beside the temple is Surya Kund, a hot spring at about 87 degrees C. It is hot enough to cook rice and potatoes. Pilgrims tie them in cloth, lower them into the spring, and carry the cooked grain home as prasad. Before the temple entrance is the Divya Shila, a rock slab that pilgrims touch and worship before darshan.

The walk is 6 km one way and takes 5 to 7 hours with darshan. The path is concrete in places and slippery with algae, so trekking boots with a deep tread matter more than fitness.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk the last 6 km to the source shrine.

–  See rice cooked in a Himalayan hot spring.

Food

Packed breakfast and a hot lunch at Janki Chatti. Carry water and salted snacks.

Optional Nearby Excursions

• Kharsali village stay on request, 1 km from Janki Chatti.

Route: Barkot – Uttarkashi – Harsil

Harsil sits at 2,745 m on the Bhagirathi. In 1842 a 25-year-old deserter from the East India Company, Frederick Wilson, settled here. He logged deodar for the railways, ended up known as the Raja of Harsil, and even minted his own coins. Wilson also brought in apple cultivation, and the orchards are still the valley's main crop. Kipling's story The Man Who Would Be King is said to draw on his life.

This is the first night above 2,700 m. The rest of the day is a walk along the river and nothing else.

Note on the 2025 flood. A flash flood in early August 2025 damaged the highway between Harsil and Dharali. Vehicle movement to Gangotri resumed on 30 August 2025 and the yatra restarted on 10 September 2025. The 2026 season ran without disruption. Our ground team checks the road the week before each departure.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk the Bhagirathi bank in the evening light.

–  See the orchards Wilson planted.

Food

Must-try: rajma with rice and hot chai at a roadside stall.

Activities to Do

• Riverside walk

• Village walk to Mukhba (short drive)

Route: Harsil – Gangotri – Uttarkashi

Gangotri stands at about 3,100 m. The temple was built by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa and restored in the 19th century. Tradition places the rock where King Bhagiratha performed austerities to ask Shiva to bring the Ganga down to earth.

The temple closes on Diwali and reopens on Akshaya Tritiya. In the months between, snow shuts the town and the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village near Harsil. Each spring it goes back up in a procession.

The trek onward to Gaumukh, the glacier snout, needs a separate forest permit and several days. It is not part of the base plan and can be added.

Experience of the Day

–  Stand at the head of the Bhagirathi.

–  Watch the morning aarti at the ghat.

Food

Simple vegetarian meals only in Gangotri town. Carry snacks.

Optional Nearby Excursions

• Gaumukh glacier trek as a separate extension.

Route: Uttarkashi – Tehri – Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Guptkashi

The road crosses from the Bhagirathi valley to the Mandakini valley. Devprayag is the halfway landmark: the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda here, and the river carries the name Ganga from this point. Rudraprayag, about 44 km before Guptkashi, is where the Mandakini joins the Alaknanda.

Guptkashi sits at the foot of the Kedarnath valley. Tonight is for an early dinner and an early night.

Experience of the Day

–  Stand at Devprayag, where the Ganga is formed.

–  Cross the Tehri Lake reservoir.

Food

• Lunch at a highway dhaba-style restaurant near Srinagar. Ask the guide for the cleanest one that day.

Route: Guptkashi – Sonprayag – Gaurikund – Kedarnath

Kedarnath stands at 3,583 m beside the Mandakini. The path starts at Gaurikund and climbs 16 to 17 km. Your QR code is scanned at the start of the trek and again at the temple.

On 16–17 June 2013, floods tore through the valley. A huge rock lodged behind the temple and split the water around it, and the temple survived. The rock is now worshipped as the Bhim Shila. Much of the settlement below it was destroyed and rebuilt.

Helicopter flights from Sirsi, Phata and Guptkashi can replace the walk. They are booked through the IRCTC HeliYatra portal, need a valid Yatra registration number, and carry about 2 kg of luggage. We quote them as an upgrade.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk up the Mandakini gorge.

–  Sleep at 3,583 m beneath the peaks.

Food

Simple vegetarian meals at the trail's tea houses and at the camp. Must-try: hot ginger tea on the way up.

Optional Nearby Excursions

• Helicopter round trip from Sirsi (7 min), Phata (9 min) or Guptkashi (10–15 min).

Route: Kedarnath – Gaurikund – Sonprayag – Ukhimath

The morning is free at the camp before the walk down. The descent takes the same path in reverse, so knees, not lungs, are the concern. Poles help.

Ukhimath is where the Kedarnath idol is carried down each winter. From November to April it is worshipped here while snow closes the temple above.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk down with the Mandakini beside you.

–  Reach Ukhimath, Kedarnath's winter home.

Food

Hotel dinner. Ask for the simplest food tonight.

Route: Ukhimath – Ransi – Gaundar – Nanu Chatti

The Madhyamaheshwar trail starts at Ransi. It runs through Gaundar and up the valley through oak and rhododendron forest. The path is steady, not steep, and the village stops give you places to rest.

Nanu Chatti is a small settlement with homestays. Dinner is dal, rice, and greens cooked by the family.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk through rhododendron forest.

–  Stay in a village homestay.

Food

• Home-cooked meals at the homestay. Must-try: mandua roti with ghee.

Route: Nanu Chatti – Madhyamaheshwar

Madhyamaheshwar stands at 3,490 m. According to the Panch Kedar legend, the Pandavas chased Shiva after the Kurukshetra war. He took the form of a bull and sank into the ground. He rose again in five places in Garhwal. Kedarnath has the hump, Tungnath the arms, Rudranath the face, Madhyamaheshwar the navel and stomach, and Kalpeshwar the hair.

The temple is small, dark stone, set in a bowl of meadow with the Chaukhamba peaks behind it. It is the quietest of the five.

Experience of the Day

–  Reach a shrine that only walkers reach.

–  Watch the Chaukhamba peaks change colour at dusk.

Food

• Simple vegetarian meals at the guesthouse.

Route: Madhyamaheshwar – Budha Madhyamaheshwar – Nanu Chatti

A 2 km side walk leads to Budha Madhyamaheshwar. The small glacial ponds there hold a clear reflection of the Chaukhamba group. Go early for the clearest light.

After the morning, the walk goes down through the same forest to Nanu. The afternoon is left open to rest.

Experience of the Day

–  See Chaukhamba reflected in a glacial pond.

Food

• Packed breakfast at the ridge, then lunch at the temple.

Route: Nanu Chatti – Ransi – Chopta

The last walk of the Madhyamaheshwar trek is a long downhill. A vehicle waits at Ransi for the drive to Chopta.

Chopta is a high meadow at about 2,900 m, ringed with rhododendron and deodar forest. It is often called the Mini Switzerland of India. It is also the base for Tungnath.

Experience of the Day

–  Reach the meadows of Chopta at dusk.

Food

• Hot dinner at camp or lodge. Must-try: buransh (rhododendron) squash.

Route: Chopta – Tungnath – Chandrashila – Chopta

Tungnath is at 3,680 m and is usually described as the highest Shiva temple in the world. The legend says Shiva's arms appeared here. In winter, when the snow closes the shrine, worship moves down to Makkumath.

The path is lined with red rhododendron in May and June. Chandrashila, another 1.5 km up, is a 4,000 m summit with a full view of the Garhwal peaks. It is a plain walk and open to everyone.

Experience of the Day

–  Climb to the highest shrine.

–  Stand on Chandrashila with the whole range in view.

Food

• Hot lunch at a Tungnath tea house. Must-try: hot chai and maggi at the top.

Route: Chopta – Mandal – Anusuya Devi – Panch Ganga

The Rudranath trail goes from Mandal through Anusuya Devi and climbs to high meadows. It is the hardest stretch of the whole tour: long days, steep sections, and a high point close to 4,000 m at Pitradhar.

Camp is set at Panch Ganga with tents, a cook and a toilet tent. Dinner is early. Nights are cold.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk through Anusuya Devi forest.

–  Camp above the tree line.

Food

• Meals cooked by the camp crew. Must-try: hot soup and khichdi at camp.

Route: Panch Ganga – Rudranath – Panar Bugyal

Rudranath is at 3,559 m. According to the legend, the face of Shiva rose here, which is why the deity is worshipped as Nilakantha. The temple is a small stone shrine in a cave-like alcove.

Panar Bugyal is the meadow above the treeline where the day ends. In May and June it is thick with wildflowers, with a few patches of leftover snow.

Experience of the Day

–  Reach a shrine most pilgrims never see.

–  Camp on a flower meadow.

Food

• Meals cooked at camp.

Route: Panar Bugyal – Lyuti Bugyal – Sagar – Gopeshwar

The trail drops from Panar through Lyuti and Pung Bugyal to the village of Sagar. The path goes from open meadow into oak and rhododendron forest, and the air thickens with each hour.

Gopeshwar is a small town with a proper hot shower. Tonight is for rest.

Experience of the Day

–  Come down through three meadows to a village.

–  First hot shower in three days.

Food

• Hot dinner at the hotel.

Route: Gopeshwar – Helang – Urgam – Kalpeshwar – Joshimath

Kalpeshwar stands at about 2,200 m in the Urgam valley. It is the only one of the five Kedars open to pilgrims all year. Devotees worship Shiva's hair here.

The walk from Urgam is about 200 metres. It goes through potato fields and apple orchards, then through a short cave passage across the Kalpganga. Nearby is Dhyan Badri, a Vishnu shrine in the same valley, with views of the peaks.

Experience of the Day

–  Complete the fifth Kedar.

–  Walk through a cave on a river.

Food

• Lunch in Helang. Must-try: Garhwali kafuli and local red rice.

Route: Joshimath – Badrinath

Badrinath is at about 3,300 m on the banks of the Alaknanda, below the Neelkanth peak (6,596 m). According to tradition, Adi Shankaracharya found a black stone image in the river and first placed it in a cave near the hot springs at Tapt Kund. The king of Garhwal moved it to the present temple in the sixteenth century.

The afternoon is left open. The altitude matters more than the schedule here.

Experience of the Day

–  Reach the source of the Alaknanda's pilgrimage.

–  See the Neelkanth peak at dawn.

Food

• Must-try: the prasad of Badrinath, tulsi leaf and sugar-ball sweets sold at the temple.

Route: Badrinath – Mana – (Vasudhara Falls, optional) – Badrinath

Mana sits 4 km beyond Badrinath and is the last village before the border. A heritage circuit of about 1 km takes 90 minutes to 2 hours. Vyas Gufa is where the sage Vyasa is said to have dictated the Mahabharata to Ganesha. Bhim Pul is a natural rock bridge over the Saraswati gorge, said to have been placed by Bhima. The Saraswati river appears at the surface here and disappears again downstream.

Vasudhara Falls is a 6 km uphill walk at about 3,700 m and takes 5 to 6 hours round trip. The falls drop about 120 m against the Chaukhamba massif.

Experience of the Day

–  Walk through India's last village.

–  Cross Bhim Pul.

Food

• Tea at the last tea shop in India, at Mana.

Route: Badrinath – Karnaprayag – Adi Badri – Gwaldam – Kausani

The road goes down the Alaknanda valley to Karnaprayag, then leaves the pilgrim road for Adi Badri, a cluster of small stone temples, and Gwaldam. The last stretch runs to Kausani on the Kumaon side of the divide.

This day changes the mountains under you from the Garhwal peaks to the Kumaon range, and ends with the first view of Trisul and Nanda Devi from Kausani.

Experience of the Day

–  Watch the Garhwal peaks give way to the Kumaon range.

Food

• Packed breakfast, lunch at Adi Badri or Gwaldam.

Route: Kausani – Baijnath – Anashakti Ashram – Tea Estate

Kausani is at 1,890 m and looks out over Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchachuli across a wide panorama. Mahatma Gandhi stayed at the Anashakti Ashram and wrote his commentary on the Gita, the Anashakti Yoga, there. He compared the landscape to Switzerland.

Baijnath is a group of stone temples with 17 subsidiary shrines, built between the 9th and 12th centuries under the Katyuri rulers. The main temple holds a Shiva lingam. The grey-schist statue of Parvati wears a crown of 26 miniature figures.

The Kausani Tea Estate, about 5 km out on the Bageshwar road, was started in 2000–01 and produces around 70,000 kg a year. The poet Sumitranandan Pant was born in Kausani in 1900, and a small museum shows his letters and drafts.

Experience of the Day

–  See the Himalayas at sunrise from a single window.

–  Walk through a tea estate.

Food

Must-try: Kumaoni bhatt ki churkani (black soybean curry), aloo ke gutke, and a cup of Kausani tea.

Shopping

Kumaon shawls and Kausani tea from the estate shop.

Activities to Do

• Baijnath temples

• Anashakti Ashram

• Tea estate visit

• Sunrise viewpoint

Route: Kausani – Nainital

Nainital sits at 2,084 m around an eye-shaped lake, 1,433 m long and 463 m wide. Hindu tradition holds that the goddess Sati's eye fell here, and the Naina Devi temple stands on the north shore. The first European house, Pilgrim Lodge, was built in 1841 by the sugar merchant P. Barron.

The late afternoon is for a boat ride on the lake and a walk on the Mall.

Experience of the Day

–  Row across a lake shaped like an eye.

Food

Recommended: Naini Lake-side cafes. Must-try: bal mithai and singori sweets from Kumaon.

Shopping

Candles, woollen goods and Kumaoni sweets on the Mall.

Activities to Do

• Boat ride

• Mall Road walk

Route: Nainital – Kaladhungi – Ramnagar

Kaladhungi is where Jim Corbett lived in winter, and his house is now a museum. From here the road runs to Ramnagar, the gateway to the reserve.

The reserve was founded in 1936 as Hailey National Park. It was renamed Ramganga in the 1950s and then Corbett National Park after the hunter turned conservationist. It is India's first national park, and Project Tiger began here in the 1970s. It covers about 1,288 km². The 2022 census counted 260 tigers. More than 586 species of birds have been recorded.

Experience of the Day

–  Visit Jim Corbett's house.

–  First safari in India's first national park.

Food

Hotel dinner.

Route: Corbett – Safari zones – Corbett

Morning safaris last four to five hours. In May and June the heat reaches 30–40 degrees C, which pulls wildlife to water. That makes sightings easier to plan, not harder.

The Ramganga river runs through the reserve and holds gharial and mugger crocodile. Elephants number around 1,100.

Experience of the Day

–  Look for tigers at waterholes.

–  Watch for gharial along the Ramganga.

Food

Packed breakfast in the jeep. Lunch at the resort.

Activities to Do

• Two jeep safaris with a naturalist

Route: Corbett – Safari zones – Corbett

Two more safaris close the wildlife section. The naturalist can shift to a different zone or a bird-focused drive depending on what the earlier days showed.

The evening is free at the resort. Guests who want a final evening walk in the reserve buffer can ask the resort.

Experience of the Day

–  Bird-focused drive with a naturalist.

Food

Farewell dinner at the resort.

Route: Corbett – Delhi

The drive to Delhi is about 245 km and takes 5 to 6 hours. Book any onward flight for 8 pm or later.

Food

Lunch on the way.