Introduction
After seeing the detailed guide to all the major pilgrim centres in Uttarakhand like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Mana, Chopta, Haridwar, Rishikesh, as promised now let’s make a detailed plan to cover all these places with proper planning in good budget and at a very good comfort. There are many more places one can visit like Gangotri, Yamunotri, Auli and even other remote pilgrim/tourist centres which can be included along with this plan.
Trouble Reaching These Places
Most of the places are in remote places and hence the roads to reach there are not in a very good condition due to the rough terrains and harsh road conditions. Hence the travel time might gradually increase due to this reason and also the roads might be blocked due to landslides and weather changes, hence one has to be ready for all these things on the way.
Detailed Plan To Explore Uttarakhand
So, here is a detailed guide to cover all the major pilgrim centres and this information is based on my own experience as I followed the same plan after a lot of research which helps you save time and also with a good budget as well.
Day 0: Reach Haridwar/ Rishikesh/ Dehradun
One has to reach here from any part of India, it’s upto you how you plan to reach here as the journey is similar as there is no rail or air connectivity. There are a lot of hotels, various kinds of rooms available here and you can easily stay there.
Optional
You can spend a few days here in Rishikesh and Haridwar to explore nearby pilgrim places and also Ganga Aarti in both Haridwar and Rishikesh. Also the ones who are interested in Bungee Jumping or River Rafting can also spend another day and enjoy your time.
Even after the whole trip one has to come back here, it’s recommended to visit these 2 places at the end as well.
Day 1:Take Bus to Sonprayag
Buses are available from early morning 4 to 9 depending on the crowd and it’s recommended to start as early as possible. Buses run from Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun, both govt and private buses are available. Even a few buses are available for online booking as well. Stay at night in Sonprayag or Gaurikund to start the trek as early as possible.
Day 2: Trek to Kedarnath
Start early by 4AM in the morning as the crowd would be high after 6-7AM. Take good breaks, enjoy views on the way and you will reach by afternoon/ evening. Don’t miss the evening aarti and stay somewhere nearby the temple as there are many tents and small rooms available.
Bonus Tip
One can also start the trek in the afternoon once you reach Sonprayag and start the trek in the evening before 4PM, reaching the temple by night. Then you directly skip day 3 and continue to day 4.
Day 3: Darshan and return Trek
Start early again and finish darshan as soon as possible as it gets very crowded when the helicopter comes. Once you finish darshan, visit Bheem shila, Bhairav Temple and start the return trek. Reach the base camp by evening and take a rest at Sonprayag or Gaurikund.
Day 4: Journey to Chopta Tungnath, Chandrashila Peak
Again start early from Sonprayag, find a bus going to Guptkashi which is a journey of around 1-2 hours. You can find shared taxis to Chopta and reach Chopta before afternoon. Start the trek as soon as possible. And you can reach Tungnath Temple in 2-3 hours and after darshan continue towards Chandrashila Peak, stay there till you witness the most beautiful sunset ever. Reach Chopta which takes again 2-3 hours and stay there at night.
Day 5: Journey to Badrinath
There are shared taxis available till Badrinath from Chopta and you can start as early as possible. The journey would take long, so start early and reach by evening. If direct taxis aren’t available, head towards Chamoli and you’ll find buses to Badrinath. You’ll need a long time to reach Badrinath, once you reach stay there near the temple area as there are a lot of options available.
Day 6: Badrinath Darshan, Mana Village
Visit the holy temple early in the morning, even one can bathe at the hot springs near the temple. Once done with darshan, go ahead of the temple you can find taxis to Mana Village, you can go explore the village and come back by evening.
Day 7: Return to Haridwar/ Rishikesh/ Dehradun
There are many buses available from the bus stand and one can reach by evening. But the journey takes a lot of time and is very tiresome, please beware of it.
Further Extension of the Trip
Auli
Once you reach, as mentioned, you can extend your trip to explore Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun. The ones who are planning to go to Auli should get down at Joshimath, 60 kms from Badrinath on the way to Haridwar and then take a vehicle to Auli.
Gangotri, Yamunotri
The ones planning to Gangotri, Yamunotri can take direct buses from Haridwar and one can reach there and stay for 2-3 days come back again on the same route. One has to come back to Haridwar from any place to visit them, so you can plan accordingly.
Hemkunt Sahib, Satopanth
The ones planning to Hemkunt Sahib, can get down on the way to Badrinath for this trek and the ones to Satopanth, Mana Pass can start their trek from Mana after going to Badrinath.
Conclusion
This was the detailed 7 day trip guide to Uttarakhand. Comment below if you need any other information.
