It is a tour not only for pilgrimage. The tour is full of good places
of Himalaya. People who love nature will love this place. Tour requires
good planning. Starting from train reservation to hotel reservation all
required good planning. Some people have a opinion that do not book
hotel in hilly area. I will say if you do not book hotel you may not get
good hotel at cheap rate. Whole planning was done almost 5 month ago.
We utilized all our puja vacation for journey i.e. October starting.I
took photograph along with phone numbers. It can be used for booking of
the hotels etc.Infomration I used is also given at the end of blog.
Planning started with the map of Uttarakhand. Once you see the map, you will see that you can complete a circle to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath. We touched only two dham not char dham. We combined lot of beautiful places like Chopta, Ukhimath etc in tour.
I tried a map in English but they have lot of other Information. Following are three parts of our journey:
1. Haridwar-Rishikesh-Devaprayag-Srinagar-Ridraprayag-Chandrapuri-Suyalsore-Gourikunda-Kedarnath
2. Kedarnath-Gourikunda-Ukhimath-Chopta-Chamoli-Joshimath-Badrinath
3. Badrinath-Joshimath-Chamoli-Nandaprayag-Karnaprayag-Rudraprayag-Srinagar-Devaprayag-Rishikesh
Following is our Plan for the tour. We altered that in between because of helicopter cancel in Kedarnath. We stayed in Sitapur one night and 1 day in Ukhimath. All GMVN hotesl are booked from internet.
Day Place
September 30 Stay at Hardwar. We did not booked any hotel at Haridwar.
October 1 Stay at Chandrapura, booked GMVN
October 2 Stay at Bharat Sevashram Sangha @ Gourikunda
October 3,4 Kedarnath, Stay at Bharat Sevashram Sangha
October 5, 6 Ukhimath, 2 night stay at Bharat Sevashram Sangha
October 7, 8 Chopta, we did not booked any hotel
October 9 Joshimath, Booked GMVN
October 10, 11 Badrinath, Booked GMVN
October 12 Karnaprayag, Booked GMVN
October 13, 14 Stay at Rishikesh, Booked Balananda Tirthashram
September 29, 2011: We started from Kolkata. We got reservation in Sealdah – New Delhi Duroto express. We booked 90 days ago but still got sleeper class booking. Surprisingly this train has sleeper class. Tran was at 6:40 PM. We booked a Megacab for going to station. Car reported on right time but after entering the car driver declared that he cannot go. He might got some lucrative offer to some other place. It was day time and we got yellow cab in short time. Duronto started on right time and reached Delhi next morning. It was a good journey with lot of good food.
September 30: We have a booking for Haridwar on 12055/DDN JANSHTBDI Express. It was scheduled for departure at 3:15 PM. We have enough time to roam around Delhi. There is no good food available inside New Delhi Station. There are lot of restaurant outside the station. We took lunch in one of the restaurant. We reached Haridwar at night. We thought of going to Bharat Sevashar Sangha. Somehow the person we talked for booking of car did not encourage Bharat Sevasharm Sangha. Instead he told us to go to Hotel Ganga. We booked a auto from Hardwar station to the Ganga Hotel. It is the worst hotel I had ever stayed. Everything was bad. It has bad food, unclean toilet, bad room. He is a driver from GMVN. We thought he will give recommend us good hotel.
October 1: We talked to GMVN driver and he always assured that we do not need any car booking in advance as is not a peak time. Finally in the morning when he sent us Bolero, it was not from GMVN but from a private tour operator. We were frustrated with his behavior. Finally the car took us to the Travel Agents office. Travel agent was cool. He agreed to Rs 24,000 for the trip with Rs 10,000 as advance. Ganesh was our driver. He is a good driver as well as a nice person.
Haridwar on our way:
We started from Hardwar at 9:00 AM for Chandrapuri. We bought enough water bottles before leaving Hardwar. On the way we took lunch in the road side dhaba. It was good food. We decided that we will try different types of parantha in North India. We reached Chandrapuri in the evening. We have a booking in GNVN resort. We tried to book Syalshore 4 months ago but it was booked. We had a bad feelings because we did not got booking for Syalshore. Syalshore and Chandrapuri are two villages on the side of Mandakini. After reaching Chandrapuri we found that this is no way less beautiful than Syalshore. Resort is on side of Mandakini. You will get sound of Mandakini all the night from your room. Rooms are clean. They have running water. All the rooms are within 20 ft from the river. It is really a nice place to stay. This will give a relaxation on your way to Kedarnath. Temperature is already low.
On our way to Syalsore/Chandrapuri:
Rudraprayag:
Some information about the pool:
October 2: We wake up in the morning. We observed the sun rise from the hotel. Then we walked to GMVN Syalshore resort. It is a walking distance of 2 KM. It is equally good place to stay. There was a SBI ATM in Syalshore village. Walking gave us fresh air and a feeling of Garwal Himalaya. We started at 10 after taking breakfast at GMVN rest house. We reached Gourikunda at the evening. Some people stays at Sitapur in place of Gaurikunda. We had a booking at Bharat Sevashram Sangha. This place is really cool. Hot tea and Khichuri at Bharat Sangha will provide some relief. We talked to Swamiji for Horse. All of us took Horse except me and my wife. Rate from the person introduced by Swamiji is much cheaper than the outside. We also hired a boy for my son. He sat with him in the Horse. Although he has a pithhu but we preferred a horse.
Sunrise at Chadrapuri (picture from hotel)
Chandrapuri Hotel (GMVN)
Chandrapuri hotel (back side)
Syalsore Hotel (it is 20 min walking from Chandrapuri Hotel) :
October 3: We wake up early morning for our journey to Kedarnath. It is 14 KM from Gauri Kunda. You have to walk almost a KM to the place from where Horse/Duli starts. Pithhu was available for them who cannot walk even a KM. Those who were on the horse started at 7:30. We started walking after that. It is the same road which horse and people follow. Roads are with iron railings in all places. It is safe to walk on the road. There are full of shops beside the road in all places. They serve Maggi, hot tea and all sorts of fast food. I was carrying lot of hard toffee with me. I think chewing gum does not help in this type of journey. Also you need a good shoe like sneaker for the journey. Do not try chappals. Also try to carry a school bag in your bag for your luggage. Bag in hands create problems. We kept most of our luggage in car. There are locker available in the Bharat Sevasharm Sangha where you can keep your luggage.
Price list for Horses to Kedarnath:
If you want to see the beauty of Himalaya you need to walk. In the horse you will always see the roads in the fear of falling down from horse. You cannot stop on the places you want to. Walking gives you full flexibility. You will really enjoy the journey while walking. Keep enough orange toffee with you, wear good shoe and carry minimum luggage (<3Kg). It is not very tough to walk on the road. You can also stay at Rambara. This is on the middle GMVN resort is there. Rambara is in the middle of Gaurikunda and Kedarnath, 7Km from Gauri Kunda. If you are travelling in Horse or Duli, you will get rest in Rambara. There are lots of restaurant at Rambara.
We started from GauriKund
On the way - Bueautiful Himalaya
Unknown falls:
Bright sunny day:
Different beauty in every turn:
Reaching Rambara (This is in the middle, Gourikund - Kedar 16 KM)
Great Homalayan Mountain:
Reached Rambara:
Rambara - A Ashram (guest house avaialable):
Rambara from Top:
Incredible India (Doli):
Awsome
3.25 KM Left
Garurchati:
Reached level of Cloud:
Roads and people:
Only 2.25 KM left
Garurchatti:
Garuchatti is 2.25 Km from Kedarnath. Road from here is much steeper than the earlier. We took lot of rest in the stretch of road. We reached Kedarnath around 5 PM in the evening. Those who were travelling in horse reached around 2 PM. Those who took horse only concentrated on roads and horse. Who walked enjoyed the nature in full. I will suggesst you go bu walking. You do not enjoy that much when coming down also. We had lot of preparation like camphor for breathing trouble but did not feel the requirement. View of Kedarnath peak is beautiful from this place.
Only 1 KM:
Finally Kedarnath
Kedarnath is too cold to stay for us. Only GMVN rest house has heater in the room but they said it was not working due to some issue. If you can book GMVN for every stay. In Bharat Sevasharam Sangha we got hot water bottle which we used inside the blanket. It was really cool place.
A Guest House:
October 4: We visited Kedarnath temple 3/4 four times in the day. It is really a nice place. You can even touch Mahadev here. Whole place is full of beauty by the nature. We found ranges will full of ice in them. In the evening we tried to go Gandhi Sarovar but came back from the middle due to road damage. It is almost 4 KM walking distance from Kedarnath Valley.
Kedarnath Temple:
Kedar Peak -- On our way to Gandhi Sarovar
We also go tried to go to Chorabalital (Gandhi Sarovar) by walking. It is 4 Km away from the Kedar Valley. We went almot 2 KM but road was closed after that. We did not found any person with two of us. We wait there for some time crossed the road which was actually damaged but came back. Till I wish if we could have take that risk. It is a nice lake. Water in this lake creates reflection of all the Kedar peaks.
Road Blocked:
There is another place Vasuki taal which a day long walking (8KM) and back from Kedarnath. Road is also not very good. You can go there to collect Brambha Kamal. I do not know the name of the place.
October 5: We wake up in the morning. Some of us have booked ticket in helicopter to go down. We booked the ticket from Kedarnath only. Swamiji from Bharat Sevashram sangha helped us to book the ticket. We went to helipad in the morning. Helicopter was scheduled to start at 10. Due to bad weather all journey was cancelled. We wait there till 12 noon. Finally they declared that all journey is cancelled for the day. They gave us back the money we paid for the ticket. We took lunch in GMVN. Then we went on searching for Doli for elder people. Doli which comes from Gaurikunda goes back. It took us Rs. 3000 for each Doli. We two stared walking down at 2 PM. It was easy to go down in the hills. We reached Gaurikunda in the evening at 7PM. There are lights on the road coming down the hill. Although you rarely find anybody walking at that time but it was not scary. We were supposed to go to Ukimath that day only but Helicopter delay and cancel forced us to stay in Sitapur. Our driver Ganesh find some room with reasonable cost in Sitapur. It took us Rs 200 for each room at Sitapur.
October 6: We started for Journey for Ukimath in the morning. As far as I remember, we reached before lunch at Ukimath. We were one day late there. We had a booking for Bharat Sevashram Sangha but we lost that due to one day late. Swamiji at Ukimath allowed us to stay for one day without any extra cost. This place itself is very beautiful. There are some temple also there but I did not find very interesting. Walking in the evening and sunrise in Bharat Sevasharam sangha was beautiful.
Ukimath Bharat Sevasahram Sangha:
October 7: We started in the morning from Ukimath towards Deoria tal. We took breakfast there. We took horse to go to Deoria Tal from the place where we took breakfase. It took us almost 30 min to reach there. Road is very steep. On our way found some tents on the bottom of the peak. It could have been a nice way to stay within nature. We enquired about the option to stay in tent. We found that they booked the tent from Rishikesh itself. Deoria tal way as well as the lake is beautiful. It gives a reflection to all surrounding peaks. There is a watch tower also. We took a walk round the lake. It is a clear blue sky and white peaks, awesome.
Lot of small hotels was under construction. We talked to some people for staying there but took decision to go to Chopta and stay there.
On the way to Deoria tal (people stayed in tents there):
Deoria Taal:
October 8: Chauhan came but we could not get up at 3 AM. We started at 7 AM for Tunganath. Chauhan provide us the horse. It took us almost an hour to reach Tunganath. It is again very steep roads. We found snow fall on the road. Surroundings are beautiful. We did puja at Tunganath. We stayed Chopta at night. It has the best scenic beauty of all the places of our tour.
Some info about heights of peaks:
October 9: We started in the morning for Joshimath. We reached GMVN
hotel at Joshimath. Next day we visited Auli. We saw the place for
skiing. That place only operates in winter. Also ropeway is a beautiful
experience. This places has medicine stores, food stores etc. It is a
small town. You can also refil your water from here.
Auli resort (it can be booked from internet, 3 start hotel, on the top of the hill):
GMVN (auli, not on the top but near to top)
Royal Village (on the top):
Ropeway (main was closed but this was running)
Place for skiing:
Auli:
October 10: We started for Badrinath in the morning. We reached before lunch. We had a booking in GMVN. We had a booking in the small one. I found thet there are two formats of hotels GMN has. Out of two type tourist lodge/rest house is the smaller one and do not have Gyser in bathroom. Both are available in Badrinath but we booked turist lodge. We visited temple after lunch and also in the evening. Temple people are not friendly as they are in Kedarnath. we went to Managram in the evening. This is only 30 min from Badrinath.
Badrinath Temple:
at night:
Pool Approaching Temple:
Badri Valley:
Nilkantha (It is looks good at fool moon night):
Managram (India's last Tea Stall)
Cave in Managram:
Mangram:
Managram:
Bheem Pool:
Some more info:
We stated here at Badrinath:
October 11: We started from Badrinath in the morning after breakfast. We reached Karnaprayag before lunch. We had a booking in GMVN again. It is a small hotel but good one. We took rest one day there. Hotel is situated beside the river. It is also a small town and you will get markets here.
Karnaprayag:
Some information about Badi .. Can be used for booking:
October 12: We started for Risikesh. Reached Risikesh by the evening. We had a booking at Blananda Tirthashram. They do not provide food and food is not allowed inside the building. This is a good place to stay in Rishikesh. This is not inside city and beside the river. Ashram itself is a place to see.
October13: We took a auto rickshaw for visiting all the places in Rishikesh. It took 3 hour to visit all the places like Lachman Jhula, Ram Jhula etc. Auto runs on contract for all the places.
Laxman Jhula:
A 13th Floored Temple near Laxman Jhula:
Ram Jhula:
rafting:
Balananda Tirthashram:
Inside Balananda Tirthashram:
Photo Taken from inside Tirthashram:
October 14: We had a booking in Dehradun Express from Haridwar (it got confirmed on last moment). Train was in the evening. We took a auto rickshaw from Rishikesh and reached Haridwar. AC and Non AC Buses runs to Delhi from Rishikesh. There are AC busses on night service for all day. Tickets are available.
Haridwar Station:
Following Information can be used when you are planning your travel:
Car Bill (Haridwar to Haridwar)
Balananda Tirthasram Contact:
Usefull Business Cards:
I observed that phone number in the cards are not visible. Giving it again here:
Rakesh Tourist Lodge:
09411534715
09456534062
09458491488
01364-214093
Dhariwal Tourist Guest House (Sitapur Hotel)
D.P. 9411171807
J.P. 9411342224
Hotel: 01364-262197
Phata H.O. 01364-265211
Our Stay and Journey Cost (October 2011):
Some information which I used for booking. GMVN all hotels ate booked from internet.
Distance
http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travel-directions/driving-directions-from-Hardwar-to-Chandrapuri.html
Bharat sevashram - for booking - july middle - swami vedanta nanda
09557970680
Krishna maharaj
swami purnananda
09430202145
Haridwar Bharat Sevashram
Swami Bedanta Nanda
01334226363
01334223456
T
Where to stay: In Kedarnath
All the places mentioned here are simple lodgings with very basic facilities.
Where to stay: In Kedarnath
http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=468&destinationid=195
Besides the GMVN Tourist Bungalow (Tel: 01364-263210; Tariff: Rs 400-1,400), the temple committee (Tel: 267228, 263231) runs a guest house. Apart from these, there are several private hotels and dharamshalas that offer cheap accommodation. Punjab Sindh Awas (Tel: 263202; Tariff: Rs 200-600), which is clean, airy and comfortable, is the biggest and best guest house; it’s located near the post office, very close to the temple. Food is available. Other dharamshalas are Bikaner House (Tel: 263201; Tariff: Rs 300), Himachal House (Tel: 263225; Tariff: Rs 300) and Agrawal Bhavan (Tel: 263231; Tariff: Rs 300). It is very difficult to get through to telephones in Kedarnath and advance bookings may not always be possible. In peak season, when accommodation could be a problem, help may be sought from the pandas.
Where to stay In Tunganath
In Chopta (31/2 km before Tungnath)
http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=485&destinationid=200
The Nanda Devi Paryatak Awas Griha (Tel: 01364-268281; Rs 300-800), with 7 rooms, is recommended. The proprietor’s name is Om Prakash Maithani. It has a good location, a little away from the busy bazaar and bus stand, and has good views of the Kedar Range. Attached toilets and bathrooms are available, hot water is provided on payment. The quilts and blankets are reasonably clean and warm. The contact point for booking is the Bugiyal Restaurant in the bazaar. It is the general norm to eat at the restaurant belonging to the guest house, which is not very different from the other four to five restaurants. Hot veg food is available even late into the night. Neelkanth Hotel (Rs 150-600, depending on the size of room), near the bus stand and bazaar, is another option with attached toilets and bathrooms; hot water is available on payment. The GMVN in Chopta, about a 10-min walk from the bus stand, is closed due to litigation. There is a tent colony near the property, which provides tented accommodation (of different sizes) for Rs 100 per head. Although bedding is provided, a sleeping bag would be a good idea.
Chopta telegraph article
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081102/jsp/calcutta/story_10051488.jsp
Diamond tours
http://www.diatravels.com/
In Tungnath
There are 8 rooms in Baba Kali Kamli Dharamshala (Rishikesh Tel: 0135-2430006); 4 rooms in Ganesh Hotel, run by Mr Bhandari; 4 rooms in Chandrashila Hotel; 4 rooms in Devlok Hotel; and 2 dingy rooms in Monal Hotel. The tariff for all the above ranges from Rs 100-250, depending on season and demand. Bedding is provided. Only Baba Kali Kamli has common toilets.
Kedarnath Mandir committe - hotels in kedarnath
http://www.badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/content-kedar.aspx?id=59
Bhraman Joshimath- kedarnath
http://www.bhraman.com/destination.php?destination_id=15
ukhimath hotels
http://www.ebhraman.com/01012011/home.aspx?userid=&uli=
http://www.atoztrav.com/hotelbooking.html
http://www.easthimalayas.com/
baba kali kamliwala panchayet kshetra
new train from saharanpur
Nangal Dam- Kolkata Express/12326
Chopta Hotels:
Ukhimath Hotel:
Planning started with the map of Uttarakhand. Once you see the map, you will see that you can complete a circle to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath. We touched only two dham not char dham. We combined lot of beautiful places like Chopta, Ukhimath etc in tour.
I tried a map in English but they have lot of other Information. Following are three parts of our journey:
1. Haridwar-Rishikesh-Devaprayag-Srinagar-Ridraprayag-Chandrapuri-Suyalsore-Gourikunda-Kedarnath
2. Kedarnath-Gourikunda-Ukhimath-Chopta-Chamoli-Joshimath-Badrinath
3. Badrinath-Joshimath-Chamoli-Nandaprayag-Karnaprayag-Rudraprayag-Srinagar-Devaprayag-Rishikesh
Following is our Plan for the tour. We altered that in between because of helicopter cancel in Kedarnath. We stayed in Sitapur one night and 1 day in Ukhimath. All GMVN hotesl are booked from internet.
Day Place
September 30 Stay at Hardwar. We did not booked any hotel at Haridwar.
October 1 Stay at Chandrapura, booked GMVN
October 2 Stay at Bharat Sevashram Sangha @ Gourikunda
October 3,4 Kedarnath, Stay at Bharat Sevashram Sangha
October 5, 6 Ukhimath, 2 night stay at Bharat Sevashram Sangha
October 7, 8 Chopta, we did not booked any hotel
October 9 Joshimath, Booked GMVN
October 10, 11 Badrinath, Booked GMVN
October 12 Karnaprayag, Booked GMVN
October 13, 14 Stay at Rishikesh, Booked Balananda Tirthashram
September 29, 2011: We started from Kolkata. We got reservation in Sealdah – New Delhi Duroto express. We booked 90 days ago but still got sleeper class booking. Surprisingly this train has sleeper class. Tran was at 6:40 PM. We booked a Megacab for going to station. Car reported on right time but after entering the car driver declared that he cannot go. He might got some lucrative offer to some other place. It was day time and we got yellow cab in short time. Duronto started on right time and reached Delhi next morning. It was a good journey with lot of good food.
September 30: We have a booking for Haridwar on 12055/DDN JANSHTBDI Express. It was scheduled for departure at 3:15 PM. We have enough time to roam around Delhi. There is no good food available inside New Delhi Station. There are lot of restaurant outside the station. We took lunch in one of the restaurant. We reached Haridwar at night. We thought of going to Bharat Sevashar Sangha. Somehow the person we talked for booking of car did not encourage Bharat Sevasharm Sangha. Instead he told us to go to Hotel Ganga. We booked a auto from Hardwar station to the Ganga Hotel. It is the worst hotel I had ever stayed. Everything was bad. It has bad food, unclean toilet, bad room. He is a driver from GMVN. We thought he will give recommend us good hotel.
October 1: We talked to GMVN driver and he always assured that we do not need any car booking in advance as is not a peak time. Finally in the morning when he sent us Bolero, it was not from GMVN but from a private tour operator. We were frustrated with his behavior. Finally the car took us to the Travel Agents office. Travel agent was cool. He agreed to Rs 24,000 for the trip with Rs 10,000 as advance. Ganesh was our driver. He is a good driver as well as a nice person.
Haridwar on our way:
We started from Hardwar at 9:00 AM for Chandrapuri. We bought enough water bottles before leaving Hardwar. On the way we took lunch in the road side dhaba. It was good food. We decided that we will try different types of parantha in North India. We reached Chandrapuri in the evening. We have a booking in GNVN resort. We tried to book Syalshore 4 months ago but it was booked. We had a bad feelings because we did not got booking for Syalshore. Syalshore and Chandrapuri are two villages on the side of Mandakini. After reaching Chandrapuri we found that this is no way less beautiful than Syalshore. Resort is on side of Mandakini. You will get sound of Mandakini all the night from your room. Rooms are clean. They have running water. All the rooms are within 20 ft from the river. It is really a nice place to stay. This will give a relaxation on your way to Kedarnath. Temperature is already low.
On our way to Syalsore/Chandrapuri:
Rudraprayag:
Some information about the pool:
October 2: We wake up in the morning. We observed the sun rise from the hotel. Then we walked to GMVN Syalshore resort. It is a walking distance of 2 KM. It is equally good place to stay. There was a SBI ATM in Syalshore village. Walking gave us fresh air and a feeling of Garwal Himalaya. We started at 10 after taking breakfast at GMVN rest house. We reached Gourikunda at the evening. Some people stays at Sitapur in place of Gaurikunda. We had a booking at Bharat Sevashram Sangha. This place is really cool. Hot tea and Khichuri at Bharat Sangha will provide some relief. We talked to Swamiji for Horse. All of us took Horse except me and my wife. Rate from the person introduced by Swamiji is much cheaper than the outside. We also hired a boy for my son. He sat with him in the Horse. Although he has a pithhu but we preferred a horse.
Sunrise at Chadrapuri (picture from hotel)
Chandrapuri Hotel (GMVN)
Chandrapuri hotel (back side)
Syalsore Hotel (it is 20 min walking from Chandrapuri Hotel) :
October 3: We wake up early morning for our journey to Kedarnath. It is 14 KM from Gauri Kunda. You have to walk almost a KM to the place from where Horse/Duli starts. Pithhu was available for them who cannot walk even a KM. Those who were on the horse started at 7:30. We started walking after that. It is the same road which horse and people follow. Roads are with iron railings in all places. It is safe to walk on the road. There are full of shops beside the road in all places. They serve Maggi, hot tea and all sorts of fast food. I was carrying lot of hard toffee with me. I think chewing gum does not help in this type of journey. Also you need a good shoe like sneaker for the journey. Do not try chappals. Also try to carry a school bag in your bag for your luggage. Bag in hands create problems. We kept most of our luggage in car. There are locker available in the Bharat Sevasharm Sangha where you can keep your luggage.
Price list for Horses to Kedarnath:
If you want to see the beauty of Himalaya you need to walk. In the horse you will always see the roads in the fear of falling down from horse. You cannot stop on the places you want to. Walking gives you full flexibility. You will really enjoy the journey while walking. Keep enough orange toffee with you, wear good shoe and carry minimum luggage (<3Kg). It is not very tough to walk on the road. You can also stay at Rambara. This is on the middle GMVN resort is there. Rambara is in the middle of Gaurikunda and Kedarnath, 7Km from Gauri Kunda. If you are travelling in Horse or Duli, you will get rest in Rambara. There are lots of restaurant at Rambara.
We started from GauriKund
On the way - Bueautiful Himalaya
Unknown falls:
Bright sunny day:
Different beauty in every turn:
Reaching Rambara (This is in the middle, Gourikund - Kedar 16 KM)
Great Homalayan Mountain:
Reached Rambara:
Rambara - A Ashram (guest house avaialable):
Rambara from Top:
Incredible India (Doli):
Awsome
3.25 KM Left
Garurchati:
Reached level of Cloud:
Roads and people:
Only 2.25 KM left
Garurchatti:
Garuchatti is 2.25 Km from Kedarnath. Road from here is much steeper than the earlier. We took lot of rest in the stretch of road. We reached Kedarnath around 5 PM in the evening. Those who were travelling in horse reached around 2 PM. Those who took horse only concentrated on roads and horse. Who walked enjoyed the nature in full. I will suggesst you go bu walking. You do not enjoy that much when coming down also. We had lot of preparation like camphor for breathing trouble but did not feel the requirement. View of Kedarnath peak is beautiful from this place.
Only 1 KM:
Finally Kedarnath
Kedarnath is too cold to stay for us. Only GMVN rest house has heater in the room but they said it was not working due to some issue. If you can book GMVN for every stay. In Bharat Sevasharam Sangha we got hot water bottle which we used inside the blanket. It was really cool place.
A Guest House:
October 4: We visited Kedarnath temple 3/4 four times in the day. It is really a nice place. You can even touch Mahadev here. Whole place is full of beauty by the nature. We found ranges will full of ice in them. In the evening we tried to go Gandhi Sarovar but came back from the middle due to road damage. It is almost 4 KM walking distance from Kedarnath Valley.
Kedarnath Temple:
Kedar Peak -- On our way to Gandhi Sarovar
We also go tried to go to Chorabalital (Gandhi Sarovar) by walking. It is 4 Km away from the Kedar Valley. We went almot 2 KM but road was closed after that. We did not found any person with two of us. We wait there for some time crossed the road which was actually damaged but came back. Till I wish if we could have take that risk. It is a nice lake. Water in this lake creates reflection of all the Kedar peaks.
Road Blocked:
There is another place Vasuki taal which a day long walking (8KM) and back from Kedarnath. Road is also not very good. You can go there to collect Brambha Kamal. I do not know the name of the place.
October 5: We wake up in the morning. Some of us have booked ticket in helicopter to go down. We booked the ticket from Kedarnath only. Swamiji from Bharat Sevashram sangha helped us to book the ticket. We went to helipad in the morning. Helicopter was scheduled to start at 10. Due to bad weather all journey was cancelled. We wait there till 12 noon. Finally they declared that all journey is cancelled for the day. They gave us back the money we paid for the ticket. We took lunch in GMVN. Then we went on searching for Doli for elder people. Doli which comes from Gaurikunda goes back. It took us Rs. 3000 for each Doli. We two stared walking down at 2 PM. It was easy to go down in the hills. We reached Gaurikunda in the evening at 7PM. There are lights on the road coming down the hill. Although you rarely find anybody walking at that time but it was not scary. We were supposed to go to Ukimath that day only but Helicopter delay and cancel forced us to stay in Sitapur. Our driver Ganesh find some room with reasonable cost in Sitapur. It took us Rs 200 for each room at Sitapur.
October 6: We started for Journey for Ukimath in the morning. As far as I remember, we reached before lunch at Ukimath. We were one day late there. We had a booking for Bharat Sevashram Sangha but we lost that due to one day late. Swamiji at Ukimath allowed us to stay for one day without any extra cost. This place itself is very beautiful. There are some temple also there but I did not find very interesting. Walking in the evening and sunrise in Bharat Sevasharam sangha was beautiful.
Ukimath Bharat Sevasahram Sangha:
Ukimath Bharat Sevasahram Sangha and school:
Sunset at Ukhimath:
Sunrise from the roof of Sangha:
Informations can be used for booking (found them in Ukhimath):
October 7: We started in the morning from Ukimath towards Deoria tal. We took breakfast there. We took horse to go to Deoria Tal from the place where we took breakfase. It took us almost 30 min to reach there. Road is very steep. On our way found some tents on the bottom of the peak. It could have been a nice way to stay within nature. We enquired about the option to stay in tent. We found that they booked the tent from Rishikesh itself. Deoria tal way as well as the lake is beautiful. It gives a reflection to all surrounding peaks. There is a watch tower also. We took a walk round the lake. It is a clear blue sky and white peaks, awesome.
Lot of small hotels was under construction. We talked to some people for staying there but took decision to go to Chopta and stay there.
On the way to Deoria tal (people stayed in tents there):
From Other Side:
Those who are walking can take rest here:
We reached Chopta in the evening. In Chopta there is no
electricity. There is no power at all. All the solar lightings were not
working.We were carrying candle and used that at night Hotels are
really small cold rooms. The place is beautiful but really cold. In our
hotel there is bucket system. You need to ask them to give you water
in bucket from outside. We had a talk with a person called Chauhan who
told us that he will take us to Chandrashila for sunrise. We need to
start at 3 AM next morning. Chandrashila is a place crosssing the
Tunganath Temple. All people in small groups starts from Chopta at 3 AM.
Chopta: (building is the hotel where we stayed)
October 8: Chauhan came but we could not get up at 3 AM. We started at 7 AM for Tunganath. Chauhan provide us the horse. It took us almost an hour to reach Tunganath. It is again very steep roads. We found snow fall on the road. Surroundings are beautiful. We did puja at Tunganath. We stayed Chopta at night. It has the best scenic beauty of all the places of our tour.
Some info about heights of peaks:
Roads are really steep (towards Tunganath):
Horse taking rest while we were enjoying food 9on our way to Tunganath):
Snowfall on our way to Tunganath:
Tunganath Temple:
Peaks around Tunganath:
Auli resort (it can be booked from internet, 3 start hotel, on the top of the hill):
GMVN (auli, not on the top but near to top)
Royal Village (on the top):
Ropeway (main was closed but this was running)
Place for skiing:
Auli:
October 10: We started for Badrinath in the morning. We reached before lunch. We had a booking in GMVN. We had a booking in the small one. I found thet there are two formats of hotels GMN has. Out of two type tourist lodge/rest house is the smaller one and do not have Gyser in bathroom. Both are available in Badrinath but we booked turist lodge. We visited temple after lunch and also in the evening. Temple people are not friendly as they are in Kedarnath. we went to Managram in the evening. This is only 30 min from Badrinath.
Badrinath Temple:
at night:
Pool Approaching Temple:
Badri Valley:
Nilkantha (It is looks good at fool moon night):
Managram (India's last Tea Stall)
Cave in Managram:
Mangram:
Managram:
Bheem Pool:
Some more info:
We stated here at Badrinath:
October 11: We started from Badrinath in the morning after breakfast. We reached Karnaprayag before lunch. We had a booking in GMVN again. It is a small hotel but good one. We took rest one day there. Hotel is situated beside the river. It is also a small town and you will get markets here.
Karnaprayag:
Some information about Badi .. Can be used for booking:
October 12: We started for Risikesh. Reached Risikesh by the evening. We had a booking at Blananda Tirthashram. They do not provide food and food is not allowed inside the building. This is a good place to stay in Rishikesh. This is not inside city and beside the river. Ashram itself is a place to see.
October13: We took a auto rickshaw for visiting all the places in Rishikesh. It took 3 hour to visit all the places like Lachman Jhula, Ram Jhula etc. Auto runs on contract for all the places.
Laxman Jhula:
A 13th Floored Temple near Laxman Jhula:
Ram Jhula:
rafting:
Balananda Tirthashram:
Inside Balananda Tirthashram:
Photo Taken from inside Tirthashram:
October 14: We had a booking in Dehradun Express from Haridwar (it got confirmed on last moment). Train was in the evening. We took a auto rickshaw from Rishikesh and reached Haridwar. AC and Non AC Buses runs to Delhi from Rishikesh. There are AC busses on night service for all day. Tickets are available.
Haridwar Station:
Following Information can be used when you are planning your travel:
Car Bill (Haridwar to Haridwar)
Balananda Tirthasram Contact:
Usefull Business Cards:
I observed that phone number in the cards are not visible. Giving it again here:
Rakesh Tourist Lodge:
09411534715
09456534062
09458491488
01364-214093
Dhariwal Tourist Guest House (Sitapur Hotel)
D.P. 9411171807
J.P. 9411342224
Hotel: 01364-262197
Phata H.O. 01364-265211
Our Stay and Journey Cost (October 2011):
Some information which I used for booking. GMVN all hotels ate booked from internet.
Distance
http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travel-directions/driving-directions-from-Hardwar-to-Chandrapuri.html
Bharat sevashram - for booking - july middle - swami vedanta nanda
09557970680
Krishna maharaj
swami purnananda
09430202145
Haridwar Bharat Sevashram
Swami Bedanta Nanda
01334226363
01334223456
T
Where to stay: In Kedarnath
All the places mentioned here are simple lodgings with very basic facilities.
Where to stay: In Kedarnath
http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=468&destinationid=195
Besides the GMVN Tourist Bungalow (Tel: 01364-263210; Tariff: Rs 400-1,400), the temple committee (Tel: 267228, 263231) runs a guest house. Apart from these, there are several private hotels and dharamshalas that offer cheap accommodation. Punjab Sindh Awas (Tel: 263202; Tariff: Rs 200-600), which is clean, airy and comfortable, is the biggest and best guest house; it’s located near the post office, very close to the temple. Food is available. Other dharamshalas are Bikaner House (Tel: 263201; Tariff: Rs 300), Himachal House (Tel: 263225; Tariff: Rs 300) and Agrawal Bhavan (Tel: 263231; Tariff: Rs 300). It is very difficult to get through to telephones in Kedarnath and advance bookings may not always be possible. In peak season, when accommodation could be a problem, help may be sought from the pandas.
Where to stay In Tunganath
In Chopta (31/2 km before Tungnath)
http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=485&destinationid=200
The Nanda Devi Paryatak Awas Griha (Tel: 01364-268281; Rs 300-800), with 7 rooms, is recommended. The proprietor’s name is Om Prakash Maithani. It has a good location, a little away from the busy bazaar and bus stand, and has good views of the Kedar Range. Attached toilets and bathrooms are available, hot water is provided on payment. The quilts and blankets are reasonably clean and warm. The contact point for booking is the Bugiyal Restaurant in the bazaar. It is the general norm to eat at the restaurant belonging to the guest house, which is not very different from the other four to five restaurants. Hot veg food is available even late into the night. Neelkanth Hotel (Rs 150-600, depending on the size of room), near the bus stand and bazaar, is another option with attached toilets and bathrooms; hot water is available on payment. The GMVN in Chopta, about a 10-min walk from the bus stand, is closed due to litigation. There is a tent colony near the property, which provides tented accommodation (of different sizes) for Rs 100 per head. Although bedding is provided, a sleeping bag would be a good idea.
Chopta telegraph article
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081102/jsp/calcutta/story_10051488.jsp
Diamond tours
http://www.diatravels.com/
In Tungnath
There are 8 rooms in Baba Kali Kamli Dharamshala (Rishikesh Tel: 0135-2430006); 4 rooms in Ganesh Hotel, run by Mr Bhandari; 4 rooms in Chandrashila Hotel; 4 rooms in Devlok Hotel; and 2 dingy rooms in Monal Hotel. The tariff for all the above ranges from Rs 100-250, depending on season and demand. Bedding is provided. Only Baba Kali Kamli has common toilets.
Kedarnath Mandir committe - hotels in kedarnath
http://www.badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/content-kedar.aspx?id=59
Bhraman Joshimath- kedarnath
http://www.bhraman.com/destination.php?destination_id=15
ukhimath hotels
http://www.ebhraman.com/01012011/home.aspx?userid=&uli=
http://www.atoztrav.com/hotelbooking.html
http://www.easthimalayas.com/
baba kali kamliwala panchayet kshetra
new train from saharanpur
Nangal Dam- Kolkata Express/12326
Chopta Hotels:
Ukhimath Hotel:
