Travel Tips for Char Dham Yatra 2022

Chardham Yatra covers the four major religious destinations cradled high up amid the snowy mountains of Garhwal Himalayas. The destinations are as follows- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. These four Dham belong to the four major deities of the Hindu pantheon, namely Goddess Yamuna, Goddess Ganga, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu respectively. These four Dham belong to the Chota Chardham circuit of pilgrimage and a Yatra of these four Dham is said to pave the way for salvation or ‘Moksha’ for all pilgrims who have visited these four Dham.

How to Reach Chardham

Chardham can be reached by air way, railway and also by the road way. The Yatra starts with a visit to the Yamunotri Dham followed by Gangotri Dham, Kedarnath Dham and finally the Badrinath Dham. If you avail the airway you have to fly to Dehradun’s Jolly grant airport first. It is the nearest airport to reach the Chardham and connected to Delhi plus some other major cities of neighboring states via frequent flights. On reaching Jolly grant airport, the rest of the journey can be completed via road in taxis, buses and at times on foot. If you want to avail the railway route, you need to board a train to reach either Haridwar or Rishikesh station first. The rest of the journey may be completed via the road route. If you wish to avail the road route alone, you can hire buses or cabs to all the major Yatra points from almost any part of Uttarakhand or some other cities of the neighboring states.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the Chardham is between months May and June and then again September and November. The weather during this time remains cool, pleasant, bearable and thus suitable for travel, beyond the month of November the weather turns severely cold and all temples are shut down due to heavy snowing. That marks the winters at the Chardham and the season is not fit for travel. The months of July and August too need to be avoided as during that time monsoons arrive at the Himalayas making the area landslide prone and thus highly perilous.

Chardham Yatra Route Map

The Chardham Yatra route map is as follows
Delhi-Haridwar [210kms]-Barkot [220kms]-Jankichatti [52kms]-Trek to Yamunotri [6kms]-Barkot-Uttarkashi [100kms]-Gangotri [100kms]-Uttarkashi-Rudraprayag [180kms]-Gaurikund-Trek to Kedarnath [14km]-Gaurikund-Rudraprayag-Badrinath [160kms]-Rishikesh [297kms]-Delhi [230kms].

Chardham Yatra Safety Tips

Major Chardham Yatra safety tips include the following-

1. Carry a route map of the Chardham during travel because getting lost in the Himalayas can prove to be a dangerous thing.
2. Never go astray from your group in the course of the travel.
3. While hiring a cab/taxi for Yatra, make sure that the driver is licensed and has an expert hand and a good driving record. This is because the roads are perilous enough and if the steering is into shaky hands, fatal accidents can occur.
4. Don’t wear loose, flowing garments during trek as such garments may get caught here and there leading to bad accidents.
5. Wear only cades or mountain shoes with good grip while on the Chardham trek. Fancy shoes and heels etc may cause a fatal fall.
6. Never walk hurriedly while on the trek as at every corner of the route life-taking dangers lurk.
7. Don’t dare to set out for nighttime trek.
8. Don’t dare to risk yourself by traveling to the Chardham during the rainy season when landslides are a common occurrence.

Chardham Yatra Preparatory Tips

The most important preparatory tips for Chardham Yatra is as follows-

1. Prepare your body for the arduous Yatra across the rugged terrains days in advance. For doing so, you need to exercise regularly and go for brisk walks regularly.
2. See a doctor prior to travel, get a full body checkup done and make sure you are physically fit for the Chardham Yatra. Getting a fitness certificate from doctor is one of the Yatra pre-requisites.
3. Practice meditation daily to increase your concentration power. Concentration is something you’ll need during the Chardham treks.
4. Do some homework and pre-research on Yatra route, food, accommodations available weather, fares etc so that you have some pre-knowledge, mental preparation and is not easily duped by strangers.
5. Get in touch with your tour operator and book your hotels, train or flight tickets in time to avoid unwanted harassment.
6. Try to converse with your acquaintances who have already been to Chardham in order to get some real factual details of the journey prior to travel.

Chardham Yatra Essential Tips

The essential tips for Chardham Yatra are-

1. Don’t break the local rules and play with the sentiments of the locals by carrying non-vegetarian food into the region. Non Veg items are strictly restricted in the Chardham region and a riot or broil may flare up if you dare to break the rules.
2. You need to pack certain essential items with you during your Chardham Yatra. Such items include things like light woolens, sun glasses, heavy moisturizing cream, pain relief balms, hot water bag, mineral water bottles, torch with extra battery backup, survival kit, first aid box, windcheater, umbrella, dry fruits and nuts, a pack of glucose powder, all your prescription medicines and some OTC Medicines for the common ailments too.

Chardham Yatra Opening and Closing Dates

Each year Chardham Yatra opens on the Akshaya Tritiya day in the month of April/May and closes on the day of Diwali in the month of October/November.

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