How to Reach Chardham - Char Dham Yatra Route Map

The Chardham Yatra is a must do pilgrimage for all devout Hindus. Getting there is easy these days. One can travel by road or, better still, enjoy a helicopter ride that cuts short the time, reduces effort and gives a wonderful aerial view of the Himalayan landscape.

Char Dham Route Map from Dehradun

How to Reach Badrinath:

By Air - Badrinath Dham can be reached by air via a comfortable, safe and quick helicopter service, through this the journey will be completed within a 2 or 3 days, depending on the availability of the helicopter seats. The complete journey takes up almost an hour including the takeoff from Dehradun.

By Road - The Dham shrine of Badrinath can be easily accessed through its network of motorable roads from various nearby places of Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun and other places. Running regularly on these roads are state and private transportation services. Going in your private vehicle is the best way of reaching this holy site. Apart from this regular buses also ply from Gaurikund.

By Rail - the closest railway station to Badrinath Dham is situated at Ramnagar and at a distance of 154 kms or you can also opt for the railways station at Kotdwar that is located at a distance of 146 kms. Once you get off at the station there are a number of ways available to reach Badrinath which is mostly by hiring a cab, taxi or opting for a bus service.

How to Reach Kedarnath:

By Road - the roads leading up to Kedarnath caters to visitors from various different vehicles due to the presence of extremely wide network of motorable roads. If you love trekking or walking then from Gaurikund you have the option of walking for the following 14 kms up till the Kedarnath Dham.

By Rail - Haridwar is the closest railway station for people looking to visit Kedarnath by train. However these railways lines are connected to some of the most major and minor cities of India.

By Air - the jolly grant airport at Dehradun which is located at a distance of 109 kms from Kedarnath, is the closest airport for Kedarnath Dham. This airport caters to national flights from various different parts of India.

How to Reach Gangotri

By Air - Helicopter services to Gangotri Dham are available which commences form the nearby beautiful village of Harsil which is situated at a distance of 25 kms from the main Dham shrine of Gangotri.

By Rail - The closes available station to Gangotri Dham is situated in Dehradun at a distance of 114 kms. Form here you have the option of wither traveling up to Haridwar / Rishikesh and commence you Char Dham Yatra from there or you can hire a cab or taxy heading up to Badrinath Dham.

By Road - Regular buses run to and from Dehradun, Haridwar and Rishikesh. There are direct buses available which will drop you at the main Dham location. These roads are completely motorable and make syour journey comfortable.

How to Reach Yamunotri

By Air - The helicopter services for Char Dham also caters to this abode of Goddess Yamuna, Yamunotri. The journey for Yamunotri starts from Dehradun and commences at the scenic village of Kharsali which is located at a distance of 6 kms from the main temple.

By Rail - There are two closest railway stations, one is in Dehradun at a distance of 172 kms and the second one is in Rishikesh which is at a distance of 200 kms. Both the railway stations cater to trains from various different large and small cities of india.

By Road - The Dham shrine of Yamunotri has no access to good and motorable roads with the base point at Hanuman Chatti which is situated at a distance of just 14 kms. From here you have the option of either trekking up the hill or utilizing some available alternative travel options like ponies or palanquins.

Getting There by Road

Haridwar is a rail junction and most pilgrims arrive here before joining a Chardham tour or proceeding on their own by road. The Chardham circuit comprises of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath in that order. You can join a Chardham tour or hire a private vehicle that will take you to Barkot and from Barkot you drive to the nearest point that is Kharsali before proceeding 3 km on foot to reach Yamunotri. From here one returns to Uttarkashi and proceeds by road to Harsil and then by foot to Gangotri. After Darshan you return to Uttarkashi and travel to Rudraprayag, a journey of about 8 hours and then another 70 odd kilometres to Gaurikund from where it is a 13 km trek to reach Kedarnath, the abode of Shiv bhagwan. This is the toughest leg and most people usually hire ponies to traverse this stretch on steeply winding passes. The last stage is Badrinath. Return to Rudraprayag and then proceed by road to Govindghat and Joshimath before proceeding to Badrinath temple.

Helicopter Ride

It takes at least a week to 15 days to complete the Chardham Yatra by road and on foot. There is a faster way. You can book a ride on any of the helicopter services to char Dham Yatra and complete the yatra in 4 to 5 days.

Yamunotri and Gangotri by Helicopter

Helicopter services are available in Dehradun. There are chartered helicopter flights that leave on a regular basis each day. One flight takes you from Dehradun to Yamunotri and Gangotri in just two days. The helicopter lands at Kharsali from where the rest of the journey to Yamunotri is on foot or on ponies. One can find accommodation in Kharsali and Jankichatti. The helicopter then takes you to Harsil, the nearest location to Gangotri and you complete the journey on foot to the temple.

Kedarnath Badrinath Yatra by Helicopter

For the pilgrimage to Kedarnath devotees can get aboard a helicopter at Phata, Guptkashi, Shersi and Narayankoti. The helicopter lands within walking distance of the Kedarnath temple and what would take two days to complete is done within a couple of hours. The final stage of Badrinath can be reached by helicopter from Phata and Guptkashi and here again you are dropped within walking distance of the temple. The helicopter returns the same day. You can complete rest of the return journey by road, by train or proceed to Jolly Grant at Dehradun and fly back home. In fact there are about eight helicopter charter services offering Chardham Yatras that start at the nearest locations or you can even start the Yatra at Delhi.

Keep in mind that only 5 to 6 passengers are accommodated inside a helicopter so it is expensive but not so much when you consider the time and effort and additional expenses of stay that you incur when you travel by road. Most helicopter Yatras can be completed in just a day for one location, or, at the most, two days so it is possible to complete the entire Yatra in just one week or even less. 

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