Where to Stay in Gangotri?

Located at an elevation of 3133 meters above the sea level, Gangotri is located in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Gangotri Dham holds a high place in Hinduism as it is the originating place of the holy river The Ganga. It is one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites and is counted as an important pilgrimage in the Chota Char Dham circuit of Uttarakhand. Gangotri glacier is the main source of its origin which is located at a distance of 18 km away from the pious Gangotri town. There are myriads of interesting legends and stories behind the origin of this place where each makes it more appealing and inviting to the tourists. Millions of devotees coming from all across the globe to pay their homage at the holy abode of Goddess Ganga who symbolizes the purity and serenity. Despite being reckoned as a spiritual hub Gangotri is known as a perfect getaway place to get rid of your monotony of life. Being nestled at a great elevation, Gangotri is not opened throughout the year. The temple gets closed during the winter season and generally gets re-opened on the day of Akshaya Tritiya (generally in the last week of April or in the first week of May).

As the pilgrimage is opened only for a half year so it is heavily crowded in its opening days and it is quite difficult to make your trip hassle-free. There are many things to keep in mind when you are planning for a trip to Gangotri including the best time to visit how to reach and most importantly where to stay? Only proper planning can keep you away from such situations so it is always advised to plan everything prior to your trip. Uttarakhand Government is very concerned about these issues and has taken many initiatives to help the devotees coming to Gangotri like there are many local hotels in Gangotri, guest houses established which are available to the tourists at a very nominal price.

1- Budget Hotels

Gangotri is closed during the winter season and so when it gets opened the region becomes heavily crowded with the devotees coming from all across the globe. There are many things which a devotee has to take care of on the trip and most importantly the place of accommodation at such heavily crowded pilgrimage. It is always wise to do pre-planning of your trip to avoid adverse circumstances and to enjoy a hassle-free journey. Devotees coming to Gangotri belong to the different class and likewise, their budget can differ accordingly. There are many pilgrims who visit this place with a less budget and for them, the biggest problem is to arrange accommodation for themselves. To help them out there are many hotels established in Gangotri which are of mid-range and can be afforded by middle-class families. There are some very famous hotels like Shivalik, Himalaya, Ganga Niketan Hotel, Hotel Gangaputra are some budget-friendly hotels which are located near and are quite popular among tourists visiting Gangotri or Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand. These are pocket-friendly hotels which provide comfortable accommodation.

Facilities Provided By Such Hotels

Free breakfast, restaurant facility, room service, 24 hours reception and travel assistance. On special request of the guests the hotels provide sightseeing views and trekking tours and more things are offered.

2- Resorts

There are many beautiful resorts located at a certain distance from Gangotri like Harsil Retreat which is located around 25 km away from the sacred site and Mahima Resort which is located in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Although their charges are very high their location and services are quite appealing to the tourists as they are beautifully adorned with awe-inspiring valleys, gushing rivers, and snow-clad mountain peaks. All the resorts are beautifully designed and are elegantly adorned with the soothing interiors and are well-organized with the basic as well as modern amenities and all those things which are required by the tourists to have a pleasant and a memorable stay on a trip. The resorts are available with deluxe and super deluxe cottages with different facilities accordingly. The resorts feature a special dining room which houses many delectable tables containing multiple lip-smacking cuisines.

Facilities and Amenities of the Resorts

Tourists are provided with comfortable beds, tea/coffee maker, attached washroom with the running facility of hot and cold water. Some of the most appealing facilities of these resorts are a doctor on call facility, bonfire, front desk service, proper luggage storage, 24-hour room service, and travel assistance. They also offer some recreational facilities including sightseeing views, trekking tours, jungle walks, and organizing picnics.

3- GMVN Guest Houses

To keep the devotees away from any hassle and to keep them well-organized on the trip Uttarakhand government has established many government budget guesthouses. The refreshing accommodation at these guesthouses is available at a very nominal price. The GMVN guest houses like GMVN Gangotri tourist rest house, GMVN Bhojwasa are established in a picturesque location making it a quite inviting for the tourists coming from all over the world. The accommodations offer some recreational facilities which include sightseeing views, trekking tours on a special request of the tourists at the front desk. The guest houses feature different types of rooms like deluxe, super deluxe, and dormitory which are charged accordingly.

Facilities of These Guest Houses

Some common facilities of all the rooms include attached washroom with hot and cold water facility, work desk, room heater, chairs, and comfortable beds. They also feature some other qualities like parking on request, doctor on call, dining, travel desk, room service, sightseeing and trekking tours on a special request.

4- Ashrams

Apart from highly charged resorts, budget hotels and government established guest houses, there is another option Ashram, to stay in Gangotri and that also at a very nominal price. Tourists can find ashrams located nearby Gangotri which feature all the basic amenities required for a tourist. For example, Bhagirathi Ashram which is located nearby the pilgrimage offers all the basic amenities like food, bedding, and laundry at a very low price.

Facilities of Ashrams

Comfortable beds, laundry service, room service, travel desk, and on special request you can avail the facility of pick up and drop facility from the airport. Some other striking features of the ashrams are free parking, restaurant with dining menu, newsstand, and doctor on call facility.