Overview
Uttarakhand, also known as Devbhoomi or the Land of Gods, is home to numerous temples and welcomes devotees all year round. Among the countless religious sites and circuits that devotees visit in Uttarakhand, one of the most prominent is the Char Dham Yatra. This Yatra or pilgrimage is a tour of four holy sites – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath – nestled high up in the Himalayas. In Hindi, ‘char’ means four and ‘dham’ refers to religious destinations.
Itinerary
Day 1 :
Haridwar
Arrive at the designated reporting place, report to vehicle and proceed to Haridwar – An ancient temple city located on the banks of River Ganga,
at the foothills of the Himalayas.
Day 2 :
Haridwar – Sayanachatti
In the morning proceed to Sayanachatti – a small peaceful town surrounded by hills serves as resting point for pilgrims travelling to Yamunoti
Dham. Evening free time for relaxation.
Day 3 :
Sayanachatti – Yamunotri – Sayanachatti
Today proceed to Yamunotri – a temple dedicated to river Yamuna, the second-most sacred river after Ganges. This temple can only be accessed
after a full 13km trek from the holy town of Hanuman Chatti. Evening return back to Sayanachatti.
Day 4 :
Sayanachatti – Uttarkashi
Morning we travel to Uttarkashi – an ancient land with rich cultural heritage. As the name suggests it is ‘Kashi of the North’ and one of the most
picturesque town of Garhwal region. In the evening visit one of the oldest and sacred temple of shri Kashi Vishwanath. It Is believed that this
temple was built by Parashurama.
Day 5 :
Uttarkashi – Gangotri – Uttarkashi
Full day excursion to Gangotri – one of highest pilgrimages in India located approx 3400 mtrs. The journey to Gangotri offers stunning vistas all
around. According to Hindu legends Ganga is the most sacred of all rivers, which descended from heaven to earth at Gangotri. The actual origin
of the river is at Gaumukh, where it is known as Bhagirathi and it acquires the name 'Ganga' after the river Alaknanda merges into it near the
town of Devaprayag. En-route pass by Harsil, a serene Himalayan hamlet surrounded by snow-clad mountains, pine forests and apple orchards.
On arrivat visit Gangotri Temple, Bhagirath rock and Bhagirathi river. Return back to Uttarkashi in the evening.
Day 6 :
Uttarkashi – Sitapur
Travel to Sitapur – a beautiful village situated on the the way to Kedarnath Dham. Upon arrival free time for relexation.
Day 7 :
Sitapur – Kedarnath
Early morning proceed to Kedarnath also know as ‘Kedarkhand’. After trekking for almost 19km from Gaurikund one can reach to Kedarnath
temple. It is one of the twelve jotirlingas of Lord Shiva, located in the Rudra Himalaya range at an altitude of 3500 m, near chorabari glacier, which
is source of mandakini river. This temple is built of massive stone slabs over a large rectangular platform. Outside the temple door, a large statue
of Nandi stands as guard. Later Visit samadhi of Jagad Guru Adi Shankarcharya, who built Kedarnath temple over a thousand years ago.
Immerse yourself in the tranquile atmosphere of this sacred place. Overnight at Kedarnath.
Day 8 :
Kedarnath – Sitapur
Morning once again take darshan of Kedarnath Dham and start 19km trek to Gaurikund. On arrival free time for relexation at Sitapur
Day 9 :
Sitapur – Pipalkoti
Proceed to Pipalkoti, en-route view the 3 Sangams of holy rivers -Vishnuprayag- Alaknanda and Dhauliganga, Nandprayag - Alaknanda and
Nandakini, Karnaprayag- Alaknanda and Pinderganga. Arrive at Pipalkoti in the evening
Day 10 :
Pipalkoti – Badrinath
We start off our journey towards Badrinath. This beautul town is situated at an elevation of around 3100 m, between Nar and Narayan Mountain
ranges. Visit Badrinath temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and believed to be established by Sage Adi Shankarachaya. We also visit Mana village -
the last indian village on India- tibet border, Vyas and Ganesh gumpha – where Sage Vyas composed Mahabharata epic with the help of
Ganesha. See the Bhim bridge and Swargarohini peaks - Pandavas took this path to heaven. Overnight stay at Badrinath.
Day 11 :
Badrinath – Kirtinagar
Once again, if time permits we take darshand of Lord Badirnath and then begin our journey to Kirtinagar. Arrive at Kirtinagar in the evening.
Day 12 :
Kirtinagar - Rishikesh - Haridwar
Start your journey to Haridwar - an ancient temple city located on the banks of the River Ganga. En-route see Deoprayag – lies at the confluence
of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. On arrival at Rishikesh, visit Laxman Zhulla, Baba Kali Kamliwala Ashram, Geeta Bhavan and Gangaghat of
Haridwar. In the evening visit Har ki Pauri to get a captativating experience of Ganga Aarati.
Day 13 :
Departure from Haridwar
Proceed to designated place. Board the train / flight for your hometown. Tour Concludes.