Char Dham with Valley of Flowers

Breakfast and board the coach for the early morning 235 km drive to Barkot-Syanchatti. The road takes you across breathtakingly scenic locales on the Dehradun-Mussoorie road. We stop at the Lovely Kempty Falls, about 13 km from Mussoorie, for a brief halt before proceeding to Syanachatti where you check into your hotel room for the night.

Fortify yourself with breakfast and then we start on the drive that will take us to Jankichatti, the starting point of the 6 km trek to Yamunotri. Before you reach the temple you stop at Suraj Kund, dedicated to Lord Surya, father of Yamuna Devi, cook some rice to offer to Yamuna Devi and pray at the Divya Shila. Then proceed to the temple built by Maharaja Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal for pooja of the goddess whose idol in black marble sits inside. Return to Jankichatti on foot and board the coach for the return drive to Syanachatti for the night’s stay.

Enjoy a hearty breakfast before boarding the coach for the 140 km drive to Harsil, stopping at Uttarkashi, a temple town for darshan at the Vishwanath temple. Proceed to Harsil for the night’s stay.

Breakfast over we drive 124 km to Gangotri and enter the temple located on the banks of the Bhagirathi. According to legend Ganga descended to earth from Heaven through the locks of Lord Shiva in order to bring peace to the souls of the ancestors of King Bhagirath. Enter the temple and have darshan of Goddess Ganga after which you can take a dip in the freezing waters of the Bhagirathi. Drive back to Harsil for the overnight stay.

Enjoy breakfast at dawn and get into the coach for the 234 km drive to Rudraprayag on the way to Kedarnath, the third pilgrimage spot of the char dham yatra. The beautiful drive is punctuated by a pause at the beautiful Tehri Dam, a well known local picnic spot. Stay the night in a cozy hotel in Rudraprayag, one of the five holy confluences in Uttarakhand.

Today is the toughest day of the entire trip. We drive in the morning after breakfast to Gaurikund. From here we cover the 16 km distance to Kedarnath by foot. You also have option of traveling by pony or in a palanquin. Check into a hotel on arriving in Kedarnath and then set out for the temple visit. Kedarnath is one of the 12 jyotirlingas in India and the original temple dates back to the times of the Mahabharata. The shivling here is in the shape of a pyramid in the heart of the temple. It is said that Shiva was in hiding from the Pandavas who were searching for him to pray for forgiveness for the sin of killing their kinsmen. They chased Lord Shiva who transformed into a bull and went into hiding. According to another legend, Goddess Parvati prayed to Kedareshwar to become one with Lord Shiva in his form of Ardhanarishvara.

Rise before dawn and prepare for a visit to the temple for the morning Abhishek ceremony after which we have breakfast and then walk down to Gaurikund from where you get on the coach for the 35 km drive to Guptakashi. On arrival, check into your room for the night’s stay.

Breakfast and get into the coach for the drive along scenic roads to Joshimath. Joshimath is winter home of Badrinath and a place of religious significance as well as the place from where you can get into a cable car for one of the longest rides to Auli, a winter resort. Proceed to Badrinath and check into your hotel. In the evening we visit the temple for darshan and aarti. Entrance is through an imposing archway leading to the 50 feet tall temple covered with a golden cupola. It is said Lord Vishnu meditated for ages in the freezing cold and Laxmi, his consort assumed the form of a Badri tree to protect him.

Rise early for the morning Abhishek ceremony at the Badrinath temple and then rituals at the Brahmakapal. After that we go for a walk in the surrounding areas, taking in Mana village and Bheem Pool, said to be the source of Saraswati River. There are interesting spots such as the Vyas Gufa where Ved Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata, Naran Kund, Mata Murty Temple and Charanpaduka. Stay the night in Badrinath.

An early morning breakfast over everyone boards the coach to proceed to Govind Ghat, the closest point for the trek to Ghangariya from where the Valley of Flowers starts. From Govind Ghat we proceed to Ghangariya, a distance of 14 km you can cover on foot or on pony or in a palanquin. Check into a hotel and relax. You can attend a theater show on the Valley of Flowers in the evening.

Breakfast and arrive at the entry point to the Valley of Flowers. The Valley of Flowers is a UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves site, known for the multitude of flowers carpeting the valley flower in a rainbow of colors and filling the air with their fragrance. This Valley sits in the upper part of Bhyundar Ganga in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, with the area also being known as Bhyundar valley locally. The Pushpawati valley is quite extended, covering 23 km with the Valley of Flowers making up a small portion of it. No one is allowed to stay inside the Valley and everyone must exit by evening. Return to Ghangariya in the evening for the night’s stay.

Breakfast and get ready to walk in the crisp morning air to Govind Ghat. From here we get aboard the coach for the 56 km drive to Pipalkoti where you check into the hotel for the night’s stay.

Rise early, breakfast and board the coach for the 254 km drive to Rishikesh, the city of ashrams and yoga and also a center for adventure activities. We stop at Devprayag, one of the five confluences in Uttarakhand, where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda join. At Rishikesh, we go on a brief sightseeing tour of Sivanand Ashram, Ram Jhoola and Laxman Jhoola before visiting Gita Bhavan. In the evening we attend aarti at the Pramarth Niketan. Stay the night in your hotel room.

Breakfast over you get into a coach for the 225 km drive to Delhi where the tour ends as the tour guide bids a fond farewell.