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Overview
One of the remarkable spiritual tour is Chardham Yatra, consists of pilgrimage visit to the four sacred sites – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, in Uttarakhand. The tour is traditionally don in clockwise direction and is believed to purify sins and assist in the achievement of moksha or salvation. The entire tour begins from Jaipur and concludes at the same place. This 8 nights 9 days tour is a challenging and rewarding journey, involves considerable trekking, especially to Kedarnath and Yamunotri and long transfer over high country. It would be absolutely impossible to undertake a Chardham yatra from Jaipur in five days without very tight scheduling, efficient travel planning and laser-like focus on darshan.
Jaipur to Haridwar Transfer
The long-distance travel from Jaipur is the starting point of Chardham yatra in Uttarakhand. Based on the means of transportation and traffic conditions, the 465 – 515 kms drive from Jaipur to Haridwar takes around 7 to 12 hours. One must leave early morning from Jaipur to reach Haridwar or Rishikesh in the evening, allowing the pilgrims to rest and prepare for the tough mountain drive. A spiritually uplifting way to start the yatra is to visit Har ki Pauri, in the evening for the popular Ganga Aarti.
Day 1: Haridwar to Barkot
Traveling from Haridwar to Barkot, the base point of Yamunotri Temple, one of the hill trek. The road trip takes around 165 to 180 kms and usually involves 5 to 6.5 hours on a winding road. Passage through narrow, populated hill villages and on two lane roads along rivers is a scenic delight. Take an overnight stop to acclimatize before the high-altitude hike is Barkot, an altitude of around 1220 meters. The day proceeds for an early start to Yamunotri shrine, necessary to arrive at the hotel when you arrive late in the afternoon or early evening to get a relaxing night stay.
Day 2: Uttarkashi Transfer via Yamunotri
The tour of Yamunotri, the first Dham and the long drive to Uttarkashi, the second base, make for a very demanding day. A 45 to 50 km drive from Barkot to Janki Chatti, around 1.5 hours begins the day before dawn. Take access to the Yamunotri Temple, pilgrims have a walk from Janki Chatti, taking 3 to 4 hours each way. The return trip to Janki Chatti and drive back to Barkot are completed with a sacred bath at tha Janki Bai Kund and darshan at Goddess Yamuna’s temple. The second step is the drive to Uttarkashi, around 82 to 100 km from Barkot and another 3 to 4 hours of driving time, for a day’s trip of 12 to 14 hours, after a short break for refreshment.
Day 3: Sitapur Transfer via Gangotri
The 3rd day is spend exploring Gangotri, the second Dham, prior to undertaking the long journey to Sitapur or Guptkashi, the starting point for Kedarnath. From Uttarkashi, the journey begins with 3-to-4-hour, 100 km drive to the temple of Gangotri, the origin of the divine trip.
At Gangotri Temple, devotees perform darshan and take a holy dip in the Bhagirathi River. It takes around 3 to 4 hours to get back to Uttarkashi. The longest part of the day begins with the trip to Sitapur from Uttarkashi. It can take 8 to 9 hours to travel around 220 to 230 kms route. Pilgrims make an early start of the day to reach Kedarnath.
Day 4: Kedarnath Darshan
Today is the holy Kedarnath darshan. Take a drive of remaining 30 kms from Sitapur/ Guptkashi, pilgrims must get up early around 4:00 AM. The challenging 16 to 19 km trek to the Kedarnath temple, begins after going through the necessary check-in formalities. The trek will take 7 to 9 hours. Pilgrims who have come to Kedarnath, check into their overnight stay, perform evening aarti and darshan of Lord Shiva.
Day 5: Departure from Badrinath
The final day itinerary merges the Kedarnath descent, the Badrinath transfer and the final departure drive, extremely hectic and meant for only the most arduous short trip. Morning temple visit is preceded by the long 16 to 19 km Kedarnath to Sonprayag, which is around 4 to 6 hours away. The pilgrims must leave Sonprayag immediately and cover the 220 – 250 kms to Badrinath via Rudraprayag and Joshimath. A darshan once again at the Badrinath Temple of Lord Vishnu and a hasty, divine dip in the Tapt Kund must be taken on reaching Badrinath late in the evening. The tour ends as you proceed to Jaipur.