Reaching Guptkashi for Helicopter Ride

As this is a 2 days Kedarnath Helicopter Package and purely Kedarnath-focused, the devotees usually travel a day in advance to the helicopter boarding side, near Guptkashi. The Guptkashi region is quite far away for travellers coming from metropolitan cities like Delhi, takin 10 to 12 hours. The main base for lodging is at Guptkashi, besides being a historically and religiously important town, offering better facilities compared to the destination and is lower in altitude. The helipads of the helicopter operators like Phata or Sersi are a short drive away from here. Due to mountainous weather, this stage ensures that the devotee is rested and positioned close to the helipad for an effective early morning flight.

Day 1: Helicopter ride to Kedarnath

The stunning move and the initial point at the shrine are the main events of this day.

Morning – The devotees are taken from their hotels in Guptkashi to the helipad. Before boarding, there’s a security check and briefing. The helicopter flight is a quick event, usually lasting from 7 to 15 minutes. It offers a stunning aerial view of the Mandakini valley, the rocky surroundings and the extent of the area that predecessors of the devotees once used to walk across.

As soon as you arrive in Kedarnath helipad, which is around 500 meters away from the temple. The change from the comfortable plains to the high-altitude atmosphere of the plateau at Kedarnath becomes quite sharp. The pilgrims are put up in the identified accommodation nearer to the temple. The rest of the day is utilized for acclimatization to high altitude. The visit to the temple normally occurs in the evening.

This is the first darshan. The evening aarti with the enormous Himalayas as a background, often the most memorable part of the trip. The darshan allows the devotees to quickly achieve the primary purpose of the Yatra.

Day 2: Kedarnath Darshan & Departure

Before the swift returns, the day offers the chance for more in-depth worship. The opportunity to do Vishwa Abhishek, a ritual bathing of the Lingam, or a quieter early morning darshan. If you visit the temple early in the morning, there will be fewer people and the spiritual experience will be stronger. If time allows, one can visit the shrines in the nearby area, just follow the trail leading to Bhimshila, a huge rock protected the temple against the floods of 2013.

On the return flight, the travellers will head to the helipad. Helicopter brings backs the devotees to the base helipad, including Phata/Sersi amongst others. The two days tour also concludes at Guptkashi, when they are taken for picking up their bags to board the next conveyance back to their city of origin like Haridwar, Rishikesh or Delhi.