Char Dham Yatra Guide

The Char Dham Yatra is a circuit of four Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — each sitting at the source region of a major river and each reached by its own valley road. Most pilgrims start and end the trip in Rishikesh or Haridwar, since both sit at the mouth of all four routes.

The four shrines, briefly

• Yamunotri — source of the Yamuna, reached by a short trek from Janki Chatti; usually the first stop on the circuit.
• Gangotri — source of the Ganga, accessible by road all the way to the temple; typically visited second.
• Kedarnath — a Jyotirlinga shrine reached by a 16 km trek, pony or helicopter from Gaurikund; usually the third and most physically demanding stop.
• Badrinath — dedicated to Lord Vishnu, reached by road via Joshimath; the final stop, closest to the Indo-Tibetan border region.

How long the full circuit takes

By private taxi or Tempo Traveller from Rishikesh, a complete Char Dham circuit covering all four shrines typically runs 10-12 days, including driving days, darshan time and at least one buffer day for weather or altitude. Trying to compress it much further usually means less time at each shrine and a harder pace on mountain roads.

Registration is mandatory

Every pilgrim needs to complete Char Dham registration before travelling, either online at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in or at counters in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Checkpoints along the route check for this, so it’s worth doing before you set out rather than en route.

Shorter alternatives

If 10-12 days isn’t realistic, a Do Dham trip covering just Kedarnath and Badrinath usually takes 6-7 days, and a single-shrine Ek Dham trip to Kedarnath alone can be done in 4-5 days from Rishikesh. Tell us your available time and we’ll suggest which version fits.