Char Dham Yatra 2025: Complete Cab Travel Guide from North India
Embark on the sacred Char Dham Yatra — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath — with complete route details and best times to travel.
The Char Dham circuit links four shrines in Uttarakhand — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — and is traditionally travelled west to east in that order. The full loop from Haridwar runs about 1,600 km and takes ten to twelve days at a sensible pace. Compressing it into under a week is possible but leaves no margin for weather, and the mountain roads punish a tight schedule.
When the portals open
The temples open in late April or early May, depending on the Hindu calendar, and close around Diwali. May, June, September and October are the practical windows. The monsoon months of July and August see frequent landslides on the Rishikesh–Rudraprayag corridor, and while the roads usually reopen within hours, a single slip can cost a day.
The stretches you walk
Two shrines need walking. Yamunotri is a 6 km climb from Janki Chatti, and Kedarnath is 16 km from Gaurikund — ponies and palanquins are available at both, and helicopter services run to Kedarnath from Phata and Sersi in season. Gangotri and Badrinath are reachable by road right up to the temple.
Respecting the altitude
Altitude is the part most first-time travellers underestimate. Badrinath sits above 3,100 m and Kedarnath above 3,500 m. Build in a night at a lower elevation before each, drink more water than feels necessary, and treat a persistent headache as a reason to descend rather than push on.
A Tempo Traveller suits groups of nine or more and gives space for the luggage a ten-day trip requires. Smaller families are usually more comfortable in an SUV, which handles the hairpins above Rudraprayag with less effort. In either case, a driver who has done the circuit before is worth more than the vehicle.
