Kedarnath Temple Opening Date- 11 May 2024 (Tentative Date Officially not Declared Yet)

Kedarnath Temple Closing Date- On the Occasion of Bhai Dooj (Probably 2 November 2024)

How to Reach

Kedarnath is situated on high altitude of Uttarakhand so you can’t reach directly by bus, train and flight (except helicopter). So you need to travel so much to reach kedarnath and the base point is Haridwar or Rishikesh and route is like this-
Haridwar > Rishikesh > Devprayag > Srinagar > Rudraprayag > Ukhimath > Guptkashi > Sonprayag > Gaurikund > Kedarnath

All these places can be your halting point and There is a road from Haridwar to Gaurikund (230 Km) and after that you have to trek one side for 16 Km and return side for 16 Km (32 Km Trek)

You can reach Haridwar or Rishikesh by Train or by bus. Haridwar has bigger railway station and bus stand and more facilities than Rishikesh so my suggestion is to start your journey from Haridwar. Jolly Grant International Airport is the nearest airport situated in Dehradun which is only 41 Km away from Haridwar.

If you want to do comfortable journey then follow this route plan-

Start your journey from Haridwar at morning 6-8 AM and reach Rudraprayag or Srinagar. Rudraprayag is 162 Km away from Haridwar while Srinagar is 132 Km away from Haridwar. Then stay in Rudraprayag or Srinagar. Hotel Price is around Rs. 600-3000 but price may vary and depends on season. If you want to book in cheap price then go to GMVN hotels but you need to do advance booking.

Next morning start your day from Rudraprayag or Srinagar wherever you stayed at last night and today you need to travel till Gaurikund or Sonprayag. Gaurikund is last point for motorable road. Srinagar to Sonprayag distance is 102 Km while Rudraprayag to Sonprayag distance is only 72 Km. So today you can stay either in Gaurikund or Sonprayag. Gaurikund is only 8 Km from Sonprayag so you can stay anywhere between Gaurikund and Sonprayag.

So next morning start your day from Gaurikund and do a 16 Km long trek to Kedarnath. This trek will take around 6-8 hours depends on your stamina. There are so many temples during this route and you can hire pitthu and palki which rates are given here.

After reaching Kedarnath you can do darshan and Kedarnath Darshan timing is-
Open at Morning 6 AM – 3 PM
Closed between 3 PM – 5 PM
Open at Evening 5 PM – 7 PM

Short Itinerary-

Day-1 Haridwar or Rishikesh > Srinagar or Rudraprayag
Day-2 Srinagar or Rudraprayag > Sonprayag or Gaurikund
Day-3 Sonprayag or Gaurikund > Kedarnath
Day-4 Kedarnath > Gaurikund or Sonprayag
Day-5 Gaurikund or Sonprayag > Haridwar

If you want to do this journey in lesser time then follow this itinerary-
Day-1 Haridwar or Rishikesh > Sonprayag or Gaurikund
Day-2 Sonprayag or Gaurikund > Kedarnath > Gaurikund or Sonprayag
Day-3 Gaurikund or Sonprayag > Haridwar
Note- But this plan is very hard to execute because on the first day you need to travel 232 Km on mountains and some time you have to face traffic and landslides. If you reach timely on day 1 then you have to trek 32 Km on the next day but If you are staying in Kedarnath then you have to trek only 16 Km but next day you have to prepare for 16 km trek and 232 Km drive.

Bus Services for Kedarnath

As I told you, You can’t reach Kedarnath directly. But you can get direct bus to Gaurikund from Haridwar which starts early morning at 5 AM and it takes 12-14 Hours. Bus fare is around 600-800 for one way. If you are not getting direct bus to Gaurikund then you can do break journey throught bus.
You can also reach to gaurikund through break journey by sharing Jeep and most of people prefer sharing jeep because jeep is comfortable than bus and it takes lesser time than bus but you need to start your day at early morning 3-4AM. You will get sharing jeep near Haridwar bus stand and they will take around Rs. 400-450 from Haridwar to Rudraprayag and it will take around 6-7 hours. After reaching Rudraprayag take another sharing jeep to Guptkashi. Rudraprayag to Guptkashi Fare is around Rs. 100-150 and it will take around 3 hours and after reaching Guptkashi take an another jeep to Sonprayag. Guptkashi to Sonprayag fare is around Rs. 150-200 and it will take 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Sonprayag. From Sonprayag to Gaurikund you can take sharing jeep only in Rs. 20 but for this jeep you have to wait 1 hour during may month.
So Total Sharing Jeep Fare is around 450+150+200+20= Rs. 820
No bus or sharing jeep runs during night on mountains. So be prepare to start your journey at early morning.

Kedarnath Helicopter Service

You can reach Kedarnath by helicopter but for helicopter service first you need to reach Guptkashi or Sersi or Phata. These three places have helipad. Guptakashi is 213 Km from Haridwar and Phata is 203 Km from Haridwar while Sersi is 224 Km from haridwar. The best point for you is Phata because It’s near to Guptkashi and fare is around Rs. 3000 lesser than Guptkashi – Kedarnath helicopter service.

Guptkashi – Kedarnath
Round-Trip Fare –   ₹ 7750.00
Helicopter Service Company- Arrow Aircraft and Aryan Aviation

Phata – Kedarnath
Round-Trip Fare –   ₹ 4720.00
Helicopter Service Company- Chipsan Aviation, Pawan Hans, Pinnacle Air and Thumby Aviation

Sersi – Kedarnath
Round-Trip Fare –   ₹ 4680.00
Helicopter Service Company- Arrow Aircraft Sales, Himalayan Heli, Kestrel Aviation

Timings of Helicopter Service is from morning 6 AM to evening 6 PM and these services run on 4 Slot-
6AM-9AM | 9AM-12PM | 12PM-3PM | 3PM-6PM

You can book Helicopter services online. Book Here

Best Time To Visit

SUMMER (MAY – JUNE)

Because the weather in Kedarnath is often frigid all year, the best months to visit are May and mid June, when the average temperature is 15 to 30° c. the majority of people are on pilgrimage during this time of year, and others come to see the temples and other trekking trails in and around Kedarnath.

MONSOON (JULY-SEPTEMBER)

The rainy season starts in July and ends around the middle of September with an average temperature of 12°c, the monsoons sometimes bring significant rainfall, making it less than ideal to visit. But after monsoon October is also a best time to visit Kedarnath.

For More Detail of Char Dham or want to create plan of anywhere in India or World. You can take our service only in Rs. 199
To Take our service Click Here

Hotel

There are so many hotels and dharamshalas are available during this trip but for comfortable stay book in advance. If you are planning to book directly from there then you have to compromise with stay because of rush. Dharamshala available in 300-500 per person and more but all depends on how much rush on that day. For Hotel, you have to pay at least 1500-3000 per night for 2 adults. If you want to book online then GMVN is the best available option.

Yatra Registration

Everyone needs to register yourself for Kedarnath Yatra. You can register directly from Haridwar and some registration points that will created by government on many places. But sometimes you will have to face long que for this biometric registration but good part is you can also register online. For Char Dham or Kedarnath Yatra registration Click Here

Covid Rules

Regarding COVID-19 rules, This year COVID-19 testing and checking of vaccination certificates have not been made mandatory for the devotees.

Major Attractions

• KEDARNATH TEMPLE

it is a widely respected and blessed hindu temple nestled in the garhwal himalayan range in rudraprayag, uttarakhand. it is the highest of the 12 jyotirlingas, standing at 3,583 metres, and is dedicated to lord shiva. the hypnotic views of the himalayas nearby, as well as the unusual weather and topography, create an almost ecstatic atmosphere. some of the main reasons to visit kedarnath temple are its historical significance and the spiritual energy of the devotees.

• SHANKARACHARYA SAMADHI

The burial chamber of adiguru shankaracharya, shankaracharya samadhi, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area behind the kedarnath temple, where you’ll find it. There is currently a hot spring here that is supposed to have been created by shankara himself to alleviate the suffering of his disciples as a result of the harsh weather.

• AGASTYAMUNI

Agastyamuni is a well-known religious location in uttarakhand, located 20 kilometres from rudraprayag. it is located at 1000 metres above sea level, along the banks of the picturesque mandakini river. Sage agastya is known for the temple named after him, where he is said to have mediated for a year.

• VASUKI TAL

Vasuki tal, a lake at 4135 metres above sea level, offers breathtaking views of the chaukhamba alps nearby. For hikers, the journey to this tal is a pure delight. On the way to the tal, the chaturangi and vasuki glaciers appear. visitors may view the brahma kamal and other himalayan flora growing around the quiet lake, giving the region a pleasant vibe.