Kedarnath Dham Yatra is the most visited Hindu pilgrimage site located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand India and is visited by thousands of devotees every year.
Kedarnath Temple is located at a high altitude of 11,760 ft. above sea level & is one of the four major pilgrim sites along with Gangotri, Yumnotr & Badrinath. The location of the temple in the Greater Himalayan Range with snow-covered mountains and attracts thousands of visitors each year. The town of Kedarnath is located near the Chorabari glacier which is the starting point of the Mandakini river, a tributary of scared river Alaknanda.
The yatra begins from Sonprayag which is only 5 km away from Gaurikund from where you will have to start walking in order to reach the temple.
14 Km away from Gaurikund is the Kedarnath temple. It is believed that bathing in Gaurikund before visiting the temple brings good health and prosperity. You will cross Jungle Chatti, Bheembali & Lichauli to reach the Kedarnath Base Camp, situated only about a kilometre from the temple. The Kedarnath Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva or Kedar according to the Hindu religion.
On the first day of the Kedarnath yatra, you will be picked up from Rishikesh & we will be heading towards Gupkashi via Devprayag & Rudraprayag. On the way, you will be able to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Himalayas. From Tilwara, you will be able to catch the glimpse of the Mandakini River. Upon reaching Guptkash, an overnight stay will be in the hotel.
After having breakfast at Guptkashi, we will drive to Gaurikund. The 30 Km ride will take around 2 hours. After reaching Gaurikund, we will start walking towards the Kedarnath Temple. The hike takes about 10 to 12 hours and we will spend the night in a hotel at Kedarnath after darshan.
We will trek back to Gaurikund and from there we will drive back to Guptkashi. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing as we will leave tomorrow.
On the last day of the Kedarnath Yatra, we will drive back to Rishikesh. The 240 hours ride will take 10 hours and you are expected to arrive at Rishikesh by evening, so make your further travel plans according.
This is a brief list of things that you should carry on the trek to make the experience more memorable and much more comfortable -
Network & Connectivity
Good network connectivity is available throughout the trek. All major networks Airtel, Jio, BSNL are available
ATMs
The last ATM is available at Guptkashi, but it is advised to withdraw any required cash from Rishikesh.