Char dham yatra will open to public from outside the State with conditions.

Uttarakhand government has finally decided to open the char dham yatra( holy pilgrimage of 4 shrines) to the general public from outside the state. The locals were earlier allowed to visit these shrines. This means that public can now visit all the 4 shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamnotri and Gangotri in Uttarakhand for the year of 2020. But helicopter services for Kedarnath are not available for the time being due to rainy season.

However people entering the State for char dham yatra need to abide by the following rules before they plan a trip to Uttarakhand:

  • They should be able to produce a covid negative report issued by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved lab of not less than 72 hours of entering Uttrakhand border.
  • chardham yatra epass .The official portal Link for char dham registration 2020 is: https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/registration/pilgrim
  • Now ,public can also book online Puja/path/aarti/bhog on chosen dates, which will be performed on behalf of the pilgrim by Priest/vedpathi, as per temple rituals without physical presence of the person. The link for obtaining this facility is:
  • https//badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/registration/puja
  • A permit to be obtained from Dehradun smart city website while submitting all the medical reports and other documents required therein. Link for registration at the Dehradun Smart city project for e permit to enter Uttrakhand is: http://dsclservices.org.in/apply.php
  • Please note that for tourists who are entering Uttrakhand other than for char dham, this registration is mandatory.
  • Please carry the hard copies and originals of all the documents that are required. The officer on duty at the border might ask you for all the documents.
  • Once these documents are arranged, you can proceed for the yatra.

  • Important points:
  • Uttarakhand has seen a rise in covid cases, especially Haridwar is the gateway for chardham yatra and has an increasing number of corona cases.
  • July , August and till mid of September you get to see a lot of heavy rains in the area. This often leads to landslide in the hills apart from surging rivers and a bad terrain. Please keep this is mind before planning a trip and keep appropriate arrangements handy. Sometimes a landslide can block you for 24 and more hours in the hills so you better prepare for all these factors.
  • The char Dham yatra is a high altitude terrain (10000 -11000 feet), so you might sometimes need oxygen( carry small oxgen packs which your travel agent might be able to arrange for you) as well as good winter clothing. It gets really cold out there especially after rains.
  • Ideally keep few buffer days before you take your flight back. Reason is sometimes you might not know due to weather , if you are able to complete your journey as you planned. In that case your flight and train booking would need postponement resulting in more expenses for you.

Some travel agency like Thomas Cook are also providing facilities for the covid tests for their guests. Do check with your agency. Package cost for chardham yatra depends upon each travel agent and mode of transportation and hotel used. For example: a 10 to 11 days of yatra will cost you around Rs 11000/- per person for entire trip( transportation and hotel minimum).

Our honest recommend to you is to avoid Char Dham yatra in 2020. Cases in Uttarakhand are increasing. Also Uttarakhand hills lack health care facilities.Imagine if you get seriously unwell given that there is lack of oxygen too in high altitude, things could get worse for you. Also, as a responsible traveller, you can avoid transmitting the virus to local population, who lack basic health care facility as well as funds for treatment.

Hope this article helps you to plan your chardham yatra in Uttarakhand for 2020.

Thanks for reading . If you have any comment or feedback, do write back to us.

If you want to help you plan your yatra , do let us know ( please note this service would be paid).

Happy Visiting Uttarakhand!