Attraction
A slab of rock beside the temple where Bhagirath is said to have sat to bring the Ganga down. A minute from the main shrine.
4 places to see, with what each one is and how long it takes.
Attraction
A slab of rock beside the temple where Bhagirath is said to have sat to bring the Ganga down. A minute from the main shrine.
Attraction
A cave a kilometre and a half out of town where the Pandavas are said to have stopped on their way into the mountains. A short walk through deodar, usually empty.
Attraction
A fall on the Bhagirathi a few hundred metres from the temple, at its loudest just after the temple opens in spring, when the melt is heavy.
Attraction
Eighteen kilometres up the Bhagirathi to the snout of the Gangotri glacier, which is where the river actually begins. Permits are capped daily and issued at Gangotri; most people take two days and sleep at Bhojbasa.
Not in Gangotri — these are in other towns across the state.
Attraction
The highest Shiva temple in the world at around 3,680 metres, and the third of the Panch Kedar. Three and a half kilometres of paved but steep path up from Chopta. Shuts for winter around November.
Attraction
Valley of Flowers National Park
Six kilometres above Ghangaria on the other fork, at about 4,600 metres. Most people do the valley one day and Hemkund the next rather than both at once.
Attraction
A boiling spring beside the temple, hot enough that pilgrims lower rice and potatoes into it in cloth bundles and carry them home as prasad. That is the thing to stand and watch.
Attraction
The ancient stone Jyotirlinga temple of Lord Shiva amid snow peaks.
Viewpoint
The famous viewpoint ridge above Kasar Devi, lined with cafes and known for sweeping Himalayan panoramas.
Attraction
Fifteen kilometres out, and the most crowded thing in the district — the fall now sits inside a ring of ropeways, stalls and concrete steps. Come very early or skip it.
Viewpoint
The confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda that forms the Ganga.
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Attraction
The valley shares Ghangaria as a base with Hemkund, and the two are the standard pair. Day entry only, no camping inside, and the flowers peak in late July and August.
Experience
The park's most prized core zone for tiger and elephant sightings.
Attraction
On Bilwa Parvat above the town, three kilometres up by ropeway or on foot. Pilgrims tie a thread here and come back to untie it if the wish is granted.
Experience
A scenic organic tea garden where visitors can walk the rows and buy fresh Kumaon tea.
Attraction
The last village before the Tibet border, three kilometres on from the temple and one of the highest inhabited places in India. There is a cave attributed to Vyasa and a tea shop that bills itself as the last in the country.
Experience · 3 hrs
The most popular 16 km rafting stretch with Grade II–III+ rapids.