Ultimate Chardham Yatra Travel Tips for International Tourists

The Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand is not only another beautiful Himalayan journey, but also a sojourn that has the potential to change a human being and make him or her a better person. But planning a pilgrimage tour like Char Dham in the Indian Himalayas, for a foreign tourist, can be a difficult task especially when you are visiting from other parts of the world.

Indeed, it takes double the research and a preparation of a number of to-do lists before you can find the suitable plan for yourself. Therefore, in order make things comprehensible and to give you the glimpse what this life changing Hindu pilgrimage tour has on offer.

We have composed this blog where 11 best travel tips for tourists are mentioned for all those international tourists who are planning to visit Garhwal Himalayas for the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand.

Know the Best Time to Visit
Consult an Agency and Get Your Registrations Done Easily
Travel by Road or Helicopter
Keep Your Medicines Close to You
Carry Dry and Packaged Food
Avoid Carrying or Consuming Alcohol on this Sacred Journey
Keep a Local Phone to Make Life Easy
Keep a Small Phone Diary Too
Use Your Camera Cautiously and Carry Extra Batteries
Drink Packaged Water or Boiled Water Only and Drink Lots of Water
Carry Some Indian Cash along with Your Card

Recommended Tour Packages

Kedarnath Uttarakhand

Know the Best Time to Visit

The Char Dham Yatra takes place between April and October. People also go during monsoons, even though Uttarakhand has notorious rainfall that sometimes leads to a havoc through occasional landslides and road blockage issues.

However, the state government has become more alert now and is developing ways to provide pilgrims with comparatively safer pilgrimage tour during the monsoon season. The best time to plan the Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand is between May and mid-June and in the month of September.

Consult an Agency and Get Your Registrations Done Easily

If you are not an Indian, doing this yatra is going to be difficult. If you have just set off like that, at every stop, you will have to register yourself, get savvy with the formalities and at a point, it will irritate you.

So, it is best to consult an agency who will complete all necessary formalities for you and make your travel easier and smooth. But you should also keep in mind as to who you are approaching for such a task. Reliable agencies like Tour My India could make everything easy for you.

Travel by Road or Helicopter

Both are different kinds of experiences. You cannot just rank either above other. If you want to travel in budget, you can make use of local transport to reach your spots. Uttarakhand Tourism had taken the Char Dham Yatra of Himalayas so seriously that transport facilities and commutation is so good that you would not have any reason to complain.

There are bus and cab services from the main bus stations at Dehradun, Haridwar, Gangotri and Rishikesh. If you want a more exotic and beautiful experiences, take a helicopter. The helipads are at Sahastradhara in Dehradun, Harsil, Guptkashi, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Keep Your Medicines Close to You

You will be elevating and elevating and sometimes, the bend of the roads and the quick change in heights could make you feel sick since the average height of the journey would be 10,500ft and the highest will be Kedarnath which is at 11,755ft.

So, if you are keeping your bags in the luggage carrier in the bus or that of the car, your medicines must not be in that bag. That would just hamper and delay your journey. You should carry a first aid box which should always be with you and contain all the necessary things that you could be needing any time. It is also advisable to carry medicines for stomach problems and fever as well.

Carry Dry and Packaged Food

Since this is a 12-days long journey, and thus to get tired is absolutely possible, whether you are trekking or simply in a car looking out. But to keep you healthy and fit to continue the journey, it is always best to take some dry food with you to keep yourself energized enough.

They could be biscuits, chocolates, dry fruits and milk powder. If the above, then why not carry packaged food that can be prepared in merely hot water? You can pick up hot water from a roadside café and prepare a beaten rice dish or a bowl of noodles and have a meal any time.

It is recommended not to eat from any roadside café or restaurant because that might cause stomach issues since you are not accustomed to Indian spices and meals. Also, instead of carrying too many disposable crockery, carry light steel utensils as they are environment-friendly too and will take less space in your rucksacks or bags.

Avoid Carrying or Consuming Alcohol on this Sacred Journey

Alcohol is absolutely prohibited on these journeys. The Uttarakhand Police imposes fines on persons detected carrying or consuming alcohol during the Yatra in order to main the sanctity of this journey and to avoid uncalled events.

Keep a Local Phone to Make Life Easy

You cannot expect to find the best of technology like WiFi at these remote places and situations might arise where you might have to call someone to either find or merely say a Hi from the Himalayas. Keep a local phone. Pick an Indian SIM card from New Delhi. You get them anywhere these days.

Keep a Small Phone Diary Too

Yes, vintage style. But it makes so much sense, doesn’t it? Write helpline numbers (police, ambulance) on a small diary and carry them. Also keep the most helpful of phone numbers recorded in a small phone diary in case of an emergency, it might turn out to be really handy.

Use Your Camera Cautiously and Carry Extra Batteries

It is best to make sure your camera is allowed at the places where you take them out because it might hurt the sentiments of the people. If you are carrying a camera, it is advisable to carry an extra battery because electricity might be an issue at such remote places. The same goes for your phone.

Drink Packaged Water or Boiled Water Only and Drink Lots of Water

Most stomach problems arise from unclean water. You must not drink regular water from hotels or restaurants on the road. Always prefer packaged mineral water or boiled water to keep yourself safe and also, drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated throughout the journey.

Carry Some Indian Cash along with Your Card

Since the destinations you will crossing post Rishikesh are a bit remote, digital transaction might not be an easily available means of transaction at these places. To avoid problems regarding payments, carry enough Indian currency with yourself. Cards will be accepted at good hotels.

About the author

Nidhi Singh

From the Lake District, Nainital, Nidhi Singh is a travel writer whose love for mountains can be seen in her write ups. Talk about solo travelling, indulging in adventure activities, binging on good food, planning budget trips or the Aurora Borealis and you will get all her attention. It is the wanderlust that keeps her going and if at all she could get one wish granted she would love to live a life less ordinary. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.