About Gangotri

Gangotri is one of the main religious tourist places among the Char Dham (Chota Chardham) pilgrimage circuit. Gangotri is located in Uttarkashi and also considered as the origin place of River Ganga. The history of Gangotri is centuries years old that says Goddess Ganga transformed herself into a river for making the forefathers of King Bhagiratha free from a curse after the years of penance by Bhagiratha. This popular pilgrim site is situated at an altitude of 3042m , emitting a highly pious aura. It keeps a very special place in Hindu pilgrims and must visit the place once in a lifetime.

The Ganga river originates from Gangotri Glacier and it is known as Bhagirathi until it merges with the Alaknanda River in Devprayag. Alaknanda and Bhagirathi join to form the mighty Ganga River in Devprayaga and from there it flows in its full force and known as Ganga.

The whole region is decorated with the snow-clad mountains in the vicinity and the pure crystal water of river Ganga. The place is mainly dominated by vegetarian food and Vaishnava culture which advocates a vegan lifestyle and very strict against non-vegetarian food and alcoholic drinks. The place is home to many beautiful temples and saints of the Hindu religion. The most prominent temple is the Gangotri Temple , dedicated to Goddess Ganga. Gangotri Temple opens at the end of the April month or first week of May and it gets closed at the time of Diwali in October or November. It remains closed for the rest of the year as the place is prone to heavy snowfall.

Gangotri Tour Packages

Gangotri along with Yamunotri , Badrinath , and Kedarnath forms the Chota Chardham which is a very important shrine of the Hindus and the visit or tour to these pilgrimage sites is known as Char Dham Yatra. Pilgrims usually take the whole yatra together which covers all the destinations of Char Dham Yatra. However , some tourist also takes Gangotri Tour particularly.

Yamunotri Gangotri Do Dham Package- 6 nights & & 7 days

In this Gangotri Tour Package , tourists will cover two Dhams i.e. Gangotri Dham and Yamunotri Dham. Gangotri is a significant place from the religious and historical point of view. As per the mythological records , King Bhagirath did penance for bringing river Ganga from heaven to Earth. Whereas Yamunotri is dedicated to River Yamuna where pilgrims come to seek the blessings of Yamuna and save themselves from the agony of death as Devi Yamuna is the sister of Yama , the God of death. The places that you will be visiting through Yamunotri Gangotri Do Dham Package include the attractions such as Haridwar , Barkot , Uttarkashi , Hanumanchatti , Harsil , Gangotri , etc.

Chardham Yatra by Helicopter- 5 nights & 6 days

Tourists who are looking for a pilgrimage tour of the most revered Char Dhams , the package is specially designed for those only. On this Char Dham Yatra , tourists will be taking the blessing of devotees by visiting all four holy Dhams viz Yamunotri , Gangotri , Kedarnath , Badrinath on a Helicopter. Through this package , tourists will enjoy the VIP Darshan at all the temples covering local sightseeing options along the way.

Gangotri-Gaumukh Trek- 6 nights & 7 days

This tour package is a delight for adventure lovers who are fond of rock-climbing , boulder-hopping , and glacier traversing. Moreover , it is also a treat for nature lovers due to the range of diversity of plant and animal life. The wildlife of Gangotri is also very rich as you can spot the herd of Bharal (blue mountain goat) on the ridges of mountain ranges. Breath-taking views of the majestic Himalaya will make you spellbound , and you will have the utmost pleasure through this trekking tour.

Best time to Explore Gangotri

Gangotri experiences cold almost all round the year , however , the best time to visit this place is in between April and June , and also from September to October. Gangotri experiences very pleasant and perfect weather for traveling purposes during summers as the temperature is relatively lower than the plain areas. Monsoons are very harsh here with the heavy rainfall , and it is also difficult to travel during monsoon due to frequent landslides and block roads in the region.

How to reach Gangotri

Gangotri is situated in the Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand , India. To reach Gangotri tourists use various modes like the train , air , buses , or taxi , etc.

By Air- Tourists who wish to come from the flights for them the Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport well-connected with all the major cities of the country is situated at a distance of 250 km from Gangotri town. On reaching to Airport they can hire private taxis or also can use the local transport buses etc for reaching Gangotri.

By Train- The nearest railway station is Rishikesh Railway station which is situated at a distance of 234 km on NH58 and is well connected by other major destinations of India. There are frequent trains to and from Rishikesh. After reaching Rishikesh Railway station tourists can take taxis or state transport buses to Gangotri which are easily available from there.

By Road- Gangotri is well connected with the fine network of roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state. Apart from this direct bus services To Rishikesh are also available from ISBT Kashmiri Gate , Delhi. One can also hire a direct taxi or private cab from Delhi to Gangotri.

Commuting Within Gangotri

Gangotri is a very small town and it can be travel on foot as the various destinations are on a walkable distance and people often travel more on foot as it is a pilgrimage center. Public transport also not that much developed as compared to other tourist destinations. However , you can take the public transport like state government buses , private buses and tourist taxis for commuting within the town.

Places to visit in Gangotri

Gangotri is a small holy town famous for the temple of Goddess Ganga , the temple and the origin of River Ganga from the Gangotri Glacier are the key destination for the pilgrims and tourists who make their way to Gangotri. However , there are few more places that tourists can explore during their Gangotri Tour. So , here is the list of all the best places to visit in Gangotri.

Ganges Glaciers

The Glacier is situated at an altitude of 4238m above sea level which begins at Chakhambha and ends at Gaumukh. Bhagirathi river is result of melting this glacier and providing the pious water to the river. One can trek up the glacier for reaching Nandanvan , Tapovan and Gaumukh.

Gangotri Temple

Gangotri temple is dedicated to goddess Ganga which is in fact a river , but Hindu people worship the river as Goddess due to its offering to people of the plains. Water of Ganga provide life to many people of northern plains by providing an opulent amount of water which is used for agriculture , drinking water , and what not. The temple is constructed around 300 years ago by a Nepalese General , Amar Singh Thapa as a symbol of respect towards the goddess.

Kedar Tal

Kedar Tal is a natural Tal located at an altitude of 4425m above sea level. The Tal is formed naturally by the melted water of glacier. The view of the Tal and surrounding is breath-taking. Tourists usually like to visit the place by taking up the trek up the rolling hills spanning 18 km but before moving for the trek make sure to take a local guide along with you and prepare yourself for the trek before-hand.

Harsil

Harsil is also a popular tourist attraction in Gangotri. In fact , it is a village famous for its apple orchards which are spread across the village. The place is located at an elevation of 2623m above sea level. The views are so picturesque all around the village and apple orchards are spread over an area of 72 km across the village. If you are visiting around Diwali festival , don’t forget to taste some fresh juicy apple from the orchard.

Dodi Tal

Dodi Tal is also a very famous lake situated at an altitude of 3204m. The lake is home to the famous Himalayan trouts. The lake has presence of little log cabins scattered around the lake for various activities such as trekking , camping , and resting , etc. One can obtain the permiot of fishing from the Divisional Forest Officer , Uttarkashi.

Auden’s Col

Auden’s Col is one of the highest mountains passes in the Garhwal Himalayas , which connects Rudragaira valley and Bhilangana valley by forming a bridge between the northwest ridge of Gangotri and ridge coming from Join on the east. Auden’s Col trek is one of the toughest trek for the ultimate adventure seekers , the trek was discovered in 1935 by John Bicknell Auden. The journey of the trek provides stunning views of the high peaks like the Rudragaira peak , Jogin group of peaks , Bhagirathi group of peaks , and Kedar Dome.

Gangotri Weather

Gangotri experience the same weather cycle as that in the rest of India. Summers begins in April and goes till the last week of May. After Summer , Monsoon lasts from June to September. November to February happens to be the period of Winter in Gangotri with an opulent amount of snowfall and cold breezes. However , the only difference between the weather of plains and here in Gangotri is that , Gangotri experiences lower temperatures than the corresponding temperature in the plains. It is evident by the fact that the summer here is equivalent to the spring season of the plains as the day time temperature doesn’t go beyond 30 degrees Celsius.

Tips for Travelers

Gangotri is located on high altitude and also a sacred place for Hindu Pilgrims. Hence , tourists need to keep some following things into consideration once they are traveling to this naturally and spiritually beautiful place.

• Cameras are allowed in the Himalayas but normally restricted inside the temples , please confirm from the concerned authorities.
• Try to carry a BSNL SIM as it will provide you good connectivity in comparison with any other network providers.
• Gangotri temple remains closed in winter due to the high possibility of frequent snowfall during that time. Hence , pilgrims and tourists need to plan their travel accordingly.
• Try to keep your luggage as light as possible because you will be traveling to high altitude areas that can leave you exhausted.
• Non-Vegetarian food and any kind of alcoholic drink are big no here.