Uttrakhand has lots to offer for tourism from holy river to glaciers, from Dams to lakes. In this post you will see some of the must visit Towns / cities of Uttrakhand.
1. Haridwar: Haridwar is the gateway to Uttrakhand. Anyone can start their journey by visiting this holy city of Uttrakhand. Take a dip in the river Ganga and attend the evening riverside pray. There are lots of food option which can be cover in 1-2 days. Plenty accommodation options are here from Dharamsalas to 5 start hotels. Haridwar is well connected through Roads and Trains and nearest airport is in Dehradun. But taking a 3-5 hours road journey is not a bad option as the roads have become very smooth for drive.
2. Patal Bhuvneshwar: Not many tourists had heard about this place because it's almost on the eastern side of Uttrakhand, but this place is famous for Shiva Temple Cave and scenic beauty is too good. You can take a road transport bus from pithoragarh to reach here if you are planning for public transport option. Some of the tourist places here are little shattered and far like Chokori, DD haat. The cave here is around 150 meter long and around 90 meter deep.
3. Kedarnath: Kedarnath is one of the famous place in Uttrakhand as it's part of char dhaam yatra. To reach this beautiful place you need to do a trek of almost 18 kms from Sonprayag. There is helicopter ride option as well but trekking is a better option as the path is well designed and there are resting places at regular intervals. Sonprayag is well connected through Roads and is easily accessible. Kedarnath is a holy temple and connected with Lord Shiva.
4. Uttarkashi: The name Uttarkashi means Kashi of North. From Tehri if you are going towards Gangotri, this beautiful town comes on the way. It is situated close to the river Bhagirathi. Its almost 400 kms from New Delhi and by road it will take around 10-12 hours atleast. It is also called as Shivnagri and has lots of temples and ashrams. Situated at the elevation of around 1158 m, weather always remains cool here.
5. Yamunotri: Covered from snow peaked mountains Yamunotri is one of the must visit place for a lifetime experience. Yamunotri is the the origin place of river Yamuna and is part of Uttrakhand's Chhota char dham yatra. Its is connected by roads till Janki Chatti after that you have to trek of around 5 kms. It is situated in the western region of Garhwal Himalayas. Being at the height of around 3290 M makes this place shivering cold. You can also book a private helicopter to visit this place from Dehradun. Places to visit here are Temple and a Thermal Spring apart from trekking.
6. Badrinath: Badrinath is a well known place in Uttrakhand and famous places for Hindu religions because its part of Char dham yatra. It is well connected by road and there is a helipad as well in case you require to travel by air. Badrinath falls under Chamoli district and surrounded with glaciers. Badrinath is also gateway to several mountaineering expeditions. From here you can go to Mana the last village of India, then China starts.
7. Nainital: Nainital is around 300 kms from Delhi and well connected through roads. Nearest Railways station is Haldwani and from there one can hire vehicle to reach Nainital. Because it has become a weekend tourist spot. Huge traffic jam occurs almost every weekend. There are lots of places to visit and lot of things to do like boating in Nani Lake, reach to snow observation point via a cable car. Also can visit Naini Peak, Cave Garden, Bhimtal, Khurpatal, do para gliding near Bhimtal and shopping in evening near mall road. There are many resorts who offers lots of activities as well. After Nainital you can further go to Almora and Ranikhet.
8. Bageshwar: Not known by many tourists Bageshwar is also one of the must visit tourist place in Uttrakhand. Situated in Bageshwar district on the meeting point of River Gomti and River Saryu and almost 470 kms from India's capital. It comes on the way if you are travelling from Baijnath to Munsyari. Bageshwar is famous for glacier river, scenic beauty and temples. The best part is that it is still not been exploited by too much by tourists and is one of the considered place to visit. If you are planning for Nainital and Almora, try to consider this places as well. It is around 75 kms from Almora.
9. Guptakashi: On the way from Rudraprayag to Kedarnath you will come across this place called Guptakashi (also known as Gupt Kashi). It is famous for its ancient Vishwanath Temple dedicated to the god Shiva, same as in Varanasi and Ardhnarishwar Temple a half man and half woman form of Lord Shiv and Parvati. This place is also mentioned in Mahabharata and part of Uttrakhand's. Around 420 kms from New Delhi makes is the ideal destination to take a halt from 10-12 hours of long journey. From Rishikesh its around 183 kms which can be covered in 5-6 hours.
Government is planning a train track from Rishikesh till Sonprayag, so we expect that by 2025 we can cover many tourist places with the convenience of train.
If you like this post do share with others so that they can also plan to travel to some of the above mentioned must visit places of Uttrakhand and thanks for reading.
Jay Sen (Jaysenjx)