Trip to Kedarnath - Part 1

We had booked a cab online which charged Rs. 20,000 for 5 days trip to Rishikesh-Kedarnath-Badrinath- and back to Rishikesh.

By 09:00 am, we made ourselves comfortable in the AC Innova. Listening to hindi & bengali songs, everybody's mood was super cool in the cool AC breeze. This didn't last long, as we drove up in the mountain, the heat of the rising sun was getting hotter and to make it worse - the driver had switch off the car AC. We had a heated argument with the driver as he said that he can't switch on the AC while driving up the mountain ... otherwise his car engine would get damage and so on. At last we couldn't do much but to open up the windows that to with little relief. There were road mending work going on and hence all the dust was getting inside the car by its open windows. The road mending work was also creating traffic and had to stop at many places - on top the bright burning sun was getting to our nerves.

In between all this, we never fail to enjoy the beauty of nature. The mountain covered with the green - bluish river Ganga meandering in its deep gorge - fluffy white clouds floating around the mountain top - sometime accompanied by mist - only nature can be so beautiful. The heat and the frequent bending of the road got the better of me. I fell asleep as I tried to sit still with eyes close.

i woke up at Devprayag - Prayag means confluence of two rivers. At Devprayag, the Bhagirati river which flows from Gangotri meets Alaknanda river which flows all the way from Badrinath. Here the two rivers meet to form the river Ganga and hence this is a auspicious place. We didn't go down at the river bank but saw it from the road above which actually gave a beautiful scenario. Getting down from the car and spending time clicking photos and more photos made me feel better too.

From there, we crossed Bhagirati river and headed towards Srinagar with Alaknanda river flowing all the way up to the Kund.

We had stopped for lunch at a roadside dhaba which was somewhere between Devprayag and Lamchin. It was a small and very ordinary dhaba but the food they offered was extremely extraordinary. i was feeling badly sick by the time we reached the dhaba. I took a anti-vomiting tablet - God knows why i had not taken it earlier.

After 1/2 an hour break, we hit the road again. This time i didn't sleep and was feeling somehow okay ... but while looking out of the window, one wish crossed my mind thousand times - "i wish to break my journey here and spend the rest of the day on the riverside - walking on those sandy beach".

At late afternoon, we stopped for quick tea and snack break. There we again got to stretch our legs & click more photos (the activity we love to do most). Within 1/2 and hour, we finished our photo session and others finished their tea and we were on the road again. After some time, i felt a slight toothache (thanks to the wisdom tooth), which eventually gave to a bad headache. By the time we reached our hotel, my head was screaming with pain - i could barely keep my eyes open.

I couldn't eat more than two spoon of rice and dal - took a Disprin and went to sleep. Everyone was very worried for me esp. as we were to trek the next morning.

The next day i was feeling just fine, no headache, no pain. I was simply feeling fine and that made everybody happy and relieved. So with the feeling of refreshment and excitement we started our trek.

From Sonprayag, we took a shared taxi to Gauri Kund (fare cost Rs. 10/person). From the taxi stand, we crossed the Gauri Kund market, we bought walking stick - they help you to keep balance on the uneven trek route and of course looks like a pro trekker too.

Some useful and important information:

1. All the devotees travelling to Kedarnath shrine have to register themselves. There are registration counter at Haridwar, Rishikesh, Guptkashi, Phata, Sonprayag, Gauri Kund, and one near the Kedarnath temple. The registration is mandatory after the epic flood in 2013.

Can also register online. For registration, either online or over the counter, one must carry their mobile phone and one photo ID (ie. Aadhar card, Voter ID, Pan card, Driving License or Passport).

2. Carry sufficient cash for the stay at Sonprayag and Kedarnath. There are ATMs at Sonprayag but don't entirely depend on it - it may run out of cash. There is no ATM after Sonprayag. Our hotels at Sonprayag and Kedarnath didn't except card as payment. It would be wise-able to carry cash from Rishikesh.

3. As it's a long and steep trek, there are many option rather than walking. I personally feel walking is the best option though. I love walking and to be close to nature - i can't ask for more.

Pony/Horse - Fare Rs.4500/person - round trip.

Palanquins - Fare depend on the person's weight. Up to 75 kg Rs. 7950 - round trip.

Pittu/Kandi - Fare depend on the person's weight. Up to 50 kg Rs. 3350 - round trip.

Helicopter - Fast and no hard work ... fare between Rs. 6500 to Rs. 8000 depending on the season. Each year booking starts in February.

4. Do carry warm clothes as it is always slight cold up at Kedarnath. Rain coat - as you never know when it may start to rain in the Kedar valley. Refillable water bottle - so that you can refill drinking water from the taps installed at the trek route. The water is icy cold though.

Essential medicine - if required on the trek. Otherwise there is medical camps at Gauri Kund and Kedarnath.

There are many food stalls along the trek route - get the basic tea, biscuits, cold drinks, maggi and puri sabzi.

There are many government & private hotels - lodges available, which you can book in advance and make the stay more comfortable.

I will write about the real trek in my next post ...