Explore Uttarakhand by road: every place, region by region

• 16

  Places in this guide

• 16

  Places with measured road distances

• 6

  Ready-made circuits

• 1

  UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Road distances come from our route catalog (by road, never straight-line guesses); fares are indicative (Oct 2026) from our published rate method, and every place links its official page.

Char Dham

Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath

Haridwar and Rishikesh

Haridwar, Rishikesh

Hemkund Sahib

Valley of Flowers & Hemkund Sahib

Kumaon temples

Almora, Mukteshwar, Nainital

Piran Kaliyar dargah

Piran Kaliyar (near Roorkee)

1. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National ParksInscribed 1988

• Haridwar, Rishikesh and Mussoorie from DelhiFrom Delhi: Haridwar → Rishikesh → Mussoorie4 days584 km17-seater ₹28,200–34,500Photo: आशीष_भटनागर, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
• Jim Corbett, Nainital and Mukteshwar from DelhiFrom Delhi: Jim Corbett (Ramnagar) → Nainital → Mukteshwar5 days711 km17-seater ₹35,400–43,300Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
• Kumaon hills: Nainital, Almora and KausaniFrom Delhi: Nainital → Almora → Kausani5 days811 km17-seater ₹35,400–43,300Photo: Praveen Singh Bisht, CC BY 2.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
• Valley of Flowers, Hemkund Sahib and AuliFrom Rishikesh: Valley of Flowers → Auli7 days600 km17-seater ₹49,700–60,700Photo: Original: Rohit Sharma Derivative work: UnpetitproleX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
• Piran Kaliyar, Haridwar and Rishikesh from RoorkeeFrom Roorkee: Piran Kaliyar → Haridwar → Rishikesh2 days111 km17-seater ₹14,000–17,100Photo: कृष्ण कान्त शर्मा, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
• Dehradun and Mussoorie from SaharanpurFrom Saharanpur: Dehradun → Mussoorie2 days199 km17-seater ₹14,000–17,100Photo: ArmouredCyborg, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

• Every pilgrim registers with the Uttarakhand government before the yatra; operators ask for the registration of each traveller.
• Tempo travellers and mini buses suit the mountain roads; the Char Dham roads are closed to all traffic at night (roughly 10 pm to 4 am), so plan every hill day to end before dark.
• Kedarnath and Yamunotri are reached on foot, by pony or palki from the road head; Gangotri and Badrinath by road.
• Monsoon landslides (July–August) can close roads for hours: keep a spare day.

Uttarakhand Tourism (official)Shri Badarinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee

• Hill roads are slow: plan on short drive days and early starts.
• Large buses are not always allowed into Mussoorie and Nainital in peak season: groups switch to smaller vehicles or park at the edge of town.
• Snow can close the roads to Auli and the higher Kumaon towns in winter for a day or two.

1. MarInternational Yoga Festival · RishikeshA week of yoga, meditation and talks on the Ganga each March.
2. AprKumbh and Ardh Kumbh · HaridwarHaridwar hosts the Kumbh Mela in its turn every twelve years and the Ardh Kumbh at six, with great bathing days at Har ki Pauri.
3. MayChar Dham opening · Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and BadrinathThe four shrines open around Akshaya Tritiya in late April or May and close after Diwali, when the deities move to their winter seats.Shri Badarinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee
4. JulKanwar Yatra · HaridwarIn the month of Shravan (July–August), lakhs of kanwariyas carry Ganga water from Haridwar back to their home temples.
5. SepNanda Devi Mela · Almora and NainitalKumaon's fair for the goddess Nanda Devi in August–September, with processions in Almora and Nainital.

• Aloo ke gutke: Spiced hill potatoes, the Kumaoni snack.
• Kafuli and phaanu: Garhwali greens and lentil dishes eaten with rice or mandua roti.
• Bal mithai and singori: Almora's chocolate-brown fudge and the sweet wrapped in a leaf.
• Chotiwala thali: The vegetarian thalis of Rishikesh and Haridwar.
• Bhatt ki churkani: Black soybean curry from Kumaon.

• A family or pilgrim group is doing Haridwar and Rishikesh, the Char Dham or Do Dham (Kedarnath and Badrinath), or Hemkund Sahib, and needs one tempo traveller or mini bus with a driver who knows the hill roads.
• A school, college or office group from Delhi NCR, Roorkee, Saharanpur or Dehradun is going to Mussoorie, Nainital, Jim Corbett or Auli.
• A group from Roorkee or western Uttar Pradesh is going to Piran Kaliyar, Haridwar and Rishikesh.
• A visitor from abroad lands at Delhi (DEL) or Dehradun (DED) and wants a vehicle with a driver, with itemised quotes from verified operators.