Barkot is where the Char Dham Yatra actually begins. Not spiritually — that is Yamunotri, the next morning — but practically. After seven or eight hours of driving from Haridwar you arrive here in the evening at 1,220 m, eat, and sleep badly because you are getting up at four. Almost every itinerary on the circuit has this night in it, and almost nobody writes about the town, because there is not much to write. What there is, is worth getting right.
What Is Barkot?
The town sits in a broad part of the Yamuna valley with apple orchards on the terraces and deodar on the slopes above. Between late April and November it is full of pilgrims and the hotels run at capacity; the rest of the year it goes back to being a quiet district town. There is no great monument here and no reason to pretend otherwise. Barkot’s value is entirely in where it sits.
Barkot to Yamunotri — the Actual Day
| Stage | Distance | How | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barkot → Janki Chatti | 36 km | Road, via Hanuman Chatti | 1.5 hrs |
| Janki Chatti → Yamunotri | 5–6 km | Foot, pony or palki | 2–3 hrs up |
| At the temple | — | Surya Kund, Divya Shila, darshan | 1–1.5 hrs |
| Yamunotri → Janki Chatti | 5–6 km | Descent | 1.5–2 hrs |
| Janki Chatti → Barkot | 36 km | Road | 1.5 hrs |
That is a nine to eleven hour day, round trip, and it is why the 4 AM departure is not operator sadism. Leave at seven and you are trekking down in the dark. At the top there is the Surya Kund hot spring, where people cook rice tied in cloth and carry it back as prasad, and the Divya Shila rock slab that is worshipped before entering the temple. Full detail on the shrine itself is in our Yamunotri temple guide.
Barkot or Janki Chatti?
A genuine choice, and most people get told the wrong answer.
| Base | Altitude | Rooms | The trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barkot | 1,220 m | Plenty, decent, real food | A 36 km drive at 4 AM, and a proper night's sleep |
| Janki Chatti | ~2,650 m | Limited and basic | Start at the trailhead — but colder, thinner air, worse beds |
We use Barkot for essentially every group. The 1,400 m difference in sleeping altitude matters more than the drive does, especially on night one when nobody is acclimatised yet, and the food and rooms are not close. Janki Chatti makes sense only if you are travelling very light and very early in the season when Barkot is full.
How to Reach Barkot
| From | Distance | Time | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haridwar | 220 km | 7–8 hrs | Rishikesh → Narendranagar → Chamba → Naugaon |
| Rishikesh | 200 km | 7 hrs | The standard operator route |
| Dehradun | 130 km | 5 hrs | Via Mussoorie and Kempty Falls — scenic, slower |
| Mussoorie | 100 km | 4 hrs | Kempty Falls en route |
| Uttarkashi | 100 km | 4 hrs | The onward leg towards Gangotri |
| Janki Chatti | 36 km | 1.5 hrs | The Yamunotri roadhead |
Nearest railheads are Rishikesh and Haridwar; nearest airport is Jolly Grant at Dehradun. The Mussoorie route is prettier and passes Kempty Falls, but it is slower and clogged in season — we run the Rishikesh road and stop at Kempty on the way back instead, when nobody is in a hurry.
Where Barkot Sits on the Circuit
On a full Char Dham itinerary the sequence is fixed by geography: Haridwar to Barkot, Yamunotri and back, then on to Uttarkashi for Gangotri, then the long crossing east to the Kedarnath and Badrinath valleys. Barkot is nights one and two, and if you drop Yamunotri — which is one of the standard Teen Dham choices — you drop Barkot with it and start from Uttarkashi instead.
One thing worth knowing while you are here: Kharsali, just across the river from Janki Chatti, is the winter seat of Yamunotri. From November to April the deity is worshipped there rather than at the temple, in the same arrangement that sends Kedarnath down to Ukhimath. Almost no one visits it in season, and it is a five-minute detour from the roadhead.
When to Go
The Yamunotri season, roughly 19 April to mid-November. May and June are peak and Barkot’s hotels sell out well ahead. September and October are better in every way except that the days are shorter, which matters on a trek day.
Avoid July and August. The road through Naugaon and up to Janki Chatti is landslide-prone, the trek is genuinely unpleasant in heavy rain, and the Yamuna runs high and brown. See our monsoon safety notes and the road status page before travelling in the rains.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Barkot known for?
Being the base for Yamunotri. It sits at 1,220 m in Uttarkashi district on the Yamuna, and it is where almost every Char Dham itinerary spends its first night. From here it is 36 km by road to Janki Chatti and then a 5–6 km trek to the temple. Barkot itself is a modest market town — apple orchards, deodar on the slopes above, and a lot of pilgrim traffic between late April and November.
How far is Barkot from Yamunotri?
About 36 km by road to Janki Chatti, roughly an hour and a half on mountain road, then 5–6 km on foot to the temple at 3,293 m. Allow a full day for the round trip from Barkot and start early — most groups leave between 4 and 5 AM.
How do I reach Barkot from Haridwar?
About 220 km, seven to eight hours via Rishikesh, Narendranagar, Chamba and Naugaon. The alternative route via Dehradun and Mussoorie is scenic and passes Kempty Falls, but it is slower and busier in season. Most operators, us included, run the Rishikesh road.
Should I stay at Barkot or Janki Chatti?
Barkot, in almost every case. It has far more rooms, better food, mobile signal that works, and pharmacies. Janki Chatti is closer to the trek but the accommodation is basic and limited, and it fills up first. The 36 km drive at 4 AM is the price of a decent night's sleep, and it is worth paying.
What is the altitude of Barkot?
About 1,220 m. Low enough that altitude is not an issue here, which is exactly why it works as a first night — you sleep comfortably before going up to 3,293 m at Yamunotri the next day. Janki Chatti, by contrast, is around 2,650 m.
Is the Yamunotri trek difficult?
It is the gentler of the two Char Dham treks — 5–6 km from Janki Chatti against 16 km at Kedarnath, with a steady rather than brutal gradient. Most reasonably fit people manage it in two to three hours. Ponies and palkis are available the whole way for those who cannot walk it.
What is there to do in Barkot itself?
Not a great deal, and that is fine — it is a staging post, not a destination. The apple orchards on the slopes above are worth a walk in season, and the Yamuna running through the town is pleasant at dusk. Most people arrive in the evening, eat, and are gone before dawn.
When is the best time to visit Barkot?
Late April to June and September to early November, matching the Yamunotri season. The temple opens around 19 April and closes near Bhai Dooj in November. Avoid July and August — the road through Naugaon and up to Janki Chatti is landslide-prone and the trek is miserable in heavy rain.
Is there mobile network at Barkot?
Yes, generally reliable, which is more than can be said for most of what follows. Signal deteriorates sharply on the road up to Janki Chatti and is largely absent on the Yamunotri trek. Barkot is a good place to make the calls you need to make.
Does Barkot work as a base for Gangotri too?
Not really. Gangotri is reached from Uttarkashi, about 100 km further on, and that is where you should sleep for it. Barkot is a Yamunotri base. The standard sequence is Barkot for Yamunotri, then move to Uttarkashi for Gangotri the following day.
Retired Indian Army officer, founded Shiv Ganga Travels in 2010. Fifteen seasons of first nights at Barkot, and the advice about booking the pony before you climb rather than after comes from watching a lot of people learn it the hard way. More about the team.
Char Dham with the Yamunotri day planned properly
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The questions pilgrims most commonly search on Google about this yatra.