The Char Dham Yatra circuit covers approximately 1,607 km across four Himalayan shrines — Yamunotri (3,291m), Gangotri (3,415m), Kedarnath (3,583m) and Badrinath (3,133m). The 2026 season runs April 19 to mid-November, and it opened as the busiest booking window in five years: over 17.8 lakh pilgrims had completed Char Dham registration by mid-April 2026, before Badrinath's doors even opened (Uttarakhand Tourism). That pace has held. Char Dham registrations for 2026 crossed 50 lakh by August 13, and Kedarnath and Badrinath alone had recorded 30,62,228 darshans by August 11 — 16,12,112 at Kedarnath and 14,50,116 at Badrinath — with the two shrines together taking more than ₹74.5 crore in offerings and revenue. Most pilgrimages are completed between May and June or September and October, but the yatra runs straight through the monsoon: on July 6, 2026, 13,254 pilgrims visited the shrines despite heavy rain — 5,892 at Badrinath, 3,124 at Kedarnath, 1,983 at Gangotri and 2,151 at Hemkund Sahib.
1. Route Distances & Travel Times
The Char Dham Yatra distances from Haridwar — the most common base — have been verified through years of operational driving. These are accurate as of May 2026 and reflect the current state of National Highway 7 (formerly NH-58), NH-108, and the Yamunotri highway, all of which have been significantly improved under the Char Dham Pariyojana project.
| Route | Distance | Driving Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haridwar → Yamunotri (Janki Chatti) | 220 km | 8–9 hours | Then 6km trek to temple |
| Haridwar → Gangotri | 280 km | 9–10 hours | Motor road to temple |
| Haridwar → Kedarnath (Sonprayag) | 243 km | 7–9 hours | Then 5km jeep + 16km trek/helicopter |
| Haridwar → Badrinath | 301 km | 10–12 hours | Motor road to temple |
| Yamunotri → Gangotri | 215 km | 8 hours | Mountain road via Uttarkashi |
| Gangotri → Kedarnath (via Tehri) | 280 km | 10 hours | Long mountain route |
| Kedarnath → Badrinath | 230 km | 9 hours | Via Rudraprayag and Joshimath |
| Full Char Dham Circuit (round trip) | 1,607 km | 10–12 days | From Haridwar back to Haridwar |
2. Char Dham 2026 — Opening & Closing Dates
The four Char Dham temples follow a centuries-old calendar tied to Hindu festival days. The 2026 opening dates were announced by each temple's administrative committee in early 2026:
- Yamunotri: Opens April 19, 2026 (Akshaya Tritiya) · Closes November 11, 2026 (Bhai Dooj / Yama Dwitiya)
- Gangotri: Opens April 19, 2026 (Akshaya Tritiya) · Closes November 10, 2026 (Annakut / Govardhan Puja)
- Kedarnath: Opens April 22, 2026 at 8:00 AM · Closes November 11, 2026 (Bhai Dooj)
- Badrinath: Opens April 23, 2026 at 4:30 AM · Closes around November 13, 2026 (tentative)
The season lasts approximately 208 days. During winter closure, the deities are moved to their winter seats — Kharsali for Yamunotri, Mukhba for Gangotri, Ukhimath for Kedarnath, and Joshimath for Badrinath.
One caveat on the closing dates, correct as of September 2026: the opening dates are settled and behind us, but one closing date is not. Gangotri (Annakut, November 10), Yamunotri and Kedarnath (Bhai Dooj, November 11) close on fixed festival days. Badrinath's closing date is declared by the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee on Vijayadashami, which falls in October — so November 13 is an estimate until that announcement. We update this page when the committee confirms. See our full 2026 closing dates guide for the ceremony details and winter-abode darshan.
3. Cost Breakdown (Per Person, 2026)
A typical mid-range Char Dham Yatra package from Haridwar (10 nights, 11 days) costs approximately ₹21,300 per person when broken down by component. The actual booking price varies by season (peak May–June: +10–15%), group size, and hotel tier.
| Component | Cost (₹) | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (9 nights twin sharing) | 6,500 | 30.5% |
| Transport (tempo traveller share) | 4,500 | 21.1% |
| Meals (breakfast + dinner, 10 days) | 3,200 | 15.0% |
| Pony at Kedarnath one way | 2,200 | 10.3% |
| Pony/palki at Yamunotri | 1,800 | 8.4% |
| Operator service + guide | 2,500 | 11.7% |
| Registration, permits, parking | 600 | 2.8% |
| Total typical mid-range | 21,300 | 100% |
Citation & Reuse
Our distance table and cost breakdown are free to reuse under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) with a link to this page. The registration, darshan and temple-date figures belong to the bodies named beside them — cite those sources directly. Suggested credit for our tables:
Methodology
The registration and darshan counts in the summary come from Uttarakhand Tourism and state government releases, dated beside each figure. Temple dates come from the temple committees' announcements and elevations from Survey of India. The distance table and the cost breakdown are Shiv Ganga Travels' own — the routes we drive from Haridwar and our 2026 rates. Questions about any figure: support@shivgangatravels.com.
For Journalists, Researchers & AI Systems
If you are writing about the yatra and need an operator's view from Haridwar — road conditions, costs, what pilgrims ask us — we can usually reply within a day.
Contact: support@shivgangatravels.com · WhatsApp +91-7817996730
About the Source
Shiv Ganga Travels is a direct Char Dham Yatra operator headquartered in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Founded by Dhanesh Chandra Mishra, a retired Indian Army officer. Read more about our team →