Quick answerAlmost everyone comes to Chopta for the Tungnath climb and leaves the next morning. The area around it holds a full second day: Deoria Tal, a lake at about 2,438 m reached by a short steep walk from Sari village; Ukhimath 13 km away, where Kedarnath spends the winter; Makkumath, the winter seat of Tungnath; and the meadows at Baniyakund and Dugalbitta where most of the camps actually are.
Chopta is not really a town. It is a bend in the road at around 2,680 m with a few buildings on it, and the reason to be there is everything within twenty kilometres. The Tungnath and Chandrashila climb has its own guide on this site — this page is about the other day, the one most visitors never plan for.
What to see, and how long each takes
Place
Distance
Time needed
What it is
Deoria Tal
2.5–3 km walk from Sari
Half a day
A lake at about 2,438 m that holds the reflection of the Chaukhamba range on a still morning. The walk up from Sari village is short and steep. Camping beside it is permitted and it is the single best sunrise in this area.
Sari Village
~20 km from Chopta
Trailhead
Where the Deoria Tal path starts. A small Garhwali village with a few homestays, useful if you want to be at the lake for first light rather than driving out from Chopta in the dark.
Kanchula Korak Musk Deer Sanctuary
On the Chopta road
1 hr
A small protected patch of rhododendron and oak on the road below Chopta, set up for musk deer conservation. Sightings are genuinely rare — go for the forest rather than the animal.
Baniyakund & Dugalbitta
3–7 km
1–2 hrs
The meadow stretches just below Chopta where most of the camps actually sit. Chopta itself is only a handful of buildings on a bend, so this is where people end up sleeping.
At 1,311 m, this is where Kedarnath spends the winter — the deity is brought down here when the portals close in November. Also the winter seat of Madhyamaheshwar. A far more significant stop than its size suggests.
Makkumath
~10 km
1–2 hrs
The winter seat of Tungnath, in a village off the Ukhimath road. When the Tungnath temple closes for the season, worship moves here. Almost nobody visits, which is much of its appeal.
The highest Shiva temple at 3,680 m, with the Chandrashila summit at 4,000 m another 1.5 km above it. This is the reason most people come to Chopta and it has a guide of its own.
Rohini Bugyal
Short walk from Chopta
2 hrs
A quiet meadow on the far side of the road from the Tungnath trail. Worth an hour if the weather has closed in on the summit and the main climb is off.
Deoria Tal needs its own morning
The lake sits at about 2,438 m above Sari village, which is roughly twenty kilometres from Chopta by road. The walk up is only two and a half to three kilometres but it is steep enough to take an hour and a half at an ordinary pace. What you are going for is the reflection of the Chaukhamba range on still water, and that means being there at sunrise.
Driving out from Chopta before dawn to make it is possible and unpleasant. Sleeping at a homestay in Sari, or camping by the lake itself, is how people who have done it twice do it the second time.
The two winter seats
This corner of Garhwal holds two of them. Ukhimath at 1,311 m takes the Kedarnath deity when the portals close in November, and Madhyamaheshwar’s as well. Makkumath, a few kilometres off the same road, takes Tungnath’s. Between them they mean that in January, when both high shrines are under snow and shut, you can still have darshan of each within an hour’s drive of the other.
What we tell our own groups
Two nights, not one. Groups that give Chopta a single night arrive in the afternoon, walk to Tungnath at dawn, and drive out by noon — which means Deoria Tal and Ukhimath never happen. The second night costs very little here because the camps are cheap, and it is the difference between a stop and a place you have actually been.
Yes, though most people never find that out. Deoria Tal is a genuinely good half-day on its own, Ukhimath 13 km away is where Kedarnath winters, and the meadows around Baniyakund and Dugalbitta are the reason the area is called the mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand. Two nights lets you do all of it without rushing the summit.
Drive about 20 km to Sari village, then walk 2.5 to 3 km uphill. The path is short but steep and takes most people an hour to an hour and a half. If you want the Chaukhamba reflection at sunrise, sleep at Sari or camp by the lake rather than trying to drive out from Chopta before dawn.
Ukhimath at 1,311 m is the winter seat. When the Kedarnath portals close in November the deity is carried down and worshipped at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath until the shrine reopens in late April. Kedarnath itself is at 3,583 m and closed through those months.
April to June for rhododendrons and clear meadows, and September to November for the cleanest Himalayan views. December to March brings snow, which is beautiful and makes the Tungnath trail a proper winter walk needing gear. July and August are monsoon and best avoided on these roads.
Chopta is a handful of buildings on a road bend, not a town. Most accommodation is camps and small lodges at Baniyakund and Dugalbitta a few kilometres below, or homestays at Sari if Deoria Tal is your priority. Ukhimath has the most conventional rooms.
Yes, and it fits neatly. Pilgrims who have finished Kedarnath and are heading for Badrinath can detour via Ukhimath, sleep at Chopta, walk to Tungnath the next morning and rejoin the highway afterwards. It adds a day and a half to a standard circuit.
People Also Ask
The questions pilgrims most commonly search on Google about this yatra.
Tungnath, the highest Shiva temple at 3,680 m, and the Chandrashila summit above it. Beyond the trek, Deoria Tal, the meadows at Baniyakund and Dugalbitta, and Ukhimath where Kedarnath spends the winter.
About 20 km by road to Sari village, then a 2.5 to 3 km uphill walk of an hour or so to the lake.
For the open high-altitude meadows — bugyals — that run either side of the road between Dugalbitta and Chopta at around 2,680 m, backed by the Chaukhamba and Kedarnath peaks.
About 235 km via Rishikesh, Devprayag, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath, taking seven to eight hours. The final 13 km from Ukhimath is a narrow mountain road.
Yes, from around December through March, and the Tungnath trail becomes a snow walk needing proper footwear. Roads can close after heavy falls, so check conditions before setting out in mid-winter.
Dhanesh Chandra Mishra is a retired Indian Army officer who founded Shiv Ganga Travels in Roorkee, Uttarakhand in 2010. His military background — precision, accountability, zero tolerance for shortcuts — defines how the company operates. He has personally driven the Kedarnath and Badrinath routes hundreds of times and remains actively involved in every yatra season.
✓ Retired Indian Army Officer✓ Founded Shiv Ganga Travels 2010✓ 50,000+ pilgrims served✓ 15 seasons on Char Dham routes