Bitten by the driving bug and spurred by school vacations which got further spurred by religious sentiments, two families of Delhi decided to drive down to …. ooops .... drive up to and visit and pay respects to Lord Kedarnath and Shri. Badrinath.
Boy, what a drive it was? To put it more simply - it was seven nights at seven different places - believe me - we were in real hurry to reach and then leave.
I would like to list down brief details of our travel for those who would be interested to undertake this journey by road (believe me, you have an option to fly also).
Day 1:
Leaving Delhi at 06.00hrs in the month of May, we took our first night halt at a place called Augustmuni in a lodge, right next to a river. Route taken was Delhi-Rishikesh-Deoprayag-Rudraprayag-Tilwara-Augustmuni. We stopped driving at 1830hrs, 450kms (of course with intermittent breaks in-between). The drive from Rudraprayag becomes narrower but very scenic and beautiful.
Day 2:
Leave by 0900hrs and Reach Gaurikund by 1300hrs. Bathe at Gaurikund and leave for Kedarnath on Ponies. It was hot in Gaurikund but weather changed drastically half way through at Rambara with cold and fast winds. By the time we reached Kedarnath, it was post 1900hrs, dark and we had to travel on ponies for the last 45 minutes in snowfall. After wetting our feet and clothes in snowfall, rain and mush and dark, we found a dharamshala and stayed overnight (in dark) as there was no power, as they shut the generators also.
Day 3:
After a visit to the Shrine in the morning, we left for our downhill trek (ooops. trek on ponies) and reached Gaurikund and rushed for our cars and drove and reached Tilwara and stayed overnight, GMVN accommodation - a beautiful place ahead of Augustmuni, where we had stayed while on our way up.
Day 4:
Left by 0900hrs and drove to Badrinath - a whole day’s drive. Caught the 1630hrs gate at Joshimath and reached Badrinath by 18630hrs, found accommodation and visited Lord Badri’s shrine.
Day 5:
We visited the shrine again and left by 1200hrs and just drove up to Manna village, paid a short visit and then left for Joshimath. We reached Joshimath and drove to Auli and stayed overnight at GMVN hut.
Day 6:
Left Auli by 1200hrs. Had targeted to reach Rishikesh but failed to do so, drove in the dark for an hour and a half and had to do an overnight stay at Deoprayg.
Day 7:
Stay at Rishikesh and left for Delhi the next day.
Road/Driving conditions:
I had great apprehensions and concerns regarding the road conditions to these two shrines . Infact, I could no where read about the conditions of the road, so that I could make up my mind about whether we could actually drive up to these two places but I believe in ’seeing and doing’ is believing. Travelling by bus is okay - you sit and leave it to the driver to take you there - I have a tendency to say a ’Thank You’ to the Driver after a Hill journey - just to express ’we made it’.
The drive to Kedarnath, I guess, was comparatively easy, though the roads are rough and broken and narrow on many stretches but the road to Badrinath was more tough, steep and treacherous. After Joshimath, (even the weather at Joshimath, I must say, is very very unpredictable - typical hill station weather) the weather is really very fluid and it starts and stops drizzling intermittently. Most part of the road is topped up with mud, though it seems so, although it is tarmaced and if it drizzles, then the road becomes quite muddy and slushy. At one point, my car got stuck in the slush, which usually gathers in the centre of the road, due to low ground clearance and I had to reverse a couple of times in rain and slush …. not to miss the drop ……to push through this. Although one will find at numerous places, the road builders and workers continuously working to better the roads but I feel, whatever best they do gets washed out by the continuously changing weather….alas. At many points on our way to Badrinath, we had to drive through running water and pebbled stones coming out from glaciers through which the road was passing.
Driving Advice:
- I feel, driving is not tiring, it is only the reflexes which diminish and that’s when one needs to stop.
- One night’s sleep and you are ready to go - sleep is important - believe me, you can drive on hungry stomach but not without adequate sleep.
- What I learnt on these roads and I would like to share is that please be careful of on-coming buses - they will not budge even an inch, will give no space and it is only you who are expected to move out of their way ….. Trucks are comparatively slow and considerate, so are the qualis and sumos but buses please......
- I am a relatively new driver but on my drives – hill drives, I make it a point, on a stretch, never to follow a vehicle or have one on my tail - it is difficult but it is doeable.
- Please be careful on blind bends (I mean bends too) it is just being a little extra careful, a little extra alert and a little extra slow, that’s all it takes to reach back ????? plus luck ?????
Cars/Fueling:
We did this in a WagonR and a Honda City. Fuelling is not a problem, neither is the average and is available at all the strategic points, though it is best to tank up, whatever little, where ever you see one.
I would not hesitate to say, our journey to these two shrines was event free, God forbid, I would do this again but at a more leisure pace, one at a time.
We covered a total distance of 1250 kms – delhi to delhi – fueled my WR for Rs.4500/- approx (higher side) plus boarding and lodging costs.
Gangotri is next – it is more difficult – Yamounotri thereafter.
Roadly advice is most welcome and look forward to it. thanks for reading.
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