Perched along a slope just above the Alaknanda River in the upper reaches of the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, Joshimath is the winter seat of the Lord of Badrinath of famous Badrinath Temple. Over time, Joshimath has changed from being a laid back, transit station for pilgrims to revered shrines of Badrinath Hemkund Sahib, to an independent summer destination and a busy trading center servicing the needs of winter-sport resort of Auli.
Comfortable hotels, telecommunication services including mobile phone facilities and internet cafes, a fairly efficient public transport system, and various modes of entertainment make Joshimath a tourist attraction.
Auli is the winter-sport resort of Uttarakhand. Fourteen km by road above Joshimath, with 4.5 km long slopes, it is among the premier ski resorts of India. With some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalayas forming a magnificent backdrop, the resort offers excellent facilities for skiing (including a 300 mt long ski lift).
National Highway 58, that links the interiors of Garhwal to the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, passes through the Joshimath town. The best option to reach there is a combination of rail-and-road journey. The nearest railhead is Haridwar (on the main Delhi-Dehradun line), which is serviced by the early morning Shatabdi Express between Delhi and Dehradun and overnight Mussoorie Express, besides other trains. From Haridwar, the 280 km tourney has to be covered by road on National Highway 58.
The road route is as follows: Haridwar -- Rishikesh (25 km) -- Kaudiyala (39 km) -- Devprayag (33 km) -- Maletha (29 km) -- Srinagar (9 km) -- Rudraprayag (34 km) -- Gauchar (21 km) -- Karnaprayag (10 km) -- Nandprayag (21 km) -- Chamoli (10 km) -- Pipalkoti (17 km) -- Helang (21 km) -- Joshimath (13 km).
The hill road starts at Rishikesh. For most parts, the road negotiates tight curves, except where it stays along the river or climbs up high towards the ridge. For most parts it is a smooth hardtop road, narrow only at places. On the entire journey, you stay along the river Ganges or its constituent, the Alaknanda, and rarely climb very high above it, except between Kaudiyala and Devprayag and between Gauchar and Helang. There are many roadside dhabas (eateries) between Rishikesh and Kaudiyala.
Summer temperatures are warm during the day, though mornings and evenings are comfortably cool. Garhwal mandal Vikas Nigam, a Uttarakhand government facility, has tourist rest houses at Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kaudiyala, Devprayag, Srinagar (this Srinagar is a small town in Garhwal on way to Joshimath and Auli and not to be confused with the Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir), Rudraprayag, Nandprayag, Pipalkoti, and Joshimath.
The stretch of the river Ganges between Kaudiyala and Rishikesh is used for white-water rafting, with each section of about 12 km. There are a number of campsites on this stretch. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam also has a rafting site and tourist rest house at Kaudiyala.
A prayag is a confluence where another river/stream joins the river Ganges and each, therefore, is an important pilgrimage. At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda merge to give birth to the river Ganges. Mandakini (coming from Kedarnath in the Garhwal Himalayas) joins the alaknanda at Rudraprayag. Other rivers joining the Alaknanda are Pinder at Karnaprayag, Nandakini at Nandprayag, Dhauliganga at Joshimath and Vishnuganga at Vishnuprayag (en route to Badrinath).
Petrol and service station facilities are available all along the route. Taxis are easily available outside the railway station at Haridwar and near the bus station at Rishikesh. The journey from Haridwar to Joshimath in the taxi can take up to 12 hours.
Auli, primarily, has two attractions - a snow-sports resort in winter and a quiet retreat in summer. Winter-sports season generally starts from the middle of January and lasts till the end of March. This is the period of highest snow precipitation on the slopes. The slopes offer varied gradients suitable for both novices and the experienced, as well as a variety of sports and entertainment - skiing, sledge, snow-scooter etc. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam provides skiing and snow-sports equipment and instructors for casual visitors. They also conduct basic and advanced skiing courses.
Joshimath offers plenty of basic medical services, medical stores, foreign currency exchange facility at the State Bank of India, petrol station, market for daily needs, equipment hire (snow boots, jackets, woolen caps etc.) for skiing and trekking, guides for treks and tour operators, car hire, tourist information, and internet cafes.
Some hotels at Joshimath are: Uday Palace, Clifftop Club, Mount View, Dronagiri. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam's Tourist Rest House at Auli has wooden cottages, deluxe rooms, and dormitories.
Click here to view photos of the confluence at Devprayag, where the rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda merge to give birth to the river Ganges.
The stretch of the river Ganges between Kaudiyala and Rishikesh is used for white-water rafting, with each section of about 12 km. There are a number of campsites on this stretch. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam also has a rafting site and tourist rest house at Kaudiyala.
A prayag is a confluence where another river/stream joins the river Ganges and each, therefore, is an important pilgrimage. At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda merge to give birth to the river Ganges. Mandakini (coming from Kedarnath in the Garhwal Himalayas) joins the alaknanda at Rudraprayag. Other rivers joining the Alaknanda are Pinder at Karnaprayag, Nandakini at Nandprayag, Dhauliganga at Joshimath and Vishnuganga at Vishnuprayag (en route to Badrinath).
Petrol and service station facilities are available all along the route. Taxis are easily available outside the railway station at Haridwar and near the bus station at Rishikesh. The journey from Haridwar to Joshimath in the taxi can take up to 12 hours.
Auli, primarily, has two attractions - a snow-sports resort in winter and a quiet retreat in summer. Winter-sports season generally starts from the middle of January and lasts till the end of March. This is the period of highest snow precipitation on the slopes. The slopes offer varied gradients suitable for both novices and the experienced, as well as a variety of sports and entertainment - skiing, sledge, snow-scooter etc. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam provides skiing and snow-sports equipment and instructors for casual visitors. They also conduct basic and advanced skiing courses.
Joshimath offers plenty of basic medical services, medical stores, foreign currency exchange facility at the State Bank of India, petrol station, market for daily needs, equipment hire (snow boots, jackets, woolen caps etc.) for skiing and trekking, guides for treks and tour operators, car hire, tourist information, and internet cafes.
Some hotels at Joshimath are: Uday Palace, Clifftop Club, Mount View, Dronagiri. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam's Tourist Rest House at Auli has wooden cottages, deluxe rooms, and dormitories.
Click here to view photos of the confluence at Devprayag, where the rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda merge to give birth to the river Ganges.
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