The Yatra season is fast approaching, and people are already planning their pilgrimage journeys. One of the most famous pilgrimage spots is Kedarnath. The Kedarnath Yatra is undertaken by thousands and thousands of tourists every year, from the moment it opens to the moment it closes for the winter.
The Kedarnath Temple is located in Uttarakhand and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is also a part of the Chota Char Dham Yatra, which makes it really holy and pious.
Since there will be several pilgrims visiting the Yatra next year as well, it is always best to pre-book your hotels/accommodations or else they get filled quite quickly. A lot of people are unaware of the booking process, and what are the different types of stay options in Kedarnath. Hence, we have listed out a few options that wherein you can stay while on your Kedarnath sojourn, and also the process to book them.
The Types Of Accommodation In Kedarnath And How To Book Them
Government Camps
If you wish to stay near the Kedarnath Temple or the Kedarnath Helipad, then you will mostly have to opt for the government camp located about 4 km from the main shrine of Kedarnath. These tents are sanctioned by the government and are quite cheap. These tents are maintained by the GMVN department. You will have all the basic facilities, and the stay is actually quite comfortable. There is something quite soothing to stay at Kedarnath, and have access to the temple at any point of the day. The camp is also flanked with many restaurants, and you can easily eat a wholesome vegetarian meal for about INR 100. There is also a government-sanctioned canteen inside the camp, wherein you can go and eat for a fixed price.
The Government camps comprise of several accommodation types:
- Swarga Rohini Camp- In this camp you will have to sleep in dormitories which cost about INR 300 per person. It is located close to the Kedarnath Helipad. In this kind of accommodation, you will have a quality blanket and bed. You might also have private bathrooms.
- Nandi Complex (Pre Fabricated Huts)- This complex houses small huts that have six bedded dormitories. It is more or less provided on a sharing basis. Each hut has an attached bathroom.
- Kedarnath Base Camp (1 km)- Nandi Complex Tents- If you wish to have good access to the main shrine at Kedarnath, and wish to stay as close as possible to the temple, then this is your best option. Located just about 1 km from the Kedarnath Temple, this accommodation is mainly for devotees and pilgrims coming to Kedarnath in the peak season. It is quite difficult to get an available room at this camp.
How To Book
In the 2013 Kedarnath floods, most of the hotels were washed away. Since then Kedarnath has been rebuilt and has moved towards being quite tourists friendly while practicing sustainable tourism as well. Thus, they have not yet allowed any other private companies to open hotels here at Kedarnath. These camps are the only accommodation that you will find at Kedarnath, which makes them hugely popular. During the peak season, it gets almost impossible to secure a booking here, so you need to plan your dates from beforehand and check the availability at least 3-4 months prior.
There are two ways to book your stay at the GMVN Camps in Kedarnath:
Online:
Visit the main website of the GMVN department, and you will find all the details about the kind of camps and their rates. You can also check the availability of these rooms/tents for a given date. The rates are also higher during the peak season (May to June), then during the off-season (July to Oct). You can also email them if you have any more queries about the booking.
Booking Office:
The head office of GMVN is located in Dehradun, and their Yatra Office is located at Rishikesh. You can directly visit one of the offices to book your stay. You can also call them if you have further queries about your bookings.
Stay At Gaurikund
Gaurikund Taxi Stand
While staying at Kedarnath itself is quite a divine and enchanting experience, yet, more often than not, it is quite hard to find accommodation at Kedarnath. This is due to the heavy traffic of pilgrims that visit every year and opt to stay at Kedarnath.
In this case, if you are unable to get accommodation at Kedarnath, then you can stay at Gaurikund.
Gaurikund is the last motorable road before Kedarnath, and the trek to Kedarnath starts from Gaurikund. Located about 16 km from Kedarnath.
A lot of pilgrims and tourists stay at Gaurikund as well, since there are several budgets stay options here.
You will also find a GMVN tourist bungalow here, which is quite affordable and pocket-friendly. These bungalows have all the basic necessities, including community kitchen and bathrooms. You can also get delicious steaming hot food here for a little fee of INR 60.
Gaurikund also has many ashrams/Dharamshala, which offer free stays to the pilgrims and tourists. You may have to pay a small donation amount while leaving, but technically the stay is all free.
How to Book stay near Gaurikund
You can book these ashrams through their websites, or directly when you are at Gaurikund. Just list a few ashrams (just in case you chosen one doesn’t have vacant) and visit them directly when you reach Gaurikund. Since most pilgrims stay at Gaurikund only for a night or two, you might be able to get a room quite easily. However, you should pre-book your stay, and visit their websites to book your stay online. This will ensure that you have a place to stay upon reaching. The journey to Gaurikund can get quite tiring, so it is best to pre-book your stay than having to roam around and find one. While it is relatively easy to find an ashram in the offseason, it can get quite hectic and difficult to find one in the peak season.
Some of the ashrams don’t have their own website, and thus you cannot pre-book them through an online portal. To book these ashrams, you will have to directly come to the ashram and get your room.
Gaurikund also has very few budget-friendly hotels, which are mainly owned by private companies. These hotels are quite comfortable and have all the basic facilities. These hotels are a little more expensive than ashrams or Dharamshalas.
You can also stay at places like Gauptkashi, and Sonprayag, both of which have more luxury stay options. You can book these hotels online.
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