Badrinath - Kedarnath in July or August

I amplanning to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath after second half of July/August. I am at Hyderabad and reach Haridwar by train. From there we will proceed to Gaurikund night halt next morning walking to Kedarnath night halt and next day try to visit vasuki Tal and return to Gaurikund same day, if possible. Gaurikund to Badrinath and stay for one day at Badrinath and return to Haridwar-stay one day and return to Hydeabad via Delhi.
My request is whether any buses/cabs to Rishikesh-Gaurikund, Gaurikund-Badrinath,Badrinath-Hardiwar. Thanks in advance to all the people who are helping me.
Regards
Subba Rao V.V.

Mod Note: Thread Retitled and moved to Uttarakhand forum.

subba rao, can you tell how many peoples are you?? at one place you mentioned I and other place you said WE...
are you a good trekker?? kedarnath to vasuki taal and back vasuki taal to gaurikund is very difficult in a single day... instead you can go till Gandhi sarovar (chorabari)
you will get GMVN buses and/or shared jeeps all over...

Tilakji
Actually myself(56years)along with my wife (55Years) are planning the trip. I regularly walk on plains for about6/7KMs. As suggested by you I will try to go to Vasuki Tal from Kedarnath and back and next day we will move to Gaurikund. I will try to take help of some guide at Kedarnath and will make the trip. Regarding the information about availability of buses of GMVNL & Shard jeeps, many thanks for the same.
Subba Rao V.V.

You have chosen a very bad time to visit. There will be heavy rains and land slides. This is also no time to go on treks.

yes vasuki and back to gaurikund is very tough...6/7 kms of plain is no comparison to the steeps of vasuki tal. a little way forward to vasuki tal is panya tal and u should also include it in your list. 1 kms downhill. if you start early morning then only you would reach back kedarnath on time. trek route is a little mystic and with bad weather it can be easily lost. though i was in the place with my friends and no guide but i would suggest you to arrange for some local guide. weather at vasuki-panya tal changes in seconds. dense fog and mist can make one loose the trail.(specially who are not accustomed to mountains ). best of luck and do ask if required.
happy trek...

footprint, this trek can get very trecherous if the weather turns bad and in July/August it can. Cloud bursts at this region had in past resulted in travellers almost losing their lives. Well I had been there in those parts many many moons ago but general scenario might not have changed. What do you say?

it would be good if u plan your trip in second half of august so that your plans are least hit by the rains. also the beauty you will se would be more mesmerizing(everything washed brightly in green). as far as buses and taxis are concerned you will easily get them during the yatra season. always remember to start as early as possible, both for catching buses and treks, so that you can compensate for any time lost or any unplanned incident.
best of luck.
happy trek...

you are right jyoti sir, few years back i had planned for panya & masar tal, but around13.00 weather suddenly changed and had to return back to kedarnath... infact could not go till Vasuki taal end, just half km before did U turn...
so not advisable in these isolated areas without a local guy...

Yes, Tilak bhai local guides can warn you about impending weather situation well in advance and the direction to turn to, temporary shelter or Gujjar huts etc.

Dear IM Members
Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions. As suggested I will re-workout my plan and try to visit during last week of Aug or Sept first fortnight. I hope it will be alright weather-wise. Regarding trekking to Vasuki Tal, without a local guide I may not venture. Thanks a lot.
V.V.Subba Rao.

First week of September is very good time, blue skies and lush green all around, much less crowd.
wish you a wonderful trip. While at Kedarnath enquire about guides for trekking. The staff at GMVN lodge may help.

Dear IM Friends
I tried GMVNL site for accommodation booking at Gaurikund, Kedarnath and Badarinath. When I get accommodation at Gaurikund, I could not get at kedarnath and again at Gaurikund and at Badarinath . In one site I observed number of hotels/ashrams at Gaurikund. Is it possible to get accommodation at those places (kedarnath & badarinath) without prior booking in Sept I week/II week. Can some IM friends help me in sorting out this accommodation issue.
Thanks in advance.
V.V.Subba Rao

You mean you could get accomodation at Gaurikund and Badrinath but not at Kedarnath? If yes grab them any way. And 2nd. week of September is not a rush season.

jyotirmoy is right. as i also told you that weather there changes thick and fast(though we went during rains without guide and it was also a different experience. consider lucky that we made upto panya tal.) you dont have to worry about the accomodation. book the hotels that are available now(as per your schedule) and dont worry about the rest. you will easily get accomodation at all the mentioned places.
also try to visit vasudhara if you are staying full day at badrinath. to will be able to visit mana(last indian village), various caves in mana(ramayana written in one of them, saraswati river, and the majestic vasudhara. 6-7 kms one side but quite easy....

let us know as your plan shapes up....IM people will help out at every step. thanks for noticing our advices. have a great trip