Road/Traffic Conditions in Uttarakhand

Its good that you had a nice trip. Please post some pictures of the trip. I am also planning to visit VOF and Hemkund sahib in first week of October.

thanks Gururaj for the info. Has the rain subsided? How is the road condition? Is it broken / potholed?
I am planning to visit Badrinath with parents from Sep 18 but not sure about road and weathers conditions regarding rain and landslides.

Rains were there on and off. But Sept is receding rains time. So, I guess it may not be there that much. Road is definitely broken "literally" in many places but this is normal as per the local people. I guess you may need to take this risk and go ahead. But its definitely worth it! I did the same. :-))

Gururaj,
Will you mind sharing the itinerary that you followed? Did you take GVML Badrinath package?

Nope - I did not take any package:

Day 1: BLR - Delhi - Haridwar; Stay in Haridwar
Day 2: Haridwar - Joshimath; Stay in Joshimath
Day 3: Joshimath - Badrinath; Stay in Badrinath
Day 4: Badrinath - Srinagar; Stay in Srinagar
Day 5: Srinagar - Haridwar - Delhi

I had my aged parents and a 4 year old with me during the trip. So, did not push too much. Good to split up day 4/5 if you need a relaxed trip. I hired a vehicle from Delhi to complete this. Lot of folks do Haridwar - Badrinath on day 2 itself assuming there are no blocks in between (you need to leave Haridwar pretty early - 5 AM or so).

Infact, I had a buffer day in between. This came in handy when the Herlong-Pipakoti landslide occured on the way back.

Hope this helps.

thanks a lot gururaj. Its very helpful as I am also planning to visit Badrinath somewhere between sep end to mid-oct with my parents.

Hello,

I needed some advice :-)

Me,along with my friend,are planning for the Chardham yatra.We are not taking the GMVNL tour but planning to take the same route they suggest i.e
Rishikesh-Yamnotri-Gangotri-Gaumukh-Kedarnath-Badrinath and stay at GMVNL rest houses.

1)Would there be local transport available? Like from Rishikesh to Asnolgadh, Asnolgadh to Yamnotri or Yamnotri back to Barkot?

2)2 girls travelling on their own,is it safe? In times of say road blocks due to landslides?

3)And would it be cold at Kedarnath in september end?

Thanks.

1) Yes, transport will be available but start early for each destination.
2) It is safe.
3) It will be cold in Kedarnath, so go prepared.

Thanks Jitu.

I guess its going to be a superb :-)

Also,can we go to Bhojbasa-gaumukh?

Regards.

Yes of course! However, end September is time for returning monsoons which can cause heavy rains, so that is the only thing that can be a problem.

In case you are not aware, there is a limit of 150 people for gaumukh for which you have to take permit . Check the following thread:
Trekking to Gaumukh and Tapovan

If you're thinking of staying at Asnol Gad, don't bother. It's a very basic GMVN, actually meant for bus parking. Stay at Jankichatti, where the walking part starts. You'll also have a much greater choice of accom there, cheaper than GMVN even.

Hi all travel enthusiasts,

Just wanted to send an update. The rains are receding gradually in Rishikesh - Badrinath region. We had gone to Rishikesh-Badrinath during 10th to 14th September and just returned to new delhi today morning. At Badrinath, on 11th and 12th, it was continuously drizzling. Neelkanth peak was not visible due to clouds and fog during day time but on 12th night,we saw it standing majestically in full moonlight under the clear sky amongst the shining stars.
The roads were really bad starting from upper reaches of Rishikesh till Mana village. You really need a good expert driver acquainted with the tough terrain and having experience of maneouvering vehicle at trouble spots to lend you a little peace of mind. The mountains are crumbling and coming down in the entire stretch. Apart from the regular trouble points of sirobagarh etc., we encountered numerous blocks due to landslides, rockfall, broken roads, excessive slush/mud etc. New trouble spots are frequently cropping up such as the one just 1/2 km ahead of Birahi GMVN resort. Delays and road blocks are also being caused due to mad rush amongst everyone trying to get past/ overtake and beat the roadblocks which unfortunately leads to multiplying of jams instead of clearing and smooth traffic. It appeared that there is general apathy amongst authorities towards the deteriorating roads and connectivity and there is no coordination between the BRO, GREF and State machinery.Generally the speed of authorities in clearing landslides etc. was slow compared to other mountainous regions such as Himachal or North Bengal or Sikkim.
However, the visit was worth it. I Will carry the beautiful images forever in my memory. Had really good experience with GMVN. We were stuck at Birahi for six hours on 10th september from 3.30 PM and there was no way we could have reached Joshimath where we had booked accomodn. for the night. The Joshimath staff was extremely helpful over telephone and immediately transferred our booking to Birahi resort where we got one family suite and were able to spend the night while roadblock continued till early morning the next day.
No doubt the trip is fraught with dangers but that is why may be it will remain one of the most beautiful and cherish- able journeys for years to come.

Wishing all the best and a very happy and safe journey to all who are embarking on trip to Badrinath. Heartfelt thanks from me and my family to all on this forum who guided us with their valuable advice and suggestions related to the trip to Badrinath.

mkg580

@ mkg580
Nice to read the post. Our date of journey is approaching towards the same route - upto Chamoli. Hope everything will be normal by then.

We all would like to see your pics.

Thaknks mkg580 for detailed road condition. We will be going to Chopta and will be returning by the same route as route as yours. I will be starting in 15 days time. Hope the road conditions will improve by then.

@Jitu
Thanks. I didnt know about the permit for Gaumukh!I knew one needs it for Nandanvan-Tapovan but didnt know this.But this is really a good initiative,restricting the no of people.

@Dilliwala
Thanks!!! I was also wondering because my map doesnt have Asnolgadh!What a relief,we will proceed to Jankichhatti!Even the name is more assuring!

@mkg
I'm more worried after reading your post.I've been to Badrinath and I can picture the chaos on that road.Thanks for the update!

Just a query-
How does one go to Tapovan-Nandanvan?Is it done in a day?If not where does one stay,does one have to carry tents or is something available?

Thanks.