Road/Traffic Conditions in Uttarakhand

Almoraboy

this is the link:

http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-n...ational/1/20/1

now, just to make myself clear -> there are two roads from tawaghat. one goes north towards lipulekh (under construction)

the other goes west towards darma valley. it goes till sobla/dar. now, on this road, another road diverges at kanchoti. this road climbs up all the way till narayan ashram.

i am trying to PM u the kmz files i have for maps and roads. that gives a better idea. nest and wings is hopelessly out of scale.

Attached Files

Uttaranchal Places.zip (36.7 KB, 29 views)

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Almoraboy

ok, the road map can be downloaded from here

mountainlad

I could not locate the Jagran link (although I did read it when it came out), but here is a link from Tribune:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090217/dplus.htm#3

In the aftermath of the Jagran news-item, I was having a phone conversation someone who was responsible for getting these roads around Tawaghat constructed about 30 yrs ago, and the person concurred with DahuliGanga project's assertion that it was not their blasting but the geological characteristics of the feature that were responsible for the slide. That would make stabilizing new road project to Lipulekh somewhat of a challenge.

Added later: AB is correct. The road from Dharchula bifurcates at Tawaghat, the right branch continuing to Mangti Nullah. The left one proceeds along the left bank of Dhauli towards Sobala. On the way to Sobala, a bifurcation to the right (over a bridge on Dhauli) at Kanchoti will put you on the road to NS Ashram. It was jeepable road till the ashram last I visited in 2003. Not sure if that has been extended of late.

suryavir

A big thanks to all of you for posting excellent information that is especially valuable for newbie travelers like myself! I have lived abroad for over 3 decades and have not done any traveling in India except visit family and friends in Bombay. This time the family (with 2 children) is planning a trip to Badrinath, VOF, and Hemkunt, from July 3 to July 11.

Are the roads safe typically in July during that time especially for traveling with children? I have factored inconvenience, anticipating that we will be stuck on the roads a few times because of landslides. So strict adherence to the itinerary will not probably not be possible. But I would like to feel safe at least!

Any thoughts /recommendations on the above as well as the proposed itinerary would be truly appreciated.



TENTATIVE ITINERARY

Day 01 July 3, Fri: Haridwar / Rishikesh

ArrivalDehradunAirport, Meet & Assist further drive to Haridwar. Later
drive to Haridwar Check-in to Hotel. Visit Har-ki-Pauri for Ganga Aarti in
evening. Back to hotel, Overnight Stay at hotel.



Day 02 July 4, Sat: Joshimath ( approx 12 hrs )

After breakfast,Morning, drive straight to Joshimath en-route visit
Devprayag, Rudraprayag & Karnprayag. On Arr. Joshimath, Check in Hotel.
Overnight stay at hotel .



Day 03 July 5, Sun: Badrinath ( approx 42 kms ) Darshan, pooja

After breakfast, Drive to Badrinath via Joshimath. Check in Hotel. Later
visit BadrinathTemple. There are other interesting sight seeing spot like
Mana, Vyas Gufa,Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka, Bhimkund and the "Mukh" of the
SaraswatiRiver. Just within the three kms of Badrinathjee. Overnight stay
at hotel .



Day 04 July 6, Mon: Ghangharia ( approx 25 kms )

After breakfast, drive to Govindghat . Trek start from here to Ghangharia
(3000 mts.) Check in to Hotel Overnight at Ghangaria.



Day 05 July 7, Tue: Valleyof Flower(approx 3kms /3hr each side )

After breakfast, trek to Valley of Flowers covered by rare species of
flowers & a wide variety of Butterflies, Musk Deer, Thar & serow . Back to
Ghangaria. Overnight at Ghanghariya.



Day 06 July 8, Wed: Hemkund Sahib (approx 5.5kms /5hr each side)

After breakfast, early morning, trek start from Ghangaria to Hemkund
Sahib. Return back to Ghangaria after Darshan. Overnight stay at hotel .



Day 07 July 9, Thu: Govindghat ( approx 13kms trek down )

After breakfast, trek back to Govindghat. Drive back to Joshimath,
Check-in to Hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.



Day 08 July 10, Fri: Rishikesh ( approx 12hrs )

After Breakfast ,Drive to Rishikesh, the 'place of sages' is a celebrated
spiritual town on the bank of Ganga and is surrounded by Shivalik range of
the Himalayason three sides.Check in Hotel. Later at evening visit
Rishikesh Temples & Sight Seeing – Laxman Jhulla, Ram Jhulla, Triveni
Ghat, Bharat Mandir, Shivananda Ashram, Parmarth Ashram (Ganga Aarti).
Overnight stay.



Day 09 July 11, Sat: DehradunAirport

After Breakfast Drive from Rishikesh to DehradunAirport.

Suggested Hotels



Hotels


Haridwar – Hotel Country Inn Suites (A/C) www.
countryinns.com


Joshimath – Hotel Dronagiri (S.Dlx.) www.
dronagirihotel.com


Badrinath – Sarovar Portico (Cent. Heated) www.
sarovarhotels.com


Ghangaria – Sarovar Portico ( Tent ) www.
sarovarhotels.com


Rishikesh – HotelVasundharaPalace(A/C) www.vasundhara
palace.com

jituyadav

Hi Suryavir
Travelling in july can be a bit troublesome in hills as it is monsoon season. That can still be managed, but trekking, and that too of VOF,I would advice against it.

suryavir

Thank you, Jitu, for responding. I do genuinely appreciate it. However, can you elaborate a bit further? Are you recommending against the VOF or both VOF and Hemkund? Would you be concerned about the trek to Ghanghariya, or only going further from Ghanghariya? I imagine if it's raining the treks will be quite slick and slippery. Can they become dangerous? We can do with some minor inconvenience but we are not looking for a pulse raising adventure!

What is your opinion of the overall itinerary and the accommodations? Also, what are the best vehicles to rent? We may be a party of 3 or party of 7, depending on who joins us.

I would appreciate a reply from you or any of the other informed readers on this great forum. Thanks in advance!

jituyadav

Both VOF and hemkund.Hemkund is in fact more difficult than VOF. Ghanghariya needs to be covered only if one has to go to VOF or hemkund. So I would say to drop the entire trekking schedule. Of course, the sky may be clear and all may be fine but it still is a risk best avoided specially with children.
The rest of the itinerary seems fine. Hire a vehicle like Scorpio or innova. Avoid small cars.
All the best, I hope it’s fun all the way.
You can think of visiting other places on the way if you have to skip the trek.

suryavir

Thanks again, Jitu. I will certainly keep your advice in mind, and watch out for the weather. How many passengers (excluding the chauffer) can the Innova / Scorpio accommodate?

jituyadav

7 persons can travel in both.But all adults may make it a bit conjested so some use of childern here

Aishah

Keep in mind that it rains nearly everyday at some time or other, in July, suryavir. I think not a good idea to have the tent accommodation that you have mentioned above. Good luck with your journey!

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livinhimalayas

July in the mountains and all I can think of is leechees!! eeeks !!

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suryavir

Thanks, Jitu, Aishah, and livinghimalaya. The last comment has me wondering: How bad is the leech problem? Is it so bad that one must worry about the safety of one's family? Also, are there any precautionary measures? I read somewhere that you should carry salt. Is that for rubbing on to your body if a leech attaches, or is it applied to ward the buggers off in the first place. Please pardon my ignorance about these matters. As you can tell, I have very little experience roughing it out in the wilderness!

Further, can you guys suggest some alternate itinerary if we decide to skip VOF and Hemkund? We would end up with at least 3 to 4 extra days. What are the other worthwhile things to do? Would it make sense to drive from Badrinath to Gangotri? I have read that Harsil is a very beautiful area. Or would be taking on too much driving doing that? I have also thought of Kedarnath, but that too would involve a 14 km trek. Any chance that helicopters would be operating there in the July 5 to 10 time frame?

Again, I am deeply appreciative for your valuable suggestions.

Extra Touristial

Hi suryavir,
the best season to go to vof is sep -oct. the sky is clear, flowers 're in full bloom, lots of greenery & weather is just perfect.. rains do make it tough but its ( the rain)not 100% confirmed like jitu suggested, so don't lose hope.. 1st week of jul May not be pouring, specially with the weather disturbances due to gloal warming. but the season is not one of the best anyways to go to vof. Google - Chopta Tungnath. Its a beautiful place to be at too...
50 km from chamoli.. There's Deoria Taal (lake) 20 km frm Chopta
As for leaches, applying salt before hand provide sm relief but it is carried basically to remove them.. They are not such a danger to kids, except that kids might freak out just seeing them on them selves.. Infact i have heard that leaches are used for therapy too..

Wishin u guys a great trip

livinhimalayas

Ah leeches won't kill you but they are a nuisance! They normally drop off on their own after they have had their fill of your blood but the attachment point continues to bleed for a long time - that can be a irritant, another thing the bites can also get infected and then you are in trouble. The best thing to do is to carry salt and sprinkle some if a leech attaches itself to you, a word of caution, never pull one off that is a sure way of getting the bite infected. Areas around water sources are the hunting grounds for leeches and you should totally avoid them and also thick undergrowths. By august end, the leech infestation is over and you can heave a sigh of relief. I have a natural distaste for any wriggly creature and that is why I am not very fond of te leech season. Good luck to you anyway.
Harsil is nice pretty and soothing so if you want to come this side, most welcome, it will be a long drive from Badrinath, but well worth it.

suryavir

Thank you extra touristial and livinhimalaya. I feel a little better informed now! I read on wikipedia last night that some people go into anaphylactic shock after being bitten by a leech. That has me concerned because the last time I was bitten by a yellow jacket wasp, I went into anaphalyctic shock. Very lucky to be alive actually! Some more questions, if you don't mind:

1) Just in case the weather is good and we decide to go the VOF, what is the best place in Ghangariya to stay? AiShah had suggested that tents (run by the Sarovar group, suggested to me by a travel agent) should probably be avoided. What then is the best option in Ghangharia? At my age, with God's grace, I do not have to be budget conscious.

2) Can we do Badrinath to Gangotri in one day's drive? Also, what's the best accommodation available there? Same questions for Chopta, Tungnath.

Thanks so much for the information.