Badrinath Highway — Rishikesh to the Abode ofVishnu.
Distance
340 km
Duration
2 days
Climb
4,200 m
Badrinath Highway — Rishikesh to the Abode of Vishnu.
NH7 climbs 320km from Rishikesh through the Alaknanda River valley to the Vishnu shrine at Badrinath (3,133m), passing five sacred river confluences, the valleys of Jim Corbett legend, and the ski resort of Joshimath. Open May–October. Expect narrow gorge roads, dense pilgrimage traffic, and one of the most spiritually charged high-altitude landscapes on Earth. Altitude sickness above 2,000m is a real risk — acclimatise slowly.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance340 km
Days2
Total climb4,200 m
Fuel stops1 along route
DifficultyChallenging
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2 days, 2 moods.
A suggested split across 2 days with 8 waypoints to discover along the way.
RishikeshStart · Start at Rishikesh — yoga capital and Himalayan gateway. Cross Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge. Leave by 7am to beat pilgrimage convoy traffic on single-lane gorge sections.
Devprayag SangamScenic Point · First Panch Prayag: Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers unite to become the sacred Ganga. The two rivers meet visibly different colours at the confluence — blue-green and milky grey.
Srinagar, GarhwalRestaurant · Largest Garhwal town — not to be confused with Kashmir's Srinagar. Good dhaba lunch and the last busy fuel stop before the gorge narrows above Rudraprayag.
RudraprayagScenic Point · Confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers. Famous from Jim Corbett's hunt for a man-eating leopard in the 1920s — the old suspension bridge here was the animal's territory.
ChamoliFuel Stop · District headquarters. Fill up here — last reliable fuel before Joshimath. The road enters a deep and spectacular gorge beyond this point.
JoshimathOvernight · Overnight in Joshimath (1,890m) — gateway to Badrinath and Auli ski resort. Good guesthouses available. Rest and hydrate well before the high-altitude leg tomorrow.
GovindghatPhoto Spot · Trailhead for the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib glacier lake. The Pushpawati stream joins the Alaknanda here. Sikh pilgrims and flower-trekkers begin their walk up the ravine.
BadrinathEnd · The Badrinath Vishnu temple at 3,133m — one of India's holiest sites, visited by over a million pilgrims annually. The valley closes October–April under snow. Hot springs (Tapt Kund) bubble beside the temple steps.
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