Most people plan the Yamunotri leg of Char Dham backwards. They book the temple visit first and then figure out where to sleep, and end up starting the day from Uttarkashi or worse, from a car seat at 2 in the morning.
Barkot is the fix. It sits 36 km short of Janki Chatti on the main Yamunotri road, and it is the last town on that stretch with proper hotels, hot water and a working market. Our team runs a property here, so we drive this road several times a week through the season and we get the same three questions from almost every guest: how far is it, how long does it take, and what time should we leave.
Here is the honest answer to all three, plus the day plan we hand our own guests at check-in.
Quick answer
| Leg | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Barkot → Janki Chatti | 36 km | 1.5 hours |
| Janki Chatti → Yamunotri temple | 6 km | 3–4 hours on foot (uphill) |
| Yamunotri → Janki Chatti | 6 km | 2–2.5 hours down |
| Janki Chatti → Barkot | 36 km | 1.5 hours |
Total for the day: roughly 84 km of road and 12 km on foot. Plan for 11 to 13 hours door to door, and add a buffer if you are travelling with children or elderly parents.
Vehicles cannot go past Janki Chatti. The 6 km to the temple is on foot, pony, kandi or palki only.
Barkot distance chart
Useful if you are stitching together the wider Char Dham route:
| From Barkot to | Distance | Approx. drive |
|---|---|---|
| Janki Chatti | 36 km | 1.5 hrs |
| Hanuman Chatti | 22 km | 1 hr |
| Kharsali (helipad) | 35 km | 1.5 hrs |
| Rishikesh | 155 km | 5 hrs |
| Dehradun (Jolly Grant Airport) | 180 km | 5.5–6 hrs |
| Uttarkashi | 82 km | 3 hrs |
| Gangotri | 182 km | 6.5–7 hrs |
| Mussoorie | 120 km | 4 hrs |
The Dehradun–Barkot road via Mussoorie and Damta is scenic but slow. The Rishikesh route via Chamba and Damta is the one most drivers prefer, and it is the one we recommend if you are coming off a train.
The route, honestly described
From Barkot the road follows the Yamuna valley the whole way. It is tarred, single-lane in stretches, and busy with yatra traffic between 5 AM and 8 AM. You pass Sayana Chatti, then Hanuman Chatti where the Hanuman Ganga meets the Yamuna, then Phool Chatti, and finally Janki Chatti.
Two things worth knowing before you go:
Morning traffic is real. Between mid-May and mid-June, every hotel in Barkot pushes its guests out at the same hour. If you leave at 6 AM you will spend twenty minutes in a queue near Hanuman Chatti. Leaving at 5 AM avoids it entirely.
Parking at Janki Chatti fills up. There is a designated parking area and a walk of a few hundred metres from it to the trek start. In peak season the lower lots fill by 8 AM and drivers get pushed further back down the road. Another reason to be early.
The 6 km trek
The trail from Janki Chatti runs along the Yamuna, mostly on the right bank, and climbs steadily. It is a paved and railed path for most of its length, not a wilderness trek, but it is a genuine uphill and people underestimate it. Janki Chatti sits at about 2,370 m and the temple is higher still.
A reasonably fit person walking without stopping does it in about 3 hours. With tea breaks, photographs and a family in tow, allow 4.
At the top you have the temple, the Surya Kund hot spring where pilgrims cook rice and potatoes in cloth bundles, and the Divya Shila rock that devotees worship before darshan. Temple timings run roughly from early morning to evening, with an aarti at both ends of the day.
Pony, kandi and palki
If you or someone in your group cannot walk 12 km, these are booked at the government prepaid counter at Janki Chatti. Do not book from anyone who approaches you on the road, and do not pay above the printed chart.
Indicative one-way rates from the 2026 season:
| Service | Approx. rate (one way) |
|---|---|
| Pony / horse | ₹640 |
| Kandi (carried on a porter’s back) | ₹840 |
| Dandi / palki (four porters) | ₹1,900 |
Rates are revised by the Uttarkashi district administration each season and vary with passenger weight, so treat these as a planning figure and confirm the current chart at the counter. In peak season, get to Janki Chatti by 7 AM if you want a pony without a two-hour wait.
Hour-by-hour: our standard day plan from Barkot
This is what we actually give guests, and it works for families.
4:15 AM — Wake up. Tea and biscuits. Do not attempt a full breakfast yet.
5:00 AM — Leave Barkot. Ask your hotel the night before to pack a light breakfast box — puri sabzi, a boiled egg or fruit, and water.
6:30 AM — Reach Janki Chatti. Park, eat your packed breakfast, use the toilet here because facilities on the trail are basic.
6:45 AM — Book pony or palki at the prepaid counter if you need one. Show your Char Dham registration.
7:00 AM — Start the trek.
10:30 AM — Reach Yamunotri. Surya Kund first, then darshan. Give yourself 90 minutes at the top rather than rushing.
12:00 PM — Begin the descent.
2:30 PM — Back at Janki Chatti. Late lunch at one of the dhabas.
4:00 PM — Drive back to Barkot.
5:30 PM — Back at your resort. Hot shower, early dinner, sleep.
If Gangotri is your next stop, you can also drive on from Janki Chatti towards Uttarkashi the same evening — but only if you are back down by 2 PM. After that, mountain roads and fading light are not a combination worth risking.
Registration is mandatory
Char Dham Yatra registration is compulsory. Register free online at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in before you travel and carry the QR-coded e-pass on your phone. Aadhaar is the ID that is checked. There is a verification point at Barkot itself, so an unregistered vehicle does not get very far up the valley.
Do this from home. The queues at the physical counters in Rishikesh and Barkot during May and June are not something you want to start your trip with.
What to carry for the day
- Registration e-pass, ID, and cash. Card machines are unreliable past Barkot.
- A light fleece or windcheater even in June. It is cold at the top in the morning.
- Trekking shoes or good grippy sneakers. Not sandals.
- Water, though refill points exist on the trail.
- Basic medicines, a knee cap if you have knee trouble, and a walking stick — sold at the base for a small amount.
- Rice and potatoes in a muslin cloth if you want to cook them in Surya Kund. Locals sell ready bundles too.
- A poncho between July and September.
Best time to make this drive
| Period | Road and trail | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Late April – June | Open, busy, pleasant | Best window, but book early |
| July – August | Monsoon, landslide risk | Travel with flexible dates |
| September – mid-October | Clear, green, thin crowds | Our personal favourite |
| Late October – closing | Cold, short days | Fine if you are prepared |
| Winter | Temple closed | Not possible |
The temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya and closes around Bhai Dooj, so the exact dates shift by a couple of weeks each year. In 2026 it ran from 19 April to 11 November.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Barkot from Yamunotri? Barkot to Janki Chatti is 36 km by road, and Yamunotri temple is a further 6 km on foot from there. Total 42 km, of which the last 6 km cannot be driven.
How many hours from Barkot to Janki Chatti? About 1.5 hours in normal conditions. Add 20–30 minutes during peak morning traffic in May and June.
Can I visit Yamunotri and return to Barkot the same day? Yes, and most pilgrims do. Leave Barkot by 5 AM and you will be back by evening comfortably.
Is Barkot better than staying at Janki Chatti? Janki Chatti saves you the morning drive but has only basic guesthouses. Barkot has proper hotels and resorts, reliable power and hot water, and real food. For families and senior citizens the extra 90 minutes of driving is worth it. Solo trekkers travelling light often prefer Janki Chatti.
Are taxis available from Barkot to Janki Chatti? Yes. Shared jeeps run through the morning and private taxis are easy to arrange. If you are staying with us we arrange the vehicle the previous evening so it is waiting at 5 AM.
Do senior citizens manage this? Regularly. Book a palki at the prepaid counter, start early, and stay somewhere in Barkot with hot water and a lift-free ground-floor room. The helicopter service from Dehradun to Kharsali is the other option if walking is out of the question.
Where to start your morning from
Everything above depends on one thing: getting out of bed at 4:15 AM rested and warm, in a place that will give you tea at that hour.
Our resort in Barkot is set up specifically for this — cottages and luxury tents, 24-hour hot water, an in-house kitchen that packs breakfast boxes for the trek, and a team that books your Janki Chatti vehicle the night before. If you are still comparing options, our guide to the best resorts in Barkot for the Yamunotri Yatra base covers the full range in town.
And if you have a spare day in Barkot before or after your darshan, the Mot Bugyal trek starts not far from here and almost nobody does it.
Call us on 011-408-44995 or write to info@adhvantaindia.com and we will put the whole Yamunotri leg together — stay, vehicle, registration help and packed meals.
