How to reach Joshimath

From the airport

Jolly Grant Airport (DED), about 20 km from Rishikesh and 25 km from Dehradun, is the nearest airport, with daily flights from Delhi and several other Indian cities. From the airport, Joshimath is about 268 km by road through Rishikesh, 8.5 to 9.5 hours. Taxis can be hired at the airport and can drive straight through if you land early in the morning; otherwise stay the night in Rishikesh and leave at dawn. For buses and shared jeeps, go first to Rishikesh, 30 to 40 minutes away, the hub for hill transport. If flights to Dehradun are few or full, fly to Delhi (DEL) and continue to Haridwar or Rishikesh by train or road, roughly 5 to 7 hours.

From the railway station

Rishikesh has two stations, the newer Yog Nagari Rishikesh (YNRK) and the older Rishikesh station (RKSH) in the town. Both are about 250 km from Joshimath, but neither has many long-distance trains. Haridwar Junction (HW), 24 km further down, has far more trains from Delhi and the rest of India, and the Uttarakhand Roadways bus station stands just opposite, with early-morning buses up the Badrinath road. A taxi from Rishikesh takes 8 to 9 hours to Joshimath, and from Haridwar about an hour more. As the buses leave at or before dawn, arrive the evening before or on an overnight train. The Rishikesh to Karnaprayag railway is still being built, with completion now targeted for December 2029, and carries no passengers yet; once it opens, Karnaprayag, about 80 km short of Joshimath, will be the closest station.

By road

Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is on NH7, the Badrinath highway, which climbs from Rishikesh beside the Ganga to Devprayag and then follows the Alaknanda upstream. It is about 250 km from Rishikesh and a full day's drive: 8 to 9 hours by car with stops, longer by bus or in pilgrim-season traffic. The legs, in order:

• Rishikesh to Devprayag: about 70 km, 2 hours
• Devprayag to Srinagar: about 34 km, 1 hour
• Srinagar to Rudraprayag, where the Kedarnath road turns off: about 33 km, 1 hour
• Rudraprayag past Gauchar to Karnaprayag: about 32 km, 1 hour
• Karnaprayag past Nandprayag to Chamoli: about 32 km, 1 hour
• Chamoli through Pipalkoti and Helang to Joshimath: about 50 km, 1.5 to 2 hours

From Dehradun, add about 45 km to Rishikesh; from Haridwar the whole drive is about 275 km, and from Delhi about 500 km, so most people break the journey in Rishikesh or Haridwar. Long stretches have been widened under the Char Dham highway project, but expect roadworks, diversions and narrow sections where the hillside slips, especially in the monsoon. The road to Joshimath is used all year, and in winter it carries skiers on to Auli; above Pandukeshwar, the road to Badrinath is snowbound in winter and the Badrinath temple is shut from about November to April.

By bus

Direct buses run to Joshimath from Rishikesh ISBT, and you can also change buses at Rudraprayag or Chamoli, but the journey is not a comfortable one.

Local transfers

The private GMOU buses to Rishikesh and Haridwar leave from their stand in Joshimath very early, around 4 to 6 am, so book a seat the day before. Shared taxis and a few buses for Govindghat (about 20 to 25 km, for the Valley of Flowers) and Badrinath (about 45 km) leave from a separate stand in town. Taxis run up to Auli, about 14 to 16 km; the Joshimath to Auli ropeway has been shut since January 2023 because of land subsidence, so ask locally whether it has reopened. If you are driving up from Rishikesh, leave at about 6 am, and consider staying in Auli rather than the crowded town. If you are starting a trek here, arrive by the evening before.

Distances from major points

• Dehradun to Joshimath - 302 kms
• Rishikesh to Joshimath - 250 kms
• Rishikesh to Rudraprayag - 139 kms
• Rudraprayag to Joshimath - 113 kms
• Karnaprayag to Joshimath - 81 kms
• Rishikesh to Pipalkoti - 220 kms

Safety

Treat the drive as a full day: start early and aim to arrive before dark. From late June to mid-September the monsoon brings landslides that can hold up traffic for hours or days, so keep a spare day before any flight or train, and check the road status locally before setting out. Joshimath is about 1,875 m, but nearby Auli is about 2,600 to 2,800 m, high enough for some people to feel the altitude on the first night. Most treks from here go well above 3,500 m, so drink plenty and report headaches early.

Travel tips

• Plan buffer time for road delays, especially in monsoon and winter.
• Start early for long drives to avoid night stretches on mountain roads.
• Keep offline maps and cash as backup in low-network zones.
• If you are continuing to high altitude areas, acclimatize and hydrate well.