Badrinath Temple
Badrinath, Uttarakhand, India
Nearby attractions
Mana Village
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
India's 'first village' on the old Tibet route beyond Badrinath — Vyas and Ganesh caves, the Bhim Pul rock bridge and Bhotia wool looms.
Vasudhara Falls
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
A 400-ft ribbon of glacier water beyond Mana village, said to turn away from sinners as the wind sways its spray.
Valley of Flowers
Uttarakhand
A UNESCO alpine wonderland at 3,600 m that erupts each monsoon into miles of blue poppies, brahma kamal and 600 other species beneath Rataban's snows — reached by a lovely 17-km trek from Govindghat shared with Hemkund's pilgrims.
Hemkund Sahib
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The world's highest gurudwara (15,197 ft) beside a glacial lake ringed by seven peaks, where Guru Gobind Singh meditated in a former life.
Joshimath
Joshimath, Uttarakhand
Adi Shankaracharya's winter seat of Badrinath — the Jyotirmath of the north, with the sage's cave, the Kalpavriksha mulberry and Narsingh temple.
Kalpeshwar Temple
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The only Panch Kedar open year-round — Shiva's matted hair worshipped in a cave shrine above the idyllic Urgam valley's apple terraces.
Gorson Bugyal
Joshimath, Uttarakhand
The alpine meadow shelf above Auli at 11,000 ft — a 3-km oak-forest climb opening onto grass oceans beneath Nanda Devi and Dronagiri.
Auli
Joshimath, Uttarakhand
India's premier ski bowl at 9,500–10,500 ft, its meadows staring point-blank at Nanda Devi — reached by Asia's longest ropeway from Joshimath.