Short answer (as of November 2026): the official Char Dham Yatra 2027 dates have not been announced yet. Going by the panchang, Yamunotri and Gangotri should open on Akshaya Tritiya, Sunday 9 May 2027, with Kedarnath and Badrinath following within the next few days. The temples should close around Bhai Dooj (31 October 2027), with Badrinath staying open into mid-November. The firm dates arrive in three steps, on Basant Panchami (11 February 2027), Mahashivratri (6 March 2027) and then in March–April for the two Uttarkashi dhams. This post explains what to expect, when each announcement comes, and what a family from Ahmedabad should book at each stage so that nothing sells out before you get to it.
We have been planning the yatra for Gujarati families from our C G Road office for 11 years, and the single most common mistake we see is waiting for the "official" dates before doing anything. By the time the dates are out, May trains from Ahmedabad are on waitlist and the better Guptkashi hotels are gone. So the calendar below is built around announcement dates and booking windows, not just temple dates.
Expected Char Dham Yatra 2027 dates (and why they are later than 2026)
The kapat (doors) of all four dhams open on dates fixed by priests from the panchang, so they move every year with the lunar calendar. Yamunotri and Gangotri always open on Akshaya Tritiya. Kedarnath opens a day or three later, and Badrinath a day or two after Kedarnath. Here is how the last two seasons went against what 2027 looks like on the calendar.
| Dham | 2025 opened | 2026 opened | 2026 closed / closing | 2027 expected (not official) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamunotri | 30 April | 19 April | 11 November, 10:28 am (Bhai Dooj) | Sun 9 May (Akshaya Tritiya) |
| Gangotri | 30 April | 19 April | 10 November, 12:05 pm (Annakut) | Sun 9 May (Akshaya Tritiya) |
| Kedarnath | 2 May | 22 April | 11 November, 8:30 am (Bhai Dooj) | Around 10–12 May |
| Badrinath | 4 May | 23 April | 16 November, 9:37 pm | Around 12–14 May |
The 2026 closing dates were announced on 19–20 October 2026 (Vijayadashami) by the temple committees; the 2025 and 2026 opening dates are from the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee announcements as reported by All India Radio and ETV Bharat. The 2027 column is our reading of the Hindu calendar: Akshaya Tritiya falls on 9 May 2027, Diwali on 29 October 2027 and Bhai Dooj on 31 October 2027. We will update this page once the priests announce the exact muhurat.
The practical point for 2027: the season starts about three weeks later than it did in 2026. That compresses the pre-monsoon window to roughly 9 May to the third week of June, which is exactly when Gujarat schools are on summer vacation. Expect the busiest May in years at Kedarnath, because every family that would have travelled in late April now travels in May.
When the official 2027 dates will be announced
Each dham announces separately, and the order is the same every year. If you follow these three days, you will know the dates before most tour operators post them.
11 February 2027, Basant Panchami: Badrinath
The Badrinath opening date is read out at the Narendranagar royal palace near Rishikesh, in the presence of the Tehri royal family and the temple committee. Badrinath is always the first date out, and it is usually 3–5 days after Akshaya Tritiya.
6 March 2027, Mahashivratri: Kedarnath
The Kedarnath date is announced at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, Kedarnath's winter seat, after the morning puja. This is the date that matters most for Gujarati families because Kedarnath is the one dham that needs a 16 km ascent, a pony, a palki or a helicopter, so hotel and heli demand revolves around it.
March–April 2027: Yamunotri and Gangotri
The two Uttarkashi dhams confirm their Akshaya Tritiya opening and the exact muhurat a few weeks earlier, typically around Chaitra Navratri and Yamuna Jayanti. For planning, treat 9 May 2027 as firm now; only the hour changes.
Closing dates: announced on Vijayadashami, 9 October 2027
The closing dates for all four are decided on Dussehra. In 2026 they were announced on 19–20 October for closings between 10 and 16 November. In 2027 Dussehra is on 9 October and Bhai Dooj on 31 October, so expect Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri to close in the last days of October and Badrinath around the middle of November. If you want a post-monsoon yatra with the best skies and the thinnest crowds, the last week of September to the third week of October 2027 is the window.
Registration for 2027: what we know from 2026
Registration with Uttarakhand Tourism is compulsory for every yatri, including children, and the check-posts scan the QR code on your pass before you go up. The portal is registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in and the app is Tourist Care Uttarakhand. Here is how 2026 ran, which is the best guide to 2027 until the state notifies changes:
- Opening of registration: online registration for 2026 opened in early March 2026, about six weeks before the first kapat. Offline counters at Haridwar (Rishikul Ground, 20 counters), Rishikesh and Dehradun opened two days before the yatra, on 17 April 2026. Expect 2027 registration to open in March–April 2027, after the Kedarnath date is known.
- Fee: in February 2026 the state government said it was considering a token fee of ₹10–50 to stop fake registrations and no-shows, but the registration counters in April 2026 were still run as free registration. We will confirm the 2027 position in the same March–April window. Pay nothing to any "agent" who promises a registration slot.
- What you need: one mobile number for the account, then the name, age, Aadhaar number and a photo of every traveller, your travel dates and the dhams you will visit. The portal issues a registration number and a QR-code yatra pass; keep a printout and the PDF on your phone, and carry the Aadhaar card itself on the yatra.
- Daily slots: in heavy weeks the district administration can cap the number of pilgrims allowed up to Kedarnath per day, and the pass is checked at Sonprayag. Registering early for a specific date is what protects your slot.
When you book a package with us, our office registers every member of the family on the portal once your travel dates are fixed, and we hand you the QR passes with your tickets. For the step-by-step registration screens, Kedarnath ascent options and the fitness checklist for senior citizens, see our Char Dham Yatra packages from Ahmedabad page, which also carries the current price guide.
The 2027 booking calendar for an Ahmedabad family
This is the order in which things sell out, and therefore the order in which to book. Dates assume a 9–12 May 2027 start; shift everything by the same number of days for a June or October yatra.
| When | What to do | Why now |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 – January 2027 | Fix the month (May, June or October), the number of nights and who is travelling. Get senior citizens a medical check-up. Ask us for a tentative hold on Guptkashi and Badrinath hotels. | Hotels at Guptkashi, Sitapur and Badrinath take tentative bookings before dates are announced; the good ones are gone by March. |
| 11 February 2027 | Badrinath date announced. Convert tentative hotel holds to confirmed bookings. | First confirmed date of the season. |
| 6 March 2027 | Kedarnath date announced. Lock the day-by-day plan. | Everything else is sequenced around the Kedarnath day. |
| Around 9–12 March 2027 | Book trains. IRCTC opens bookings 60 days before the journey date, at 8 am. | The Ahmedabad–Haridwar Yoga Express fills within hours for May dates. |
| March–April 2027 | Register every traveller on the Uttarakhand Tourism portal as soon as it opens. | Date-wise slots for Kedarnath go first. |
| April 2027 | Book Kedarnath helicopter tickets on IRCTC HeliYatra the day bookings open (if you want the heli option). | In 2026 bookings opened in April, shortly before the shuttles began on 21 April. May slots are the first to go. |
| 2–3 weeks before departure | Book flights if flying, buy travel insurance, start a daily 3–4 km walk, pack for 5 °C nights at Kedarnath even in May. | Flights do not sell out the way trains and helis do, but fares climb. |
Getting there from Ahmedabad in May 2027: train or flight
Train (most Gujarati families): the 19031 Yoga Express leaves Ahmedabad Junction at 11:05 and reaches Haridwar at 11:20 the next morning, about 25 hours, running daily and continuing to Rishikesh. Because IRCTC's advance reservation period is 60 days, tickets for 8 May 2027 open on 9 March 2027. Sleeper, 3AC and 2AC fares are fixed by Indian Railways and are a fraction of the air fare, which is why most of our senior groups still take the train one way. There are also trains from Ahmedabad to Delhi with an onward Shatabdi or Vande Bharat to Dehradun or Haridwar.
Flight: as of November 2026 there is no non-stop Ahmedabad–Dehradun flight; every option connects in Delhi. For mid-May 2027 the search engines show Ahmedabad–Dehradun return fares of about ₹29,000–31,000 per person with a checked bag (Air India via Delhi, around 4 hours each way including the connection); prices vary by date and rise close to departure. Flying saves a full day each way, so a Do Dham (Kedarnath and Badrinath) becomes possible in 7 days instead of 9. From Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport it is about 40 minutes to Rishikesh and 1 hour to Haridwar by road.
Which 2027 window to choose
9–31 May 2027: the opening weeks. Clear skies, snow still on the peaks above Kedarnath, and the biggest crowds of the year. Kedarnath nights are 2–6 °C. Gujarat school vacation makes this the default for families; book by February or accept whatever hotels remain.
1–20 June 2027: warmer, slightly thinner crowds in the second week of June, and the last safe window before the monsoon. We stop recommending departures after about 20 June because landslide closures on the Rudraprayag–Gaurikund and Joshimath–Badrinath roads become common in July and August.
Mid-September to 20 October 2027: our favourite. Washed, green valleys, the clearest views of Neelkanth peak from Badrinath, far fewer pilgrims, and Navratri (ending with Dussehra on 9 October 2027) at Haridwar. The downside is that nights are colder and the last two weeks before closing can see early snow at Kedarnath.
21 October to mid-November 2027: only Badrinath stays open after Bhai Dooj. A Badrinath-only trip in early November is quiet and cold, with the Diwali-week closing ceremonies for the other three dhams a spectacle in themselves if you time it right.
Food and comfort notes for Gujarati yatris
The whole route is vegetarian, and Jain meals without onion, garlic or root vegetables are easy at Haridwar, Rishikesh, Barkot, Uttarkashi and Guptkashi if the hotel is told in advance; we add it to every booking. At Kedarnath itself the choice is limited to dal-rice, roti and khichdi, so carry thepla, khakhra and dry snacks for the ascent day. Hotels above Guptkashi are basic in all price bands; we tell every family to expect clean but simple rooms at Kedarnath and Badrinath and to keep the comfortable nights for Haridwar and Rishikesh at the start and end.
For senior citizens, the pacing rule we use is one long drive or one ascent per day, never both, with a rest night at Guptkashi before Kedarnath. A pony or palki from Gaurikund can be pre-arranged, and the helicopter from Phata, Sersi or Guptkashi takes 8–12 minutes each way; the 2026 one-way fares were about ₹3,000–6,100 per person plus GST depending on the helipad. Travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation is worth the small premium at this altitude; see our travel insurance options.
If you are extending the trip, Haridwar and Rishikesh combine well with Mussoorie or Nainital on the way back; our Uttarakhand tour packages page has those combinations, and our pilgrimage tour packages page covers Do Dham, Char Dham by helicopter and other yatras we plan from Ahmedabad.
A sample May 2027 plan from Ahmedabad (Do Dham, 7 days by air)
- Day 1: morning flight Ahmedabad–Delhi–Dehradun; drive to Rishikesh (1 hour). Ganga aarti at Triveni Ghat.
- Day 2: Rishikesh to Guptkashi (about 7–8 hours via Devprayag and Rudraprayag). Rest night.
- Day 3: Guptkashi to Sonprayag by car, Gaurikund by shuttle, then pony, palki, trek or helicopter to Kedarnath. Darshan, night at Kedarnath or return by heli to Guptkashi.
- Day 4: Descend; drive towards Badrinath via Chopta or stay at Pipalkoti/Joshimath (6–7 hours).
- Day 5: Badrinath darshan at opening time, Mana village, Tapt Kund. Night at Badrinath.
- Day 6: Badrinath to Rishikesh or Haridwar (10–11 hours, the longest day).
- Day 7: Har Ki Pauri morning aarti; fly Dehradun–Delhi–Ahmedabad by evening.
The full four-dham road circuit needs 11–12 days; add Yamunotri and Gangotri before Kedarnath with nights at Barkot and Uttarkashi.
Char Dham Yatra 2027 dates: FAQs
When does the Char Dham Yatra 2027 start?
Officially not announced as of November 2026. Yamunotri and Gangotri open on Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on 9 May 2027; Kedarnath and Badrinath should follow within the next five days. The exact dates will be declared on 11 February 2027 (Badrinath) and 6 March 2027 (Kedarnath).
When will the Char Dham temples close in 2027?
Closing dates are set on Vijayadashami (9 October 2027). Expect Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri to close around Bhai Dooj (31 October 2027) and Badrinath around mid-November 2027, in line with 2026, when they closed between 10 and 16 November.
Is Char Dham registration for 2027 open?
No. In 2026 online registration opened in early March; expect a similar March–April 2027 opening on registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in and the Tourist Care Uttarakhand app. Registration is compulsory for every traveller, including children.
Which is the best month for Char Dham in 2027 from Ahmedabad?
For families tied to school holidays, 9 May to mid-June. For the best weather and fewest crowds, mid-September to 20 October 2027. Avoid July and August because of monsoon road closures.
How far in advance should we book from Ahmedabad?
Hotels at Guptkashi and Badrinath: by February 2027. Trains: exactly 60 days before travel, the day IRCTC opens them. Kedarnath helicopter: the day IRCTC HeliYatra opens, usually April. Flights and insurance: 2–3 weeks before.
Can we do only Kedarnath and Badrinath?
Yes, that is the Do Dham, and it is what we recommend for senior citizens and for anyone with 7 days or less. It needs one ascent (Kedarnath) and one long drive day (Badrinath to Haridwar).
Planning Char Dham 2027 from Ahmedabad?
Tell us your month and the number of travellers and we will place tentative hotel holds now, register your family on the Uttarakhand portal when it opens, and arrange pure-veg or Jain meals along the route. Every yatra is private and customised for your family, with no fixed departures.
Call toll-free 1800-313-4262 or visit us at 2nd Floor, Ashish Complex, Above Liberty Showroom, Swastik Cross Roads, C G Road, Ahmedabad – 380009. Browse all tour packages from Ahmedabad.
Dates and rules on this page are as of November 2026 and are based on temple committee announcements, Uttarakhand Tourism notices and news reports for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Temple dates and registration rules are set by the authorities and can change; we will update this page when the 2027 dates are declared. Fares are indicative and vary by date.
