Joshimath is small town in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. Known as Jyotirmath before Joshimath is one of the four places where Adi Guru Shankaracharya established Math in 8th century. At the height of 1875 meters Joshimath is centre for many nearby villages and areas. Joshimath is also famous among the trekkes as they stay here before the trekking. Many famous treks are near Joshimath like Kuari Pass Trek. Joshimath was important place when Indo - Tibet trade was open before 1960s (before India China war) as Niti Mana Pass is close to Joshimath. Famous Badrinath is just 50 kms from here and most shopkeepers / hotel owners and other people from badrinath lives in Joshimath during winter. Joshimath is winter home for Badrinath Ji. Famous Skiing Destination Auli is just 14 kms from here and can be reached by cable car from Joshimath.
Places to visit in and around Joshimath :
- Narsingh Temple
- Shankaracharya Math
- Auli
- Tapovan Hotspring
Things to do in Joshimath :
- Local Sightseeing
- Hiking and Trekking around
- Meditation
- Photography
- Auli cable car ride
Best time to visit Joshimath :
Joshimath as Hill station is best to visit in Summer (April May June) as well as in Sep Oct during diwali Dussehara vacation. If you like to visit for snow winter season is also good from December onwards.
Accommodation & Meals at Joshimath :
Accommodation at Joshimath has multiple options. Hotels, camps and homestay options are available. Hotels with mountain views are popular among the tourists. Food at Joshimath has good amount of varieties available. North Indian is widely available with some Garhwali and south indian options. Recently some chinese options are also increased.
How to reach Joshimath :
By Road: Joshimath is easily accesible by road from Rishikesh / Haridwar / Dehradun via Devprayag - Srinagar - Rudraprayag - Karprayag - Joshimath route. From Rishikesh it is 250 kms far and it takes approx 7 hrs drive. Pulbic buses / Taxis available from Rishikesh / Haridwar Dehradun.
By Railway: Rishikesh is nearest railway station but very few trains reach here. Haridwar is good option for Joshimath. Haridwar railway station is approx 8 hours drive (275 kms). Haridwar is well connected by trains from many major cities like Delhi - Mumbai - Amritsar - Varanasi - Howrah.
By Air: Dehradun Jollygrant is nearest Airport at 275 kms. Dehradun Airport has multiple flights from Delhi as well as regular flights from Mumbai Lucknow Ahmedabad.