Attraction
On Bilwa Parvat above the town, three kilometres up by ropeway or on foot. Pilgrims tie a thread here and come back to untie it if the wish is granted.
4 places to see, with what each one is and how long it takes.
Attraction
On Bilwa Parvat above the town, three kilometres up by ropeway or on foot. Pilgrims tie a thread here and come back to untie it if the wish is granted.
Attraction
On Neel Parvat across the river, four kilometres out, by ropeway or a three-kilometre climb. One of the Siddha Peethas, and it pairs with Mansa Devi on the opposite hill.
Attraction
At Kankhal, five kilometres south, and the site the whole Sati story turns on — this is where her father held the sacrifice she died at. Quieter than Har Ki Pauri and more interesting for it.
Attraction
A yoga and ayurveda campus fifteen kilometres out on the Delhi road. A working institution and a factory rather than a monument — go if the subject interests you, not for the buildings.
Not in Haridwar — these are in other towns across the state.
Attraction
A boiling spring beside the temple, hot enough that pilgrims lower rice and potatoes into it in cloth bundles and carry them home as prasad. That is the thing to stand and watch.
Attraction
The ancient stone Jyotirlinga temple of Lord Shiva amid snow peaks.
Attraction
Valley of Flowers National Park
Six kilometres above Ghangaria on the other fork, at about 4,600 metres. Most people do the valley one day and Hemkund the next rather than both at once.
Experience
The park's most prized core zone for tiger and elephant sightings.
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Attraction
The valley shares Ghangaria as a base with Hemkund, and the two are the standard pair. Day entry only, no camping inside, and the flowers peak in late July and August.
Attraction
Fifteen kilometres out, and the most crowded thing in the district — the fall now sits inside a ring of ropeways, stalls and concrete steps. Come very early or skip it.
Attraction
A slab of rock beside the temple where Bhagirath is said to have sat to bring the Ganga down. A minute from the main shrine.
Viewpoint
The confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda that forms the Ganga.
Attraction
The highest Shiva temple in the world at around 3,680 metres, and the third of the Panch Kedar. Three and a half kilometres of paved but steep path up from Chopta. Shuts for winter around November.
Viewpoint
The famous viewpoint ridge above Kasar Devi, lined with cafes and known for sweeping Himalayan panoramas.
Experience
A scenic organic tea garden where visitors can walk the rows and buy fresh Kumaon tea.
Attraction
The last village before the Tibet border, three kilometres on from the temple and one of the highest inhabited places in India. There is a cave attributed to Vyasa and a tea shop that bills itself as the last in the country.
Attraction
The naturalist's former home, now a museum on his life and work.
Attraction
The summit above Tungnath at about 4,000 metres, another kilometre and a half past the temple. On a clear morning you see Nanda Devi, Trisul and Chaukhamba from it. Start in the dark for sunrise.