Kedarnath Dham Yatra: How to book helicopter ride to temple, timings and price - Know it all

As Kedarnath Dham has been opened for pilgrims on Friday (May 6), here’s all you need to know about the helicopter services the temple.

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The Kedarnath Dham, one of the holiest temples for the Hindus, opened its doors for pilgrims on Friday (May 6, 2022). The Kedarnath Temple is located in the picturesque surroundings of Rudra Himalaya Range at a height of 12000 feet in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is closed for almost six months due to extreme weather conditions, between November to April.

The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 18 km uphill trek from Sonprayag. It takes a couple of days to reach the temple and due to altitude, not many are able to visit the temple. That’s why, the Government of Uttarakhand started helicopter services to the temple. Here’s all you need to know about the helicopter services to Kedarnath Temple-

About helicopter services

Multiple companies like Pawan Hans, Pinnacle Air, Heritage Aviation provide air travel services on per seat basis to the Kedarnath Dham. Most of the companies operate 5-7 seater helicopters that can be chartered for whole chopper, or can be booked on per seat basis. Both single way and round trip tickets are available.

Where to take helicopter?

Pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath Dham can take a helicopter ride to reach right at the doorsteps of the Kedarnath temple without walking for days. The chopper services are available in Phata, Sersi, Sitapur, Guptkashi, Dehradun and Delhi.

Pawan Hans operates chopper from Phata and uses 6-seater Bell 407/ Ecureuil B3 helicopters. The Phata helipad is located beyond Guptkashi and is also linked by a good motorable road on the way to Kedarnath.

Time to reach Kedarnath

One can reach the Kedarnath Helipad, which is located about 700 metres away from Kedarnath Temple in a short time of 8 minutes on a chopper.

Helicopter booking

The bookings of the helicopter are to be done online, on the website of helicopter operators. It is advised to do helicopter bookings well in advance as there is usually high demand for the helicopter trips.

Ticket prices

Helicopter companies charges Rs 6500-Rs 8000 for round trip per person, for journey on the same day to and from Kedarnath Dham. One can also book a single side ticket that can cost Rs 3000-Rs 3500.

Latest guidelines

The pilgrims must note that the state government has fixed a daily limit on the number of pilgrims reaching the temple at 12,000 due to Covid-19. However, the Uttarakhand government has said that negative test report or Covid-19 vaccination certificate is not mandatory for the Char Dham Yatra.