How to Travel Chopta

Getting to Chopta — the road ends, and the trek begins

Chopta is not a town. It is a stretch of the Ukhimath–Gopeshwar road in Rudraprayag district where the forest opens into grassland, at about 2,700 m, with a line of dhabas, tea stalls and small lodges. It matters because it is the last motorable point before Tungnath — the highest Shiva temple in the world at 3,680 m — and the trailhead for Chandrashila. There is no direct bus to Chopta from anywhere, and no app cab reaches it. You get here in stages.

🚆 Where the journey starts

By rail — Rishikesh (about 203–209 km) or Haridwar (about 230 km). Rishikesh has limited connectivity; Haridwar has more. From either, everything onward is by road.

By air — Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (about 221–260 km). Taxis and buses from the airport run to Rishikesh and Haridwar, and you can hire directly to Chopta for roughly ₹4,000–5,000.

By road from Delhi — about 450 km, 12–14 hours, via Haridwar → Rishikesh → Devprayag → Srinagar Garhwal → Rudraprayag → Ukhimath → Chopta. NH58 stays fairly smooth to Srinagar; after Rudraprayag the road narrows fast and the bends pile up. Most people break the journey at Rishikesh or Srinagar rather than driving it straight through.

🚌 The two-stage public transport route

Stage 1 — to Ukhimath or Rudraprayag. Direct buses run from Rishikesh bus stand to Rudraprayag and Ukhimath, roughly ₹500–700 a person. From Delhi, overnight buses to Rishikesh or Haridwar leave from Kashmiri Gate ISBT, ₹450–1,800 depending on coach.

Stage 2 — Ukhimath to Chopta, the last stretch. About 45 minutes by shared jeep or local taxi from Ukhimath. Shared jeeps charge ₹150–300 a seat; a private taxi is ₹1,200–2,000 for the vehicle, which starts to make sense at five or six people because the per-head cost drops to roughly shared-jeep level and you skip the wait.

The shared jeeps gather near the Ukhimath market and they do not wait long. In peak season they fill fast. If you miss the morning departures your options are a night in Rishikesh or an expensive private cab — this is the leg that trips people up, so plan to reach Ukhimath early.

🥾 Chopta to Tungnath and Chandrashila

The motorable road ends at Chopta meadow. From there it is on foot, on a stone-paved path for most of the way:

• Chopta → Tungnath: 3.5 km one way, 2–3 hours up, climbing steadily through rhododendron forest then open grassland to 3,680 m. Graded easy-to-moderate; fit walkers do it comfortably and children and older travellers manage it.
• Tungnath → Chandrashila: a further 1.5 km each way, 45–60 minutes, and the view from the top is the reason to keep going.
• Full round trip Chopta–Chandrashila–Chopta: about 10 km, 6–8 hours. Start early.

The temple is seasonal. Tungnath's doors open in late April or early May and close in early November, on dates the temple committee announces each year — in 2026 they opened on 22 April. When it shuts, the deity is carried down to Makkumath and there is nothing at the top to visit. Check the dates before you plan a shoulder-season trip.

A forest permit is required for the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, obtained at the Forest Department checkpost, with a small entry fee — carry cash and confirm the current amount locally.

🚶 The other walks

Deoria Tal is a lake about 3 km above Sari village, famous for reflecting the Chaukhamba peaks on still mornings. Sari sits around 14 km from Ukhimath and about 22 km from Chopta, so it is a separate base rather than a day walk from Chopta. Camping at the lake is no longer allowed — stay in Sari and walk up.

Kanchula Korak is a short detour off the Chopta road.

💡 Things that go wrong

There are no app cabs. Uber and Ola operate in Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun and stop there. From Rudraprayag upwards everything is a shared jeep, a local taxi or your own vehicle, and none of it can be summoned on demand.

Arrange your return vehicle before you walk up — Chopta is a roadhead, not a hub. There is no taxi stand. Agree a pickup time with your driver, or know the shared-jeep timings back to Ukhimath, before you set out for Tungnath.

Winter closes the last 3 km. From December to February the road beyond Ukhimath gets difficult quickly and vehicles often stop at Baniyakund, about 3 km short of Chopta. Shared taxis frequently refuse that stretch, so you need a private taxi with a local driver.

No ATM, no pharmacy and very patchy signal. Carry enough cash from Ukhimath or further down — small stalls may not accept UPI when the network drops, and power cuts are common. This is not a place to arrive needing supplies.

Start the trek early — Afternoon cloud builds over the meadows, the Chandrashila view disappears, and 6–8 hours of walking leaves no slack for a late start.

April–June and September–November are the workable windows — summer for clear roads, autumn for the best mountain visibility. July–August brings monsoon cloud and leeches on the forest sections.