Updated 22 September 2026
Thirteen kilometres and about 1,400 metres of ascent separate Katra from the cave. Most people walk it in six to eight hours; with stops, a night halt at Ardhkuwari or a slow pace, plan on more.
Before you set off
Registration is free and compulsory. Every pilgrim gets an RFID Yatra Access Card with a photo taken on the spot, issued at the Yatra Registration Counters in Katra or collected there after registering on the official portal. Without the card you are turned back at Banganga, the first check post. The card also carries free accident cover.
The official registration page says you must cross Banganga within six hours of the card being issued or it is cancelled. Press reports from December 2025 describe a longer window — ten hours to start and twenty-four to return — which the official page does not mention. Assume the stricter rule and start early.
On very heavy days the Shrine Board caps the count at roughly 30,000–35,000 pilgrims and declares "Waiting", which stops new registrations until the track clears.
Elevation along the climb
Metres above sea level against distance from Katra
| Stop | From Katra | Altitude | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katra (base camp, YRC / bus stand) | 0 km | 762 m | All routes |
| Banganga (Darshani Deodi entry / first check post) | 1 km | 853 m | All routes |
| Charan Paduka | 2.5 km | 1030 m | Old track |
| Adhkuwari / Ardhkuwari (Garbh Joon cave) | 6 km | 1463 m | All routes (junction) |
| Himkoti | 8.5 km | 1561 m | New track only |
| Sanjichhat (Sanjhi Chhat) | 9.5 km | 1890 m | Old track only |
| Bhawan (Holy Cave) | 13 km | 1585 m | All routes |
| Bhairon Ghati (Bhairon Nath temple) | 14.5 km | 2017 m | From Bhawan: steps or ropeway |
Three ways up
From Banganga the old track climbs steeply past Charan Paduka. Tarakote Marg, opened in 2018, is a wider and gentler path that runs parallel and rejoins at Ardhkuwari — it is longer in kilometres but easier on the knees and closed to ponies, which makes it cleaner and quieter. Above Ardhkuwari the old track goes over Sanjichhat, while the newer alternate track swings past Himkoti, where the battery car runs.
Going down, many people take the Bhairon ropeway from the Bhawan and then walk out, or book the helicopter back to Katra.
What the climb is actually like
The path is paved and lit the whole way, with shelters, water points, toilets and medical aid at intervals. Ponies, palkis and pithus (porters who carry children) are licensed, carry ID cards and work at fixed rates posted on boards at Katra and Banganga — pay nothing above them and keep the ID card until you arrive. The Shrine Board does not publish those rates online, so check the boards rather than a price quoted to you on the path.
Leather is not allowed inside the cave. Cloak rooms take bags at the Bhawan, and blankets are handed out free while you wait for your darshan batch.
After the Bhawan
By tradition the yatra is complete only after Bhairon Nath, a temple 1.5 km above the cave at 2,017 m. The steps take about an hour; the ropeway does it in under three minutes and runs 9:00 to 17:00.
Snow, rain and suspensions
The upper track sees snow in December and January, and the Board suspends the yatra outright in bad weather. It happened after a landslide on the old track in August 2025, when the yatra stopped for three weeks, and again for shorter spells in October 2025, January 2026 and July 2026. Before travelling in the monsoon or in deep winter, check the Shrine Board's notices — if a current one exists, it shows at the top of this page.