Char Dham Closing Dates 2026: Official Kapat Dates and Times

Short answer (updated 21 October 2026): the official 2026 closing dates are out. Gangotri closes on Tuesday 10 November (Annakoot), Kedarnath on Wednesday 11 November at 8:30 am and Yamunotri the same day at 10:28 am (Bhai Dooj), and Badrinath last, on Monday 16 November at 9:37 pm. The dates were fixed on Vijayadashami, 20 October. For all four dhams with spare days, leave Haridwar by about 31 October.

We run Char Dham departures every season, and the week after Dussehra is when most of the “can we still make it?” calls come in. This guide was first written on 3 October with the expected dates. It now carries the confirmed dates and times announced on 20 October 2026, the Badrinath panch puja schedule, the last sensible start dates worked back from each closing, and where to do darshan once the doors have shut.

When do the Char Dham temples close in 2026?

On Vijayadashami, Tuesday 20 October 2026, the priests and temple committees fixed the winter closing muhurats at each shrine. In Badrinath the time was worked out by the chief priest, Rawal Amarnath Namboothiri, with the dharmadhikari and Vedpathis; the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) vice-president Rishi Prasad Sati shared the details with PTI-Bhasha. The Kedarnath date was announced by the tirth purohits at Ukhimath. Here is the full schedule as reported on 20 October:

Sources: PTI-Bhasha via ThePrint Hindi (Gopeshwar, 20 October 2026), ETV Bharat Uttarakhand (20 October 2026, 12:30 pm), Shikhar Himalaya (Badrinath, 20 October 2026) and Deshbandhu (20 October 2026). Where a time is not yet published, we will add it when the temple committee releases it.

Why so much later than 2025? Diwali comes late this year. Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday 8 November, Govardhan Puja and Annakoot on 10 November and Bhai Dooj on 11 November, and Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath are tied to those festival days. Last year Diwali fell in October, so the same shrines shut on 22–23 October. In practice you get almost three extra weeks of yatra season in 2026.

What happens in Badrinath’s last five days?

Badrinath does not shut in one evening. The panch puja, five days of closing rituals, starts on 12 November, and many families plan their trip around it:

• Thu 12 November: special puja to Lord Ganesh; the Ganesh temple closes for winter that evening.
• Fri 13 November: the Adi Kedareshwar and Adi Guru Shankaracharya temples close.
• Sat 14 November: Vedic recitation and the reading of the Khadag Pustak stop in the sanctum.
• Sun 15 November: kadhai bhog to Mata Lakshmi; the Rawal invites her into the sanctum.
• Mon 16 November: Mata Lakshmi is seated beside Lord Badri Vishal and the doors close at 9:37 pm.
• Tue 17 November: the doli of Uddhav ji and Kuber ji, with Adi Shankaracharya’s gaddi, leaves for Pandukeshwar; the gaddi reaches the Narsingh Temple in Jyotirmath on 18 November.

Darshan continues through the panch puja days, but expect big crowds on 15–16 November and plan your Badrinath night well in advance. Hotel rooms in Badrinath and Jyotirmath are the first thing to sell out in closing week.

How late can you start the yatra from Haridwar?

The closing date is not your real deadline. Your deadline is the day you must leave Haridwar so you still reach each shrine in time, with spare days for a landslide or a held-up road. A standard clockwise Char Dham yatra by taxi (Yamunotri → Gangotri → Kedarnath → Badrinath) runs like this:

• Day 1: Haridwar or Rishikesh to Barkot
• Day 2: Yamunotri darshan (about 6 km on foot from Janki Chatti each way), back to Barkot
• Day 3: Barkot to Uttarkashi
• Day 4: Gangotri darshan, back to Uttarkashi
• Day 5: Uttarkashi to Guptkashi or Sitapur
• Day 6: Trek or fly to Kedarnath, night at Kedarnath
• Day 7: Morning darshan, descend to Guptkashi
• Day 8–9: Drive to Badrinath, darshan, Mana village
• Day 10–11: Return to Haridwar via Rudraprayag

Gangotri closes on 10 November, so Day 4 has to fall on 9 November at the latest. Kedarnath closes at 8:30 am on 11 November, so your Kedarnath darshan should be done by 10 November. That makes 4 November the latest possible start on paper. We would not plan that tight: a single slide on the Yamunotri highway or the Kedarnath footpath costs a day, as the September closures showed (see what happened during the 26–27 September suspension). Add three to four spare days and the sensible last start for a full yatra is around 31 October.

Our 12-day Char Dham Yatra package from Haridwar already has slack days built in for this. If Gangotri and Badrinath matter more to you than Kedarnath, the 6-day Do Dham Gangotri–Badrinath tour keeps you off the long Kedarnath trek completely. Badrinath is a road shrine and stays open the longest, which makes it the safest choice for a trip in the second week of November.

What is the yatra like in late October and November?

Cold, clear and short days

The monsoon is long gone and late October to mid-November is usually the clearest stretch of the season, with sharp mornings and wide views of the peaks. The cost is cold. Kedarnath sits at about 3,583 m and Badrinath at about 3,300 m; by November, nights at both fall below freezing and the last days before closing can bring early snow. Pack a down or heavy synthetic jacket, thermals, woollen socks, gloves and a cap even if Haridwar feels warm. Check the IMD Dehradun district forecast the evening before each leg.

Two crowd peaks

Crowds come in two waves: the Diwali long weekend (7–8 November), and the closing days themselves, when families travel to watch the ceremony and the doli procession to the winter seat. In the 8–11 November window, Guptkashi, Sitapur and Barkot fill up; for Badrinath, 14–16 November is the tightest. Book rooms now if your dates touch those windows.

Kedarnath path and helicopters

The Kedarnath footpath from Gaurikund (about 16 km one way) stays open until closing, but pony and palki services follow the police plan for the day, so confirm at Sonprayag before you start. Helicopter seats from the Guptkashi–Phata–Sersi helipads are sold only through the official IRCTC Heli Yatra portal, and flights stop whenever cloud sits in the valley. Never plan a Kedarnath day that only works if the helicopter flies. For trek distances, helicopter details and darshan timings, see our Kedarnath temple guide.

Registration is still mandatory

Every pilgrim needs Char Dham registration from Uttarakhand Tourism (registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in or the Tourist Care Uttarakhand app) right up to closing day. Checks are not relaxed in the last weeks. Carry it on your phone and on paper.

Can you still do darshan after the doors close?

Yes. When a shrine closes, its deity is carried in a doli to the winter seat, and daily worship continues there all winter. Kedarnath’s doli travels via Phata and Guptkashi to the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath; Madhyamaheshwar’s reaches the same temple on 19 November after halts at Gaundar, Ransi and Giriya. Badrinath’s deities winter at Pandukeshwar and the Narsingh Temple in Jyotirmath, Gangotri’s at Mukhba and Yamunotri’s at Kharsali. All of these are on motorable roads, much quieter and far cheaper than the summer yatra. It is a good choice for older parents who cannot manage the high climbs. Our Char Dham Yatra guide covers the 2027 opening season and registration in detail.

Getting to Haridwar before the closing rush

Almost every Char Dham trip starts in Haridwar or Rishikesh, a 5–6 hour drive from Delhi in good traffic. In Diwali week, leave Delhi before 6 am to stay ahead of festival traffic. If you are flying in and want to be on the road to Barkot the same afternoon, a Delhi to Haridwar taxi with a hill-experienced driver can stay with you for the whole yatra, so you avoid a vehicle and driver change. Already in Haridwar? Our Haridwar taxi service picks up at the station, ashram or hotel, and our Rishikesh taxi service does the same from Tapovan, Jolly Grant airport or a Shivpuri camp.

For travel agents running closing-week groups

If you are building Char Dham groups for Diwali week, three points matter this year (for what to sell after the temples close, see our Uttarakhand winter guide for travel agents):

• Don’t sell the final mornings. Keep Kedarnath and Gangotri arrivals at least two to three days before 10–11 November. A group stuck behind a slide on Bhai Dooj morning means refunds.
• Lock Guptkashi and Badrinath rooms now. The Diwali long weekend and the closing ceremonies fall in the same ten days.
• Price in a buffer night. One contingency night costs far less than rebooking a group’s train or flight home.

We handle ground arrangements for Char Dham, Do Dham, Corbett and Rishikesh groups as an Uttarakhand DMC for travel agents: vehicles and hill drivers, hotel blocks, registration support and on-route coordination, under your brand.

Frequently asked questions

When will Kedarnath close in 2026?

Kedarnath closes for winter on Wednesday 11 November 2026, Bhai Dooj, at 8:30 am. The date was announced by the tirth purohits at Ukhimath on Vijayadashami, 20 October. After the closing, Baba Kedar’s utsav doli is carried via Phata and Guptkashi to the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, where winter worship takes place. Plan to finish your Kedarnath darshan by 10 November.

When does Badrinath close in 2026?

Badrinath closes on Monday 16 November 2026 at 9:37 pm, the last of the four dhams. The time was fixed on Vijayadashami by the Rawal, Amarnath Namboothiri. The five-day panch puja starts on 12 November, and the doli leaves for Pandukeshwar on 17 November, with Adi Shankaracharya’s gaddi reaching Jyotirmath on 18 November.

When do Gangotri and Yamunotri close in 2026?

Gangotri closes on Tuesday 10 November 2026, on Annakoot, and its goddess winters at Mukhba village. Yamunotri closes on Wednesday 11 November at 10:28 am, on Bhai Dooj, and the deity moves to Kharsali. Both close about three weeks later than in 2025 because Diwali falls in November this year.

Is it too late to start Char Dham at the end of October 2026?

No. With Gangotri open until 10 November and Kedarnath until the morning of 11 November, a full 10–12 day clockwise yatra can start from Haridwar as late as 31 October with three to four spare days built in. The absolute latest on paper is 4 November, but that leaves no room for a road closure.

Is November too cold for elderly parents?

Days are usually clear and comfortable, but nights at Kedarnath and Badrinath drop below freezing. With proper winter clothing, a heated room where available and a same-day helicopter return from Kedarnath instead of an overnight stay, most fit senior citizens manage well. Anyone with heart or breathing problems should check with a doctor before going above 3,000 m.

Can I visit Char Dham after the temples close?

Yes, at the winter seats: Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath for Kedarnath (and Madhyamaheshwar), Pandukeshwar and the Narsingh Temple in Jyotirmath for Badrinath, Mukhba for Gangotri and Kharsali for Yamunotri. All are reachable by road through the winter and are far less crowded than the main temples in summer.

First published 3 October 2026 with expected dates; updated 21 October 2026 with the official closing dates and times announced on Vijayadashami, 20 October 2026. Rituals and times are set by the temple committees and can be revised; confirm with BKTC or local authorities before travel.