Gangotri
The Yamuna's sister shrine and source of the Ganga, the next stop on the Char Dham circuit.
Kedarnath
The high Shiva jyotirlinga of the Char Dham, deep in the Kedar valley.
Badrinath
Vishnu's Himalayan seat and the fourth and final Char Dham shrine.
Yamunotri is the first shrine of Uttarakhand's Chota Char Dham, and its natural companions are the other three, usually visited in a set order. Gangotri, the source-seat of the Ganga and Yamuna's sister river, is the traditional next stop, reached back down the valley and across via Uttarkashi, roughly 220 to 230 km by road.
From there the circuit turns to the two eastern shrines. Kedarnath, the high Shiva jyotirlinga set in the Mandakini valley, lies around 320 to 350 km on by road plus its own trek, and Badrinath, Vishnu's Himalayan abode, is the farthest at roughly 400 to 430 km, closing the loop.
These distances are long mountain-road approximations and each shrine is a multi-day undertaking in itself, so pilgrims rarely rush all four back to back. Many combine Yamunotri and Gangotri first as the western pair, then travel to Kedarnath and Badrinath as the eastern pair, or take the full circuit over eight to twelve days.
← Back to the full Yamunotri darshan guideCompiled from public sources including Wikipedia: Yamunotri · Wikipedia: Chota Char Dham · Holidify: Yamunotri travel guide · Wikimedia Commons: Yamuna at Yamunotri image. Timings and seasonal closures change; confirm with the temple trust before travelling.