Bansi Narayan Trek
Chamoli, Uttarakhand
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- Max altitude
- 3,588 m
- Days
- 5 days
- Distance
- 27 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
About 13-15 km each way with roughly 1,570 m of climbing from Devgram, including long steep zig-zag sections above Bansa and Mulakharak; no villages or shops beyond Bansa, so all camping gear and food must be carried.
Photos
On the trail
The route
Day by day
Day 1
Dehradun or Haridwar → Joshimath / Helang
640 m → 2,041 m
Day 2
Helang (drive to Devgram) → Mulakharak
2,016 m → 2,715 m
Day 3 · highest point
Mulakharak → Bansi Narayan Temple
2,715 m → 3,588 m
Day 4 · highest point
Bansi Narayan Temple → Bansi Narayan Temple (rest day; optional walk towards Chota Nandi Kund)
3,588 m → 3,588 m
Day 5
Bansi Narayan Temple → Devgram (optional darshan at Kalpeshwar)
3,588 m → 2,016 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · Devgram
at 2,016 mLoading forecast…
High point · Bansi Narayan Temple
at 3,588 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- Devgram (nearest town: Joshimath (Jyotirmath))
- Nearest railway
- Rishikesh (Yog Nagari Rishikesh); Haridwar and Dehradun have more trains
- Nearest airport
- Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun
- By road
- Haridwar or Dehradun to Helang near Joshimath by shared taxi or bus (about 9 hours), then about 1 hour by jeep to Devgram in the Urgam valley
- Drive
- About 10 h from Dehradun
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹6,000–12,000
With an operator
₹23,000–27,300
Per person, ex-Dehradun. Guided: Himalaya Shelter publishes a trek fee of ₹23,000 plus ₹3,000 transport from Dehradun and 5% GST (about ₹27,300); we found no second operator's published price for this trek, so treat the guided range as indicative. Self-guided is an estimate: shared taxi Dehradun/Haridwar to Helang at ₹600-800 a seat each way, a jeep to Devgram, a homestay night in Devgram, a local guide for 3-4 days, and tent and stove hire.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
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Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 34
Nights near 3,588 m can drop close to freezing even in summer. Pack one more warm layer than you think.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- Patchy. Indiahikes notes a mobile tower about 20 minutes above Devgram; expect no signal on the upper trail and at the temple.
- Last ATM
- Joshimath (Jyotirmath); carry cash for Urgam valley homestays and jeeps
- Nearest hospital
- Health sub-centre at Urgam for first aid; Joshimath for the nearest hospital; AIIMS Rishikesh for serious cases
- Water
- A spring about 70 minutes above Devgram, a source 20-25 minutes from the Mulakharak campsite, two sources in the first 40 minutes above Mulakharak, and three along the descent. Boil or treat all water.
Highlights
- Darshan of Bhagwan Vishnu as Bansi Narayan in a single-structure stone temple at about 3,590 m, with no settlement around it
- Raksha Bandhan, the one day the temple doors open, when women of the Urgam and Kalgot villages climb up to tie rakhi to Bhagwan Narayan
- Oak and rhododendron forest above Bansa and the Mulakharak meadow camp
- Views of the Nanda Devi range from a high point a short 400 m walk beyond the temple
- Combine with darshan at Kalpeshwar, the fifth Kedar, a short walk from Devgram
Risks
- Monsoon (July-August) makes the steep trail slippery and the area is prone to landslides; Trek The Himalayas, eUttaranchal and Himalaya Shelter all advise against it, except for the Raksha Bandhan pilgrimage with local groups.
- December to February bring heavy snow on the upper trail, and snow can linger into March and April; the route then needs winter gear and a local guide.
- No settlements beyond Bansa village; Himalayan black bears have been reported, so trek in a group and keep food sealed.
- The one-day Devgram-to-temple climb (13-15 km, 6-8 hours up) offered by some operators is long for unacclimatised trekkers; the Mulakharak night is safer.
Know before you go
Questions
When does the Bansi Narayan temple open?
The doors open once a year, on Raksha Bandhan (Shravan Purnima), from morning until sunset. The katha says that on the other days Devarshi Narad himself worships Bhagwan Narayan here. You can trek to the temple in any open season, but darshan inside the sanctum is only on Raksha Bandhan.
How long is the Bansi Narayan trek?
About 12-15 km each way from Devgram in the Urgam valley, via Bansa, Uruba Rishi temple, Mulakharak and Nokchuna Dhar. Most operators run it over 5 days with a camp at Mulakharak; a fit group can climb in one long day of 6-8 hours and descend in 3-4.
What is the best time for the Bansi Narayan trek?
May-June and September-October. March-April are possible with some snow on top; December-February bring heavy snow, and the July-August monsoon makes the trail slippery and prone to landslides.
Who is worshipped at Bansi Narayan?
Bhagwan Vishnu, worshipped as Bansi Narayan, with Shri Krishna's flute (bansi) in the name. The katha tells that Bhagwan Vishnu came here first after Raja Bali released him from Patal lok, and the people of Urgam say Shri Krishna's flute can still be heard here by devotees.
How do I reach Devgram, the start of the trek?
Take a shared taxi or bus from Haridwar or Dehradun to Helang near Joshimath (about 9 hours, ₹600-800 a seat), then a jeep for about an hour up the Urgam valley to Devgram, where homestays are available.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: ChamoliUttarakhand
- Nearest hospital
- Health sub-centre at Urgam for first aid; Joshimath for the nearest hospital; AIIMS Rishikesh for serious cases
- Last ATM
- Joshimath (Jyotirmath); carry cash for Urgam valley homestays and jeeps
- Phone network
- Patchy. Indiahikes notes a mobile tower about 20 minutes above Devgram; expect no signal on the upper trail and at the temple.
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Bansi Narayan
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Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- Bansi Narayan Temple Trek — Trek The Himalayas
- Bansi Narayan Temple Trek — Himalaya Shelter
- Bansi Narayan Trek (documented trek) — Indiahikes
- Bansi Narayan Trek — TrekUp India
- Bansi Narayan Trek - Bansi Narayan Temple Trekking Route, Travel Tips, How to Reach — eUttaranchal
- Did You Know? Vanshi Narayan Mandir In Uttarakhand Opens Only On Raksha Bandhan — Free Press Journal
- Devbhoomi Uttarakhand: Banshi Narayan Mandir opens only on the day of Raksha Bandhan — Bhakti Bharat
Photos: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0; Mike Prince from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0; Biswajit Majumdar, CC BY-SA 3.0
