Things to do in Chopta — 5 stops, and which are on foot
How this list is built
Sorted by how you reach each place: first the walks from the road-head at Chopta, then the stops down the road. The minutes are our own road routing. Each entry sits inside one of our copyable itineraries.
Photos: Varun Shiv Kapur from Berkeley, United States (CC BY 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
On foot from Chopta
1. Tungnath Temple
The loftiest of the five Panch Kedar shrines, at about 3,680 m, up a paved path of 3 to 5 km depending on the source, shut by snow for about six months. Tungnath Temple.
2. Chandrashila
The summit above the temple, a further steep climb, with views of Nanda Devi, Trishul, Kedarnath and Chaukhamba on a clear day. Chandrashila.
Down the road
3. Deoria Tal
A forest lake at about 2,438 m, a walk of 2 to 3 km from Sari village, 39 minutes from Chopta. Deoria Tal.
4. Ukhimath
The pilgrimage town where the Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar deities spend the winter, 53 minutes down. Ukhimath.
5. The meadows and the forest
Chopta itself is meadow and forest, part of the Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary area, and Wikipedia describes it as popular with birdwatchers. We have no verified rules for the sanctuary, so ask locally before you camp or go off the paths.
Putting it together
The one-day plan is the long walk. The two-day plan adds the summit and Ukhimath, and the half-day plan does the lake. See when to visit Chopta and how to reach Chopta.
Plans that include this
All Chopta itineraries →
Questions people ask
What are the best things to do in Chopta?
Walk up to Tungnath Temple, the loftiest of the five Panch Kedar shrines, and on to the Chandrashila summit. Drive down to Sari for the walk to Deoria Tal, and on to Ukhimath. Wikipedia also lists birdwatching, camping and, in the snow, winter trekking, and mentions musk deer and the monal among the wildlife.
What can you do in Chopta for free?
Walk the meadows and the paths from the road-head, look at the views and watch for birds. We have no verified fees for the temple, the sanctuary area or camping, so ask in Chopta. The real cost is the drive in, and a vehicle for day two, since we have no verified bus timings past Ukhimath.
How many days do you need in Chopta?
One day covers the walk to Tungnath, and a second adds Chandrashila, with Ukhimath on the way home. Deoria Tal has a half-day plan of its own. The road in is long, 484 km from Delhi on our routing, so most people also spend a night on the way.