Chetram holidays offers a travel package whereby temple sightseeing is combined with mountain climbing. You will pat ancient and holy temples, travel in a forest, ramble through middle ground levels of walks revealing the Himalayas, and experience the harmony of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. You will reside in comfortable accommodation, get local guides, travel securely and shall have a relaxed schedule to help allow you to appreciate the temples and nature in no rush and get bored.
In the morning or early afternoon you reach Dehradun, or Haridwar. Meeting with the Chetram Holidays rep, you arrive at your hotel in Haridwar. Once you check in and have a quick sleep, you have lunch and then visit the religious places in Haridwar. Go to the Ganges, Har Ki pauri. Ropeway to Mansa Devi Temple then one can have Ganga and hills around it. And then proceed to Chandi Devi Temple, another hill. and in the evening you can observe the Ganga Aarti, of Har Ki Pauri–a gorgeous procession of lights, songs and prayers. Dine and spend the night at Haridwar.
Breakfast at Rishikesh (approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Get yourself into your hotel or guest house. Excursion trip to Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula – known worldwide as suspension bridges that have the sight of Ganges, hills and temples as well as ashrams in the precinct. Go to Neelkanth Mahadev Temple after lunch. The drive is a 2 to 3 hours journey with a trek or walk through some forest areas hence a spiritual visit and walk. Back to Rishikesh in the night. Attend the Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat or any other ashram. Another thing you can do is to exercise and do yoga or meditate at night by the river. Stay overnight in Rishikesh.
Take early breakfast, and take the train to Chopta through Dehradun. Stops you can make are at Tapkeshwar Temple which is a cave temple with natural springs or at Lakhamandal Temple step 1/2 way away at Dehradun (time permitting) which offers you a temple experience and trail. Keep on Forest roads, hills and patches of oak and rhododendrons and approach Chopta in the evening. Chopta can be dubbed as the Mini Switzerland. Check into a mountain lodge. During the evening walk Chopta meadow, witness the sunset over hills, take dinner and have one night stay inChopta.
Get up early and eat a good breakfast. Begin the journey in Chopta up to Tungnath Temple, one of the catalogued Shiva temples in the world. The path passes through mountainous foothills, high windy meadows, and minor falls. following a worship at Tungnath, climb to the summit Chandrashila, an excellent panoramic place in sunrise and sunset of the Himalayan giants (Nanda Devi, Trishul, Chaukhamba, et cetera). On a good day you could have a packed lunch at the peak or at the bottom of the temple, whichever it is. Return to Chopta, relax momentarily and in the evening either socialize with village folk, a brief nature hike among the hills or star watch assuming the theory is meteorologically acceptable. Overnight in the Chopta lodge.
Breakfast, leave Chopta. Know down to Dehradun and look at good sights in the middle. Depending on the time of your flight/train, you can visit Sahastradhara when it is open or stroll in the botanical gardens of Dehradun and in its local markets. Have lunch in Dehradun. Chetram Holidays will choose thereafter to take you to either the railway or the airport where you are to continue your journey. You come away in the afternoon or evening with a lot of recollections of temples and walks and silent times.
