Chopta–Tungnath Trek
Chopta–Tungnath is a 2-day trek in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, topping out at 3,672 m. On TrekBaba's normalized scale — the same formula applied to every trek in this catalogue — it scores 24.4/100, which puts it in the Easy band: a first Himalayan trek is realistic here if you can walk for several hours a day. With a high point of 3,672 m, acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a real possibility on the summit or pass day — ascend steadily and watch for headaches.
Photo: Siddharth Chugh · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Explore the route
Scrub the trail — satellite view, live altitude. 4.1 km
Route drawn from real OpenStreetMap geometry (189 sampled points simplified to 38), elevations from the Copernicus DEM. Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics | Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Why Chopta–Tungnath is graded Easy
- Max altitude 3,672 m — altitude is weighted 35% and non-linearly, because AMS risk climbs steeply above ~3,500 m.
- Total ascent 793 m over 2 days — how much climbing your legs actually do.
- Longest day 2.8 km — one brutal day makes a trek harder than the average does.
- Trail type: rocky — exposure (snow, scree, ice, pass crossings) is weighted 35%, the same as altitude.
Score 24.4/100. Bands: Easy <40 · Moderate <64 · Difficult <85 · Very Difficult ≥85. How the formula works. Next step up: Ali Bedni Bugyal.
What you'll see from Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point
From Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Chaukhamba III (6,974 m), Chaukhamba IV (6,854 m), Chaukhamba I (7,138 m), Janhukut (6,805 m), Kedarnath Main (6,940 m) and Nilkantha (6,596 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Only peaks proven visible by line-of-sight over the terrain — not nearby-but-blocked ones — placed by true bearing and sized by how much they fill the view.
Dawn & dusk from Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point
In December, last light leaves Nilkantha at 17:14 — from Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point.
Nothing lines up this month.
Nothing lines up this month.
Nothing lines up this month.
- Nilkantha30°
Sun times and azimuths come from the NOAA solar-position equations for this viewpoint's GPS; the peak bearings are our own viewshed moat. Times assume a flat horizon — a ridge to your east delays real first light on the ground, often by 20–60 minutes, while a high summit opposite catches it a few minutes early. The 12° and 35° bands are editorial choices, not physics: a peak 90° from the sun is side-lit, which is often the better photograph.
Best time to do Chopta–Tungnath
The best months for Chopta–Tungnath are March–June and September–November. February and December are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–August are risky (The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided). The route is effectively closed in January. Expect snow on the trail in December–February. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -12 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 13 °C in July.
The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided.
Best-season estimated from the trek's region and altitude — verify locally before committing to dates.
What the thermometer actually does up there
Computed from 10 years of Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (2016–2025), with every sample point lapse-rate-downscaled to its true altitude — this is Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point at 3,672 m, not the valley town. Temperatures are downscaled to the point; wet and snow days come back at the reanalysis grid scale (~10 km), so read them as weather over the area. A climate estimate, not a forecast.
Chopta–Tungnath trek cost — operators compared
Chopta–Tungnath costs ₹3,999–₹9,900 per person with an organised operator (13 of 17 listed operators publish a price; the cheapest captured is Trekup India). That works out to roughly ₹1,875 per trek day. Fees typically cover meals, tents and guides from the base village; transport from the railhead, gear rental and permits vary — see the inclusion grid below. Prices are read from each operator's own page (latest capture 2026-09-22) and link straight to it.
- ₹3,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹5,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹5,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ✓Transport
- ·Meals
- ✓Stay
- ·Permits
- ✗Gear
- ₹6,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹6,175as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 4
- They grade it
- —
- ✓Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹6,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 4
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Show 11 more operators
- ₹6,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹7,500as of 2026-09-22flat
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹7,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 4
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹8,499as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- —
- ✓Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 3
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ✓Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,900as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- —
- ✓Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 4
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Operators self-declare difficulty. TrekBaba grades every trek by one formula — normalized: Easy. We link out to each operator; we never copy their words or photos. Prices were read from each operator's own page on the date shown — confirm with the operator before booking. Where we have read a price more than once, the sparkline is our own dated capture log, not the operator's.
Not affiliated with any operator. Prices are dated facts read from each operator's own page; confirm before paying. See every operator on the operators index.
How to reach Chopta–Tungnath & staying safe
To reach Chopta–Tungnath, the nearest railhead is Rishikesh (~97 km, OSM) and the nearest airport is Gauchar Airport (~23 km, OSM). The road ends at Chopta, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Union Bank of India (~14 km, OSM) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at convenience (~81 km, OSM).
No dedicated acclimatization day is needed at this altitude, but a steady first day still helps. At its most remote point the route is about 1.8 hours from the nearest drivable road (near Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point) — a floor for any evacuation, not a promise. The nearest hospital is Government Hospital, Makku Math (~6 km, OSM), 6.1 km from the trailhead. Water: water (~1 km, OSM).
How far you are from a road
Computed against our own route line and the OpenStreetMap drivable road network over Copernicus GLO-30 elevations: hours = (crowfly_km x 1.4) / 4.0 + max(0, elev_point - elev_road) / 600 [terrain factor 1.4, 4 km/h walking, 600 m/h descent]. It is a floor, not a promise — a real evacuation with a casualty is slower, and a crow-fly line ignores what stands between you and the road. Read it as relative remoteness: which part of this trek commits you. Nearest drivable ways: unnamed trunk, unnamed trunk.
Estimated, not measured. Remoteness is computed from our own route geometry against the OpenStreetMap drivable road network (motorway-track) and Copernicus GLO-30 elevations; mobile coverage is a terrain line-of-sight estimate, not a carrier guarantee. Treat both as planning aids.
OSM-mapped masts only, carrier unknown — a mast-in-sight proxy, not a coverage guarantee. Carrier-by-carrier coverage needs a cell-tower dump; no open, no-signup one exists today, so we publish nothing rather than guess.
Chopta–Tungnath permits & restrictions
Permit required: Yes · Kedarnath Wildlife Division, Uttarakhand Forest Dept (Gopeshwar, Chamoli) — the route lies inside Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary
Forest entry fee collected at the Dugalbitta check post before Chopta; the division's own permit site (kedarnathwildlife.uk.gov.in) was returning HTTP 402 and could not be read
⚠ Sources disagree on whether Indian nationals need a permit document as opposed to paying the sanctuary entry fee — verify at the check post
Crowding, and where to go instead
When the interest arrives, relative to this trek's own busiest month (May).
A percentile of trailing-12-month English Wikipedia pageviews for Tungnath (44 months observed)— measured within TrekBaba's own catalogue, bots excluded. It is a proxy for attention, not headcount. Read with care: counted on the Tungnath temple article: pilgrim interest is bundled with trekker interest.
Same state, within one difficulty band, and at least half the peaks — and quieter: it scores 7/100 against this trek's 96.
Chopta–Tungnath trek FAQ
How difficult is the Chopta–Tungnath trek?
Chopta–Tungnath is graded Easy (24.4/100) on TrekBaba's normalized scale, which weighs max altitude (3,672 m), total ascent (793 m), the longest day (2.8 km) and terrain exposure identically for every trek.
What is the best time to do Chopta–Tungnath?
March–June and September–November. February and December are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–August are risky (The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided). The route is effectively closed in January. Expect snow on the trail in December–February. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -12 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 13 °C in July.
How much does the Chopta–Tungnath trek cost?
Between ₹3,999 and ₹9,900 per person with an operator, based on 13 published prices captured from operator pages (latest 2026-09-22). The cheapest listed is Trekup India.
How many days does Chopta–Tungnath take?
2 days is the standard itinerary; operators run it as 3/4/5/6/7 days including travel from the base town. The longest walking day is 2.8 km.
What is the maximum altitude of Chopta–Tungnath?
3,672 m (12,047 ft), which TrekBaba rates as moderate AMS risk.
Is a permit required for Chopta–Tungnath?
Yes — issued by Kedarnath Wildlife Division, Uttarakhand Forest Dept (Gopeshwar, Chamoli) — the route lies inside Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary.
Which operators run Chopta–Tungnath?
Trekup India, Super Trekkers, MadTrek, Himalayan Hikers, Thrillophilia, Moxtain, Trekhievers, Trek The Himalayas, Trekkers of India, Trekos, Danu Adventure, Bikat Adventures, Himalaya Shelter, Trekmunk, Trek Nomads, Tour My India, Universal Adventures list Chopta–Tungnath. Each is linked to its own trek page above with the captured price, days and inclusions.
How do I reach the Chopta–Tungnath trailhead?
To reach Chopta–Tungnath, the nearest railhead is Rishikesh (~97 km, OSM) and the nearest airport is Gauchar Airport (~23 km, OSM). The road ends at Chopta, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Union Bank of India (~14 km, OSM) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at convenience (~81 km, OSM).
Is Chopta–Tungnath suitable for beginners?
Yes. Chopta–Tungnath is in the Easy band and is a sensible first Himalayan trek, provided you can walk 2.8 km in a day with a daypack.
Which peaks can you see from Chopta–Tungnath?
From Chandrashila (Chopta–Tungnath) high point, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Chaukhamba III (6,974 m), Chaukhamba IV (6,854 m), Chaukhamba I (7,138 m), Janhukut (6,805 m), Kedarnath Main (6,940 m) and Nilkantha (6,596 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
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This trek's altitude, ascent and exposure are computed from OpenStreetMap route data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) over the Copernicus DEM — its difficulty grade is provisional, pending field verification.
Difficulty grade, peak horizon, per-camp climate, remoteness, sun alignment and the crowding index are all computed — the moats — and every one of them is an estimate, labelled as such where it appears. Found-fact and operator values are public approximations pending field + source verification, not citations. Peaks named on this page: Chaukhamba III, Chaukhamba IV, Chaukhamba I, Janhukut, Kedarnath Main.