Budget Trip to Kashi of Uttarakhand : UTTARKASHI

It's like 3 months when I started planning for a trip to Uttarkashi, as I searched about the place and also heard about it from some of my traveller friends. So Uttarkashi is basically a small but junction for some very famous places like Gngotri, Gomukh and Dayra Bugyal trek.
I planned a three-four days trip in between my Exams as now I was unable to resist myself to reach this place.

How to reach Uttarkashi:-

Uttarkashi is approx 148 km from Dehradun( Capital of Uttarakhand), so there are direct buses to Uttarkashi from Dehradun but these buses are from the Parade Ground in Dehradun as most of them is of private services.
There are hardly Bus from ISBT Dehradun, so it's better to reach Dehradun and take a bus from Parade Ground.
There is also Bus for Uttarkashi from Rishikesh and Haridwar. Some people found it more convenient from Rishikesh.

Timings of Buses for Uttarkashi :-

Mostly Buses are in the first half of the Day I.e till 1 pm as it will take atleast 5 hour to reach Uttarkashi. Last Bus for Uttarkashi is at 3 p.m. approx .
Same from the Uttarkashi, most the Buses are before 2pm. There is also Taxi from and for the Uttarkashi for all prominent places.

Places to visit in Uttarkashi :-

1. Kashi Vishwanath Temple
2. Hanuman Temple
3. Manikarnika Ghat
4. Bhagirathi river side
5. Hiking to Varnavrat .

From Uttarkashi you can go to Gangotri, Gomukh, Harshil, Dayra Bugyal trek.

So basically I planned my trip for 3-4 days only, you can add places from the above mentioned places according to your trip planner and days for travel.

Now I'll tell you about the places I visit during my journey and also the Budget for everything in a very cheapest way i.e.  stay, Bus-Taxi fare, food and local expenses.
So, I started from Delhi (Kashmiri Gate ISBT) to Dehradun which costs you 300 rs. per person in a roadways bus. In Dehradun you'll easily get sharing auto in just 10 rs for Parade Ground from where you'll bus for Uttarkashi. Normal stay in Uttarkashi is in between 550/- to 800/- per room but if you are good in exploring then also you can get a place to stay at rs 350/- to 400/- .
Next Morning I left for Gangotri Dham at 6 in the morning so that I can come back to uttarkashi on the same day. Uttarkashi to Gngotri bus fare is 140/- and Sharing Taxi is at 200 rs only.
Next day again early in the morning I took bus for Rishikesh at 6:30 am which cost me 240/- rs , reached Rishikesh at 2:00 pm and explored various places whole day like Ram Jhoola, Laxman Jhoola, River Rafting (350/- to 400/-  per person approx), bank of Ganges river, German Cafe and evening Ganga Arti at 7:00 pm.

I took bus for ISBT Kashmiri Gate from Rishikesh Bus stop at 9:00 pm which is of 275/- per person.

Note:- You can get sharing auto towards bus stand just 500 meter away from Laxman Jhoola in 20/- per person. Otherwise they'll charge 200/- rs booking if you want to book the whole auto.

So in short my trip was like :-

Delhi - Dehradun - Uttarkashi - Gangotri Dham - Uttarkashi - Rishikesh - Delhi.

Total Estimated cost 3200/- only

How to plan an Unplanned trip :Dharamshala-Mcleodganj

Are you a backpacker ? Do you also love traveling? If your answer is yes then of course I'll tell you about my recent travel experience . It was an unplanned , sudden trip. Decision was taken with in 30 minutes, and with in 2 hours I left my place towards bus terminal.
So, recently I visited some places in Himachal Pradesh . I will try to explain you everything related to trip which gives you information about the place , eternity and budget.
Budget is one of the biggest factor which resist us so many times for taking new experience . So always start your travelling by saving as much as you can. Like I started my journey by taking local DTC bus to reach Kashmiri Gate ISBT to take the bus for Himachal. There is no need of auto or cab for such a places which are well connected by public transport. 

So let me tell you about my experience. Firstly I was confused about the destinations as there are so many beautiful places in Himachal but I wanted to go somewhere I can experience more things at one place. I took bus for Chandigarh first which is easily available any time from Kashmiri Gate. I took my bus at 2:00 a.m. and reached Chandigarh at 7 in the morning. I thought why not to explore Chandigarh also, so I went towards city bus. I asked for a one day bus pass which is of 40/- rs only by which you can travel in any bus and any place whole day. You just need to ask local people about the bus route and bus number. I decided to visit three places there. First I went to Mansa Devi Temple after that Rock garden (Sukhna lake is also near by) and at last to sector 17 market . Whole day I explored Chandigarh and at last I went to sector 43 bus stop for the Himachal bus.

       OLD MAN TRYING TO WARM HIMSELF OUT SIDE THE MANSA DEVI TEMPLE

Again I took bus from Chandigarh to Dharmshala at 12 in night. After whole night journey, I reached Dharamshala 7 in the morning. It was a beautiful cold morning.  Temperature was 3-4 degree that time. All around beautiful mountains full of snow . I was very excited so after tea and breakfast at Dharamshala Bus Stop I talked with some local people and tried to find out about the places to visit. My budget was not so high so First I moved towards the market area. Normally market starts in Dharmshala at 10 am . There were a lot of colorful shops , food joints and Tibetan shops. I first started searching a room which could be cheap and best. So there in Dharmshala you will easily find a hotel in 500-600 with double bed and  TV (which is not useful in such beautiful places).
After that I started exploring Dharmshala. In Dharmshala most of the places you can visit by buses (ticket price is in between 3rs. to 15 rs. ) or you can go by foot also if you love long walks in between the nature. You'll taste a lot of traditional and local dishes here.  There were 3-4 places to visit in Dharmshala like World's highest Cricket Ground, Saheed smarak, Bhagshu water fall and lake. You will also love to explore the local market area there.  

                                             A Picture from SHAHEED SMARAK

                                                 Highest Cricket Stadium in the World

Next day I started my day towards the Mcleodganj which is 6-7 km only from Dharmshala. In Mcleodganj there were also a beautiful market where a lot of tourist you'll find easily. From Mclodganj I visited Famous Old Church, Indrunag Temple(Very offbeat) and Dharamkot (full of snow in winters). 

                                                      Dharamkot in Winter Season

Dharamkot is base of the Triund Trek so if you wanna do trekking you'll start from there. Triund is 7-8 km long beautiful trek.  December to February normally trek is close due to heavy snow fall. If you are lucky ,You'll find snow there in Dharmkot easily everywhere.
Dharmshala-Mcleodganj trip is of two days (without trekking ) which will give you a beautiful lifetime experience and memories.

Things To Remember And Apply:-

1. Always travel by government roadways buses.
2. Don't go to the places which are not safe during winters.
3. Don't go to high places for snow and pictures if the weather and time is not good .
4. Always try to travel at night so that you can start exploring from the early in the morning and use the maximum time.
5. Always go with proper equipments and useful things like umbrella, torch, raincoat and thermal jackets and inners.
6. Take information from 3-4 local people.

So, it's the time you can also make some plan without deep planning and visit Dharmshala and Mcleodganj with your friends or alone too.