[vijit.gangwar]

Since buying my Swift LDi I can only think of travelling (Driving) recently I came across a place called Auli in Uttranchal in district Chamoli.

NH 58 can be taken to drive all the way to Joshimath which is about 480 kms, from Joshimath Auli is only 13 kms. Auli is covered in snow for about 6 months.

My query...has anyone driven on this road, if yes which town should be the night halt, what hotel, condition of the road, is the route safe. I have already done Delhi Haridwar a couple of time, it from Haridwar to Joshimath that I am more concerned.

Any feedback suggestions would be appreciated.

Free Driving Direction Map, National Highway 58, Driving Direction Road Map, Road Map Mana to Delhi, Distance Map from Mana to Delhi

[akroy]

Yes, I know of atleast 3 people who have driven, Pls PM them, hvkumar, ramkya1, biswajit

Abhi

[hvkumar]

I have done this drive couple of times. It is a long drive from Hardwar/Rishikesh to Auli, hence the ideal thing to do would be to do Delhi-Srinagar/Rudraprayag on Day 1 and do the balance on Day 2.

Road is good, but expect landlisdes and occasional bad patches - it is after a difficult mountain road.

No steep inlcines or tough sections.

Facilities are very good - petrol pumps as well as hotels.

there are GMVN hotels almost every 30-50 kms, and they often offer best value for money. In all the major towns (Srinagar, Rudraparayg, Karnaprayag, Pipalkoti, etc), there are other hotels too.

Safety is no issue, but beware of indisciplined drivers who can come tearing down fast around curves, especially Sumo taxis.

The occasional landlside may delay you by 10 minutes to 2 hours because there is always some repair going on.

After Rishikesh, there are night driving restrictions (post-8 pm). At Joshimath, the road to Auli is closed after dark(not sure about time, but the road to Badrinath closes at 430 pm).

You can also take a cable car from Joshimath to Auli.

There are severla hotels at Auli, including GMVN.

Please also surf GMVN website for details of their hotels.

You can PM me with your email so that I can send you my log books - apart from route details, it also has markings for location of petrol stations, GMVN hotels, etc. I have not been to Auli but I have driven by Joshimath twice.

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

There are severla hotels at Auli, including GMVN.
.

I think there are only 2 hotels at Auli. GMVN & Cliff top.
GMVN charges around Rs900/day for a log hut where as Cliff top will be around 6000/day( need to bargain). In my view cliff top is not worth that price..

[pankaj_sachdeva]

@ vijit.gangwar

Similar topic is being discussed in this thread
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...oing-auli.html (Need Route Info for Going to AULI)

@ MODS, please merge these threads.

[ramkya1]

Hai Vijit,

Just got back from Shivpuri after a rafting / treking trip from 11th to 14th Feb. Like AKRoy said, I've driven the stretch and here's the update.

I endorse what HVKumar and Tiger said. You can also stay at the camp 5 elements swiss tents, much more economic and great service. You can drive up to Auli from Joshimath; I think around 10 kms (we took the ropeway up), steep roads, don't think your swift can make it, in case you contact the camp 5 elements ppl,, they'd tell you the latest conditions on the road up.

Delhi to Haridwar, if you start early from Delhi should be around 4-5 hours, start late it can be an 8 hour drive, lots of traffic bottlenecks, modinagar is a great pain and can slow you down plenty. From Haridwar to Rishikesh 45 mts to 1 hr, roads are good. From Rishikesh to Biasi, 35 KMs, road widening and blasting is going on, lots of traffic blocks while the Border Road gang is using the buldozers, we had to wait every day anywhere from 15 mits to 45 mts around Shivpuri.

From Biasi up, road work / widening is already over, good roads all the way up to Joshimamth. I heard that the road going up to KedaR are also pretty good too.

Would also suggest a break at Rishikesh, Haridwar from Delhi and start early from there towards Joshimath / Auli. You'd be fresher in the morning and would reach before nightfall, gets pretty dark around 6pm.

If you want daily updates on the route call a friend of mine, Megh Singh Chauhan 094112412293, stays at Biasi, quote my name, he operates 5 buses on this route and lots of taxis.

Happy Driving,

--Ramky.
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[vijit.gangwar]

Thanks guys, will try to take pics for all your viewing pleasure, have to apply for chutti now.

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by vijit.gangwar

Thanks guys, will try to take pics for all your viewing pleasure, have to apply for chutti now.

Hai,

Wish you a nice trip and have a blast on the road.

Also post the condition of the road when you get time. Specially, the section from Biasi up to Chamoli is stated to be grately improved and widened.

Happy Driving,

--Ramky
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[asr245]

Hi guys!

Anyone driven down this stretch recently? I am looking at driving up there later next month and was wondering whether Dehra Dun - Joshimath/Auli could be done in a day. Google maps say distance is about 325kms which looks do-able in a day (in 12hrs).

Any suggestions?

[chaunfa]

Originally Posted by asr245

Hi guys!

Anyone driven down this stretch recently? I am looking at driving up there later next month and was wondering whether Dehra Dun - Joshimath/Auli could be done in a day. Google maps say distance is about 325kms which looks do-able in a day (in 12hrs).

Any suggestions?

Just been down the Delhi Haridwar Delhi stretch. Contrary to all my fears did it to Haridwar after starting at six thirty in four hours. Even stopped for breakfast at a km or so before Muzzafarnagar. Distance from there to Haridwar was a hundred kilometers from here. This a toll highway that begins after Modinagar. You can clip easily at 90 and hundred. The road is two lane and scarred between Roorkee and Muzzafarnagar. It is also congested.

Made the return in five hours, that also after leaving Haridwar at 11.30 am.
With a lunch break at the same place, (it boasts a MacDonalds and a Haldirams) we made it back in five hours.

Happy report how pleasantly I was surprised.

Warm Regards,

Chaunfa

[asr245]

Originally Posted by chaunfa

Just been down the Delhi Haridwar Delhi stretch. Contrary to all my fears did it to Haridwar after starting at six thirty in four hours. Even stopped for breakfast at a km or so before Muzzafarnagar. Distance from there to Haridwar was a hundred kilometers from here. This a toll highway that begins after Modinagar. You can clip easily at 90 and hundred. The road is two lane and scarred between Roorkee and Muzzafarnagar. It is also congested.

Made the return in five hours, that also after leaving Haridwar at 11.30 am.
With a lunch break at the same place, (it boasts a MacDonalds and a Haldirams) we made it back in five hours.

Happy report how pleasantly I was surprised.

Warm Regards,

Chaunfa

Thanks for the report Chaunfa! I actually did that trip about 1.5 months ago so it's done & dusted.

Maybe a bit of briefing about the condition of the road.

- Vehicle: Maruti DZire VDi.
- Journey: Dehra Dun to Joshimath, a total distance of about 310 kms in about 10hrs (couple of 15-20mins breaks included).
- Route: Dehra Dun - Shivpuri (Rishikesh bypassed) - Devprayag - Srinagar - Karnaprayag - Nandaprayag - Chamoli - Joshimath
- Road condition: seemed to vary according to number of landslides on the given day. Forward journey was good with 90% of the journey on good to reasonable roads. On return journey we encountered a couple of instances of landslides + an overturned trailer truck.
- Driving: Sedate (90% 2nd gear, 10% 3rd gear in hills). Probably could have been more sedate as roads are narrow and any kind of miss would most likely be fatal. I can say that as only a month ago my wife lost her uncle on the same route.

Advice:
1. Be really careful with how much you speed, and visit Auli (in winters) only if you love snow/skiing. There's nothing else besides that.
2. The last 6-8 kms of the road from Joshimath to Auli was completely covered with snow. Cars and SUVs without 4X4 will not make it to the top unless you are prior experience in uphill/downhill driving in snow conditions. Snow chains are preferred even by locals.
3. For the above journey there's a cable car ride from Joshimath to Auli but had not been working for a few months. Alternatively local cabbies charge about Rs 1000 for the 10km journey.

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by asr245

Thanks for the report Chaunfa! I actually did that trip about 1.5 months ago so it's done & dusted.

Maybe a bit of briefing about the condition of the road.

- Vehicle: Maruti DZire VDi.
- Journey: Dehra Dun to Joshimath, a total distance of about 310 kms in about 10hrs (couple of 15-20mins breaks included).
- Route: Dehra Dun - Shivpuri (Rishikesh bypassed) - Devprayag - Srinagar - Karnaprayag - Nandaprayag - Chamoli - Joshimath
- Road condition: seemed to vary according to number of landslides on the given day. Forward journey was good with 90% of the journey on good to reasonable roads. On return journey we encountered a couple of instances of landslides + an overturned trailer truck.
- Driving: Sedate (90% 2nd gear, 10% 3rd gear in hills). Probably could have been more sedate as roads are narrow and any kind of miss would most likely be fatal. I can say that as only a month ago my wife lost her uncle on the same route.

Advice:
1. Be really careful with how much you speed, and visit Auli (in winters) only if you love snow/skiing. There's nothing else besides that.
2. The last 6-8 kms of the road from Joshimath to Auli was completely covered with snow. Cars and SUVs without 4X4 will not make it to the top unless you are prior experience in uphill/downhill driving in snow conditions. Snow chains are preferred even by locals.
3. For the above journey there's a cable car ride from Joshimath to Auli but had not been working for a few months. Alternatively local cabbies charge about Rs 1000 for the 10km journey.

Nice report that. 2 days back met a friend who spends at least 3-6 months in the Snow Leopard Camp at Shivpuri doing OBL training for corporates. He sent some people up to Auli in January and advises not to try the Joshimath-Auli drive without 4x4. Even people with 4x4, those who are not used to mountain driving on snow hire local drivers from Joshimath, they are available if you look in the taxi stands. It's better to have a bruised ego than a bruised and broken body. Last time I went there, had a Ford Fusion 2x4 and did not even attempt the climb, took the cable car.

---Ramky
=====

[asr245]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Nice report that. 2 days back met a friend who spends at least 3-6 months in the Snow Leopard Camp at Shivpuri doing OBL training for corporates. He sent some people up to Auli in January and advises not to try the Joshimath-Auli drive without 4x4. Even people with 4x4, those who are not used to mountain driving on snow hire local drivers from Joshimath, they are available if you look in the taxi stands. It's better to have a bruised ego than a bruised and broken body. Last time I went there, had a Ford Fusion 2x4 and did not even attempt the climb, took the cable car.

---Ramky
=====

Totally agree.

I missed a note - do not attempt to do this journey (even till Joshimath) in a car like Honda City (low GC) unless you want it bruised and battered.

[Mik]

I am resurrecting a pretty old thread here. Can anyone give information of the road condition beyond Devprayag and upto Joshimath this year. Would a hatchback make it ?
Last I went on this route was in 2008 on a bike and even then, it was landslide prone to some extent though nothing a vehicle cannot handle.

EDIT: Further googling brought me to this excellent thread on bcmtouring.
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/road...and-t45759-31/

[asr245]

Originally Posted by Mik

I am resurrecting a pretty old thread here. Can anyone give information of the road condition beyond Devprayag and upto Joshimath this year. Would a hatchback make it ?
Last I went on this route was in 2008 on a bike and even then, it was landslide prone to some extent though nothing a vehicle cannot handle.

EDIT: Further googling brought me to this excellent thread on bcmtouring.
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/road...and-t45759-31/

Hey,

So have you made this trip yet? I am planning a trip in end Jan/Feb beginning to Joshimath/Auli but not sure about the road. I know a City wouldn't make it so choice of car is between a WagonR or a DZire.

Please do let know of the road condition if you do plan or have made the trip. Thanks.