Joshimath

Joshimath is a mountain town in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district at 1,875 metres, set at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers and serving as a gateway to several Himalayan destinations. Joshimath is famous for being the base for Badrinath, with the Joshimath to Badrinath distance about 45 km, as well as Auli 13 km away by ropeway, the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, the Valley of Flowers and Mana village near the Tibet border. Among the top things to do in Joshimath are visiting the ancient Jyotirmath established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century and seeing the revered Kalpavriksha tree where he meditated. In winter, when Badrinath closes, the idol is moved to the Narasimha Joshimath temple for worship. The town also features the long Joshimath Auli ropeway, often described as one of Asia’s longest cable cars. Though recent land subsidence raised concerns, key pilgrimage routes including Joshimath to Badrinath remain operational with monitoring.