Kedarnath Package from Patna: Train, Days & Cost

Every Kedarnath package from Patna really starts in Haridwar or Dehradun; the Patna leg is yours to book. Two twin trains, the Kumbha Express 13037 and Upasana Express 13035, leave Patna Junction at 21:15 and reach Haridwar at 15:50 next day, as listed; between them they run daily. Flights connect. Allow about eight days door to door.

This page is for pilgrims from Bihar who keep finding "from Patna" listings that turn out to begin in Haridwar, or that say "price on request". Below are the Patna-stop timings for the through train in both directions, the honest picture on flights, a day-by-day plan, the costs we can source, and the registration and helicopter steps that sit outside any package. Train times come from published timetables (RailMitra, ConfirmTkt, etrain.info and RailYatri); confirm on NTES or by calling 139 before you book.

How a Kedarnath package from Patna actually works

Kedarnath Temple is reached by road from Haridwar, Rishikesh or Dehradun, so that is where tour operators start their itineraries. A typical listing on Thrillophilia is a 5-day/4-night Kedarnath Yatra running Haridwar-Kedarnath-Rishikesh-Delhi, shown at Rs 24,500 per adult after a discount, with a 6-day/5-night Do Dhaam trip at Rs 32,500. Neither includes any travel from an origin city in Bihar.

So a Patna trip has three parts:

• Patna to Haridwar: booked by you, normally by train.
• The package: Haridwar to Sonprayag, the trek or helicopter to Kedarnath, darshan and the drive back.
• Your own paperwork: yatra registration with ID, the darshan slot token at the Dham, and helicopter seats, which are sold only through IRCTC HeliYatra. Our Kedarnath helicopter booking guide explains that step.

If a Patna agent quotes one combined price, ask which train and class it covers and where the package actually begins. The Haridwar half is the same as in our guide to Haridwar-start Kedarnath packages.

Patna to Haridwar: trains that stop at Patna Junction

Patna-Haridwar route lists show several trains, and the count differs from site to site because seasonal specials come and go. What matters for a Bihar pilgrim is which train stops at Patna Junction (PNBE) at a usable hour and runs on your date.

Kumbha Express 13037 and Upasana Express 13035: the main options

The Kumbha Express runs from Howrah to Dehradun, a route of about 1,589 km according to Wikipedia. As listed by RailMitra and etrain.info, 13037 arrives at Patna Junction at 21:08 and leaves at 21:15 (532 km from Howrah). It reaches Haridwar Junction at 15:50 the next afternoon (1,536 km) and Dehradun at 18:10. From Patna that is about 18 hours 35 minutes and roughly 1,000 km of rail to Haridwar.

The Upasana Express 13035 runs the same route on the same timetable: RailMitra, ConfirmTkt and etrain.info all list Patna Junction 21:08/21:15, Haridwar 15:50/16:00 and Dehradun 18:10. It runs on the days the Kumbha Express does not, so in practice there is a 21:15 departure from Patna to Haridwar every evening.

The timings suit pilgrims. You board after dinner, sleep through Uttar Pradesh and reach Haridwar in daylight, with time to check in and rest before the hill drive the next morning.

Seasonal specials

RailMitra's Patna-Haridwar list also shows the 03437 Malda Town-Haridwar Special (about 20 hours 40 minutes) and the 04313 special that ends at Yog Nagari Rishikesh (about 19 hours 35 minutes). We could not confirm that each of these stops at Patna Junction itself, and special trains are added and withdrawn by season. Check the stop list on NTES before you plan around any of them.

Running days: check which of the two runs on your date

RailMitra's page headers show both trains as running every day, which is misleading. etrain.info lists the Kumbha Express 13037 on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and the Upasana Express 13035 on Tuesday and Friday; Wikipedia also describes the Kumbha as a five-day-a-week train. Because both reach Patna on the same day they leave Howrah, the Patna days are the same. So neither train is daily on its own, but together they cover the whole week. When you search for tickets, look up the number that runs on your date, and book early, because each one carries the full demand of its own days.

Pilgrims from Kolkata use the same train from its origin; our Kedarnath package from Kolkata guide covers the Howrah end.

Flying from Patna: a connection, not a direct flight

Jolly Grant Airport serves Dehradun, about 25 km from the city and about 20 km from Rishikesh. Its published airline list covers Air India Express, Alliance Air and IndiGo, and none of them lists a Patna service. So a Patna-Dehradun trip by air means a connection through a hub such as Delhi, even if a booking site labels it "direct".

A connection can still make sense when you are short of time, because it can put you in Dehradun the same day. From Jolly Grant the road to Sonprayag is about 240 km. Check current schedules with the airlines, and leave a margin between the two flights. Pilgrims connecting through the capital can also compare the road and rail options in our Kedarnath package from Delhi guide.

Day-by-day plan from Patna (about 8 days)

This plan assumes the Kumbha or Upasana Express both ways and the trek. It is built from listed train times and road distances, not from any operator's itinerary.

Why eight days and not seven? Only because of the buffer day. Since a 23:43 train leaves Haridwar for Patna every night, you could board on the night of Day 6 straight after the drive and be home on Day 7. We keep the spare day because a landslide or a weather hold can easily cost you one, and it is better to spend it in Haridwar or Rishikesh than to miss a train.

Cost stack for a Bihar traveller

We do not publish our own package prices; this site is an independent information guide, not a seller. Here is what can be sourced, and what you will need to check yourself.

About the helicopter figures: ETV Bharat reported on 1 April 2026 that eight operators fly the Kedarnath sectors this year, two from Guptkashi, four from Phata and two from Sirsi, with booking only through IRCTC HeliYatra. The fares above are one way, per person, excluding GST and service charges. The 2025 round-trip fares were Rs 12,444, Rs 8,842 and Rs 8,839; the report gave no 2026 round-trip figure, so do not simply double the one-way price. Package listings change and discounts expire, so treat all of these as a snapshot, not a quote.

Before you pay an operator, get in writing where the package starts and ends, which hotels it uses, whether the car is private or shared, and whether pony, palanquin or helicopter costs are included.

Registration, darshan token and helicopter booking

A standard package handles none of these, and each is checked on the way up.

• Register for the yatra. Registration is compulsory. Use the official Uttarakhand registration portal under Self, Family or Tour Operator, carry valid personal ID and keep the registration certificate ready at the verification point. Our Kedarnath yatra registration page explains the form step by step.
• Collect the darshan slot token at the Dham. The portal lists toll-free 1364 and the Tourist Care number 0135 3520100 for help.
• Book helicopter seats only on IRCTC HeliYatra. Register first, then book; never pay an agent who claims to hold seats. The booking guide linked above covers documents and fake-site warning signs.

Kedarnathhelicopteryatra.com is not affiliated with IRCTC, UCADA, the Uttarakhand Government or any helicopter operator, and it does not sell tickets. For planning help you can call or WhatsApp +91 99263 12626.

Coming back: 13038 and 13036 Haridwar to Patna

The return Kumbha Express, 13038, leaves Dehradun at 21:45. As listed by RailMitra and RailYatri, it reaches Haridwar at 23:35, departs at 23:43, and arrives at Patna Junction at 17:28 the next evening. Its twin, the Upasana Express 13036, runs on the same timetable (RailMitra, ConfirmTkt). etrain.info lists 13038 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 13036 on Wednesday and Saturday, so one of them leaves Haridwar every night. Check the current calendar for your date.

The late-night departure is useful: even after a full day's drive down from Sonprayag, you can reach Haridwar in time. It is still safer to keep a buffer day, because landslides on the Rudraprayag road or a weather hold on helicopter sectors can cost you a day. Book your return when you book the outbound train, using whichever number runs on each date.

Before you go: altitude, season and health

Kedarnath Temple stands at about 3,583 m (11,755 ft) in Rudraprayag district, according to the Press Information Bureau and the IRCTC HeliYatra page. The last stretch is a 16 km uphill trek from Gaurikund on foot, by pony or palanquin, or by helicopter sector. The temple opens for roughly six to seven months a year from Akshaya Tritiya, so check the season's dates on the official portal before booking trains.

For pilgrims from the Gangetic plains of Bihar the climb is the hardest part. Walk every day for a few weeks before the trip, pack warm layers and rain gear even in summer, and keep the trek day unhurried. Anyone with heart or breathing problems should see a doctor first and consider the helicopter or a palanquin. If you would rather break the journey, our Kedarnath package from Lucknow guide shows the options from that city.

Written and reviewed by the Kedarnath Helicopter Yatra editorial team. Facts checked against primary sources; see the reference above.

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