Kedarnath Package from Varanasi: Train, Days & Cost

No Kedarnath package from Varanasi truly starts in Varanasi: tour packages for Kedarnath Temple begin in Haridwar or Dehradun. Three through trains reach Haridwar: the daily 13009 Doon Express (Varanasi Jn 11:10), the daily 15119 from Banaras station, and the overnight Kumbha/Upasana pair, as listed. Then join a Haridwar-start package. Allow seven to eight days door to door.

This guide is written for pilgrims who start in Kashi, often after darshan at Kashi Vishwanath, and want the whole chain in one place: the rail and air legs, a realistic day count, the costs you can actually source, and the steps (registration, darshan token, helicopter) that no package does for you. Train times below come from published timetables (RailMitra, ConfirmTkt and etrain.info, which agree with each other); always confirm on NTES or by calling 139 before you book.

How a Kedarnath package from Varanasi actually works

Search for a Varanasi-to-Kedarnath package and you mostly get taxi listings, plus route planners that disagree on the distance. Large package marketplaces we checked do not list a Varanasi-departure Kedarnath tour at all. What they do sell are Haridwar-start or Delhi-start itineraries. One example 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, and a 6-day/5-night Do Dhaam trip at Rs 32,500. Neither includes any leg from an origin city such as Varanasi.

So a "package from Varanasi" is really two pieces that you join together:

• Leg 1, booked by you: Varanasi to Haridwar (or Dehradun) by train or air.
• Leg 2, the package: Haridwar or Dehradun to Sonprayag, the trek or helicopter to Kedarnath, and the drive back.
• Steps no package can do for you: your own yatra registration with ID, collecting the darshan slot token at the Dham, and, if you want to fly, a helicopter seat booked only through IRCTC HeliYatra. Our Kedarnath helicopter booking guide explains that last step in detail.

If an agent in Varanasi sells you a combined "from Varanasi" deal, ask them to show the train or flight separately. You will usually find it is the same Haridwar-start package with a rail ticket added. The full Haridwar half is covered in our guide to Haridwar-start Kedarnath packages.

Varanasi to Haridwar or Dehradun: train, flight or road

Getting from Varanasi to the foot of the Garhwal hills is the part most planners skip. Here are the realistic options and what the sources say about each.

Three through trains from Varanasi to Haridwar

There is no single "Kedarnath train". Three services run through from Varanasi to Haridwar, from two different stations, and which one suits you depends on where you are staying in the city and what time you want to arrive.

15119 Banaras-Dehradun Express (from Banaras station)

15119 is the train Wikipedia lists under the title Varanasi-Dehradun Express. Note the starting point. According to RailMitra and ConfirmTkt, it originates at Banaras railway station (BNRS), not at Varanasi Junction (BSB). Older tables showing a Varanasi Jn departure at 08:30 are out of date.

As listed, 15119 leaves Banaras at 08:20, calls at Lucknow Charbagh at 16:05/16:15 (305 km), reaches Haridwar Junction at 03:25 the next morning (798 km) and ends at Dehradun at 06:35 (849 km), about 22 hours 15 minutes in total. For Kedarnath, most travellers get off at Haridwar, because packages and shared jeeps start there and the road to Sonprayag is shorter than from Dehradun.

The awkward part is the 03:25 arrival. Book a Haridwar room from the previous night so you can check in at once, or book a package that picks up from the station. Do not plan to start the hill drive the same morning after a night on the train.

13009 Doon Express (daily, from Varanasi Junction)

The Doon Express runs from Howrah to Yog Nagari Rishikesh every day, according to RailMitra, ConfirmTkt and etrain.info. It calls at Varanasi Junction (BSB), the main city station, at 11:00 and leaves at 11:10. As listed, it reaches Haridwar Junction at 05:20 the next morning, about 18 hours 10 minutes later, and ends at Yog Nagari Rishikesh at 07:10. A 05:20 arrival is easier to manage than 03:25, and staying on to Rishikesh puts you about 215 km from Sonprayag.

13037 Kumbha Express and 13035 Upasana Express (overnight)

These two Howrah-Dehradun trains share the same timetable from Varanasi: they arrive at Varanasi Junction at 01:45, leave at 01:55 and reach Haridwar at 15:50 the same afternoon, about 13 hours 55 minutes, then Dehradun at 18:10. This is the fastest through option, and you reach Haridwar in daylight. The catch is the after-midnight boarding. etrain.info lists the Kumbha Express on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and the Upasana Express on Tuesday and Friday from Howrah, so between them there is a train every day. Because both reach Varanasi after midnight, your Varanasi boarding date is the day after the Howrah departure date shown on the ticket site. Check the date carefully when you book.

Breaking the journey at Lucknow

If 19 hours on one train is too much for elderly parents, 15119 reaches Lucknow Charbagh by mid-afternoon. You can stay overnight and continue the next day. Lucknow has more options towards the hills, which we cover in our Kedarnath package from Lucknow guide, so we do not repeat them here.

Flying Varanasi to Dehradun

Jolly Grant Airport serves Dehradun and sits about 25 km from the city and about 20 km from Rishikesh. Its published airline list includes Alliance Air with service to Varanasi. We could not confirm the frequency or timings, and regional schedules change often, so check the airline before you plan around it. If a flight runs on your date, it saves almost a full day. From Jolly Grant the road to Sonprayag is about 240 km.

Why a cab all the way rarely makes sense

Taxi sites and route planners quote different totals for this drive. Whatever the exact figure, it means more than a full day on the road before you even reach the hill section, plus a driver's return run that you pay for. The train already covers about 798 km to Haridwar overnight. From there it is about 230 km by road to Sonprayag (8 to 9 hours). Hire a cab or join a package from Haridwar instead.

Day-by-day plan from Varanasi (7 to 8 days)

This plan assumes 15119 both ways and the trek. If you take 13009 instead, you reach Haridwar at 05:20 on Day 2; with the Kumbha or Upasana Express, you leave in the early hours of Day 1 and reach Haridwar at 15:50 the same day, which can save a night. It is built from listed train times and road distances, not from any operator's itinerary.

A tight version drops the buffer day and boards 15120 on the evening of Day 6, but that means an 8 to 9 hour mountain drive followed straight by a night train. We would only do that with a helicopter-assisted plan and good weather. With the trek, keep the buffer.

Cost stack for a Varanasi traveller

We do not publish our own package prices; this site is an information guide, not a seller. What we can do is show you which costs are sourced, which are missing, and which ones a package covers.

What Haridwar-start packages include and exclude

Listings change and discount badges come and go, so treat the figures above as a snapshot, not a quote. Before paying any operator, get in writing: the start and end point, which nights are in hotels and where, whether the vehicle is private or shared, whether pony, palanquin or helicopter costs are included, and what happens if the road closes. A package that says "from Varanasi" should show the train class it has booked for you.

Helicopter as an add-on (2026 one-way fares)

ETV Bharat reported on 1 April 2026 that eight operators fly the Kedarnath sectors in 2026: two from Guptkashi, four from Phata and two from Sirsi. The one-way fares per person were Rs 6,077 from Guptkashi, Rs 4,840 from Phata and Rs 3,043 from Sirsi, excluding GST and service charges. For comparison, the 2025 round-trip fares were Rs 12,444, Rs 8,842 and Rs 8,839. The report did not give 2026 round-trip fares, so do not double the one-way figure and treat it as official. Seats are sold only through IRCTC HeliYatra.

Registration, darshan token and helicopter: separate steps

These three steps sit outside any package, and missing one can stop you at a checkpoint.

• Yatra registration is compulsory. Register on the Uttarakhand yatra 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 walks through the form.
• Collect the darshan slot token at the Dham. The official portal lists toll-free 1364 and the Tourist Care number 0135 3520100 for help.
• Helicopter seats only through IRCTC HeliYatra. Complete your registration before you try to book a seat, and use only the official portal; the helicopter booking guide linked above covers the documents and how to spot fake booking sites.

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

Return to Varanasi: train timings and a buffer day

All three services have return trains. As listed by RailMitra and ConfirmTkt, the 15120 leaves Dehradun at 18:30, calls at Haridwar at 20:20 and departs at 20:30, reaches Lucknow at 07:50/08:00 the next morning and arrives at Banaras (BNRS) at 15:05. Again, it ends at Banaras station, not Varanasi Junction, so arrange your pickup there.

To get back to Varanasi Junction, the daily 13010 Doon Express leaves Haridwar at 22:13 and reaches Varanasi Jn at 16:05 the next afternoon (RailMitra, ConfirmTkt). The Kumbha Express 13038 and Upasana Express 13036 leave Haridwar at 23:43 and reach Varanasi Jn at 13:10 the next day. etrain.info lists 13038 on five days a week and 13036 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so between them they also run daily.

Two practical points. First, all of these trains leave Haridwar in the evening or late at night, which fits neatly after a buffer day, which is why we put one in. Landslides or heavy rain on the Rudraprayag road can add hours, and helicopter sectors pause in bad weather. Second, book your return train at the same time as the outbound one. If your outbound plans change, it is easier to shift a return ticket than to find one at short notice.

Practical notes for pilgrims from Kashi

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 final stretch is a 16 km uphill trek from Gaurikund on foot, by pony or palanquin, or you fly a helicopter sector. The shrine opens for roughly six to seven months a year from Akshaya Tritiya, so check the opening and closing dates for your season on the official portal before you book trains.

For pilgrims from the plains of Uttar Pradesh, altitude is the real challenge. Walk daily for a few weeks before the trip, pack rain gear and warm layers even in summer, and do not rush the trek day. If anyone in your group has heart or breathing conditions, consult a doctor first and lean towards the helicopter or a palanquin. Travellers coming from the national capital can compare our Kedarnath package from Delhi plan, which uses the same Haridwar half.

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

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