A helicopter takes you from Shastradhara (Sahastradhara) Helipad in Dehradun to the Phata base helipad in the Kedar valley and back the same afternoon. Between Phata and Kedarnath you fly on the official Kedarnath shuttle, a separate flight with its own ticket, booked on IRCTC in each pilgrim's name.
07:00, Shastradhara Helipad, Dehradun
On the tentative schedule you report at Shastradhara Helipad and leave for Phata at 07:00, so sleep in Dehradun the night before; helicopter services in Dehradun covers the helipads in the city.
08:00, the change at Phata
You land at Phata base helipad at about 08:00 and change helicopters there for the flight up to Kedarnath Ji. This second flight is the Kedarnath shuttle on your IRCTC ticket. At Kedarnath you are escorted to the shrine for darshan. The helipad is a short walk from the temple, but at about 3,580 metres the altitude is felt, so walk slowly.
Darshan, then 11:00 back to Phata
Darshan has to fit between landing at Kedarnath and the 11:00 departure back to Phata on the tentative schedule. The shuttle runs under the operator's rules printed with your IRCTC ticket: for same-day passengers, the rules quoted in our Kedarnath helicopter tickets guide give 90 minutes at Kedarnath, and the time on the ticket is a reporting time, not a flight time. Temple queues vary, so decide on the Priority Puja pass, paid directly, before you travel.
12:00 to 13:00, Phata to Dehradun
The helicopter leaves Phata for Dehradun at 12:00 and lands at Shastradhara Helipad at 13:00, where services end. All of these times are tentative. The exact schedule is advised a day before departure, and it can change at the last moment for weather or operational reasons. Kedarnath by helicopter: what the flight day actually looks like explains why the return time moves.
The price for the same-day Kedarnath helicopter package from Dehradun is on request. Send your date and number of passengers for a written quote; the booking is confirmed once you accept and pay it.
What the package price covers
- The helicopter seats from Dehradun, arranged with the operator as part of the package.
- Help booking your Kedarnath shuttle ticket on IRCTC.
- Arrival and departure assistance.
- Fuel, toll, parking fee and driver allowance.
- All prevailing taxes.
What you pay separately
- The Kedarnath shuttle fare. The shuttle ticket is booked on heliyatra.irctc.co.in in each pilgrim's name, and its fare is paid to IRCTC, not to us. BookHelicopter.com does not sell Kedarnath shuttle tickets.
- The Priority Puja pass at Kedarnath, paid directly by the pilgrim.
- Meals, tips, personal expenses and travel insurance, and anything not listed in the inclusions.
What changes the quote
- How many are flying. One helicopter takes up to 04 passengers, so the size of your group shapes the quote.
- Your date. Prices are subject to change without prior notice, so the rate is confirmed for your travel date.
- The aircraft. The trip flies on a Bell 407 or AS 350 B3, subject to availability.
- Our service charges, which are nominal and shown to you in writing before confirmation.
All three common ways to plan a Kedarnath yatra by helicopter use the same IRCTC shuttle for the last leg. What changes is how you reach the shuttle base and how much time you give the trip.
- Same day from Dehradun (this page). The helicopter replaces the road into the Kedar valley in both directions. You start and finish at Shastradhara Helipad, with no hotel night in the valley.
- The 2 nights / 3 days stay package. The Kedarnath helicopter yatra stay package keeps two nights in a mid-range hotel in Guptkashi or Sitapur, with breakfast and dinner, close to the shuttle helipads. You reach the hotel by road on your own; the extra nights give room if weather holds the shuttle. Kedarnath helicopter with a stay in Guptkashi or Sitapur explains how it runs.
- The IRCTC shuttle on its own. If you are already travelling to the valley by road, you can book only the shuttle from Guptkashi, Phata or Sersi on heliyatra.irctc.co.in. Our helicopter tickets booking guide for Kedarnath explains which helipad to pick and how the booking windows work.
Going on to Hemkund Sahib? See Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib by helicopter.
On the helicopter from Dehradun, a maximum of 04 passengers fly in one helicopter and their total weight must not exceed 300 kg. Each passenger may bring baggage of up to 5 kg, and only one small pack of up to 2 kg can be carried in the flight. Excess-volume baggage is not allowed, so leave suitcases at your hotel in Dehradun.
The shuttle between Phata and Kedarnath follows its own rules, set by the operator and printed with your IRCTC ticket. The rules quoted in our tickets guide allow no more than 2 kg of baggage per passenger in flight, levy overweight charges beyond 85 kg as decided at the Phata office, and note that members of a group may have to fly on separate shuttle flights. Kedarnath helicopter weight limit and baggage rules, explained explains more.
- Older pilgrims. The walk from Gaurikund is about 16 km, long and steep. Flying removes the trek and the long drives, though the short walk from the Kedarnath helipad is still at altitude. Helicopter yatra for senior citizens covers what to plan for.
- Pilgrims with limited time, back in Dehradun by the afternoon.
- Families and small groups of up to four, who fly together in one helicopter from Dehradun. Give accurate weights when you enquire, as the 300 kg total decides who can fly together.
For unhurried darshan or a night at Kedarnath, the stay package suits better.
This yatra depends on the weather at Dehradun, Phata and Kedarnath. Mornings are usually the clearest, which is why the day starts at 07:00, and a morning delay on the shuttle carries through to the return.
- Keep a spare day in Dehradun after your planned date, so a cloudy morning means a wait rather than a missed darshan.
- Do not book a train or flight out the same afternoon; 13:00 is tentative.
See why helicopter yatra schedules move.
Chardham and Shri Hemkund Sahib Yatra registration with Uttarakhand Tourism is mandatory, and you need it before the Kedarnath shuttle can be booked on IRCTC. Register every pilgrim first, in the same names you will use for the tickets.
On the day, carry an original photo ID for every passenger, matching the name on the booking exactly, along with the yatra registration and the IRCTC shuttle ticket. Pack warm layers, even in June.
