Raithal (Dayara Bugyal)
Slate-roof village under the Dayara meadow and Bandarpunch
Best time to visit Raithal (Dayara Bugyal)
- Jan, shoulder season
- Feb, shoulder season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, peak season
- May, peak season
- Jun, shoulder season
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, shoulder season
- Oct, peak season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, shoulder season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: April to May and October to November
- Shoulder: June, September and December to March, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: July to August
Raithal (Dayara Bugyal) season by season
Winter December to February Shoulder
Dec to Feb Raithal sits in snow above the Bhagirathi and the 8 km climb to Dayara becomes a snow walk; homestays run stoves and quilts.
Summer March to May Prime time
April and May clear the meadow and fill it with primula and shepherds moving up; days 15 to 22 C, nights still close to freezing.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
Jul and Aug bring leeches, cloud and slides on the Uttarkashi road and the bugyal stays hidden; June and September are walkable.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct and Nov are the sharpest weeks of the year: Bandarpunch and Srikanth stand clear above the meadow and the village is quiet.
What Raithal (Dayara Bugyal) is actually like
About twenty homestays in a stone village; trek groups pass through, and after 8 pm it is dogs, woodsmoke and the ridge
Getting to Raithal (Dayara Bugyal)
Dehradun to Uttarkashi by bus 7 h, then 45 km shared jeep via Bhatwari to Raithal, about 2 h
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 3 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 2132 m
- State
- Uttarakhand
- Coordinates
- 30.8167, 78.6038
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Raithal (Dayara Bugyal)?
April to May and October to November is peak season in Raithal (Dayara Bugyal). June, September and December to March is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid July to August. April and May clear the meadow and fill it with primula and shepherds moving up; days 15 to 22 C, nights still close to freezing.
How many days do you need in Raithal (Dayara Bugyal)?
3 days is the usual stay. About twenty homestays in a stone village; trek groups pass through, and after 8 pm it is dogs, woodsmoke and the ridge.
How do you get to Raithal (Dayara Bugyal)?
Dehradun to Uttarkashi by bus 7 h, then 45 km shared jeep via Bhatwari to Raithal, about 2 h. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Raithal (Dayara Bugyal) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs steady at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Harsil
Uttarakhand
Deodar and apple village on the Bhagirathi below Gangotri
40 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 1 h by road
-
Ghuttu (Khatling Glacier)
Uttarakhand
Road end in the Bhilangana valley below Khatling glacier
50 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 1 h by road
-
Kedarnath
Uttarakhand
Himalayan Shiva shrine at 3583m, open just 6 months
70 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Sankri (Har Ki Dun)
Uttarakhand
Govind park trailhead for Har Ki Dun and Kedarkantha
70 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Nag Tibba
Uttarakhand
Weekend snow summit at 3020 m above Pantwari village
80 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kanatal
Uttarakhand
Deodar ridge of apple orchards and campfires above the Tehri valley
80 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Chitkul
Himachal Pradesh
Last inhabited village toward the Indo-Tibet border
90 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Madhyamaheshwar (Ransi)
Uttarakhand
Panch Kedar shrine at 3450 m, 16 km on foot above Ransi
90 km from Raithal (Dayara Bugyal), roughly about 2 h by road
More places to visit in Uttarakhand
- Abbott Mount (Lohaghat) Uttarakhand
- Almora Uttarakhand
- Asan Conservation Reserve (Dakpathar) Uttarakhand
- Auli Uttarakhand
- Badrinath & Mana Uttarakhand
- Bageshwar Uttarakhand
- Binsar Uttarakhand
- Chakrata Uttarakhand
- Chaukori Uttarakhand
- Chopta Uttarakhand
- Devprayag Uttarakhand
- Dwarahat (Dunagiri) Uttarakhand
- Ghuttu (Khatling Glacier) Uttarakhand
- Hanol (Mahasu Devta) Uttarakhand
- Haridwar Uttarakhand
- Harsil Uttarakhand
- Jageshwar Uttarakhand
- Jim Corbett (Ramnagar) Uttarakhand
- Kanatal Uttarakhand
- Kartik Swami (Kanakchauri) Uttarakhand
- Kausani Uttarakhand
- Kedarnath Uttarakhand
- Khati (Pindari Glacier) Uttarakhand
- Khirsu Uttarakhand
- Lansdowne Uttarakhand
- Madhyamaheshwar (Ransi) Uttarakhand
- Malari (Niti Valley) Uttarakhand
- Mukteshwar Uttarakhand
- Munsiyari Uttarakhand
- Mussoorie Uttarakhand
- Nag Tibba Uttarakhand
- Nainital Uttarakhand
- Patal Bhuvaneshwar Uttarakhand
- Ranikhet Uttarakhand
- Rishikesh Uttarakhand
- Sankri (Har Ki Dun) Uttarakhand
- Sattal Uttarakhand
- Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand
- Wan (Bedni Bugyal) Uttarakhand