Incredible India
7 Things to Do in Chopta, Uttarakhand's Miniature Alpine Meadow
A cluster of high-altitude meadows in the Garhwal Himalayas, Chopta is the base for the world's highest Shiva temple, a sunrise summit trek and one of Uttarakhand's most photographed alpine lakes.
Sep 25, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Chopta sits at around 2,900 metres in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, a small cluster of meadows and dhabas rather than a town proper, long nicknamed the "Mini Switzerland of India" for its rolling grasslands framed by snow peaks. Its real draw is what surrounds it: a temple trek considered the highest of its kind in the world, a wildlife sanctuary sheltering the Himalayan monal, and a lake widely shared for its mountain reflections. Here are seven things to do, each with a direct map link.
1. Trek to Tungnath Temple
Tungnath, part of the Panch Kedar group of Shiva temples and generally described as the highest Shiva temple in the world at around 3,680 metres, is reached by a roughly 4-kilometre paved trail from Chopta that most walkers cover in two to three hours. The temple itself, believed to date to the eighth century, sits in a high bowl surrounded by peaks, with the trail passing through rhododendron forest that flowers through spring.
2. Continue to Chandrashila Peak
An additional 90 minutes to two hours beyond Tungnath, Chandrashila's summit at roughly 4,000 metres opens onto a wide Himalayan panorama that on clear days takes in Nanda Devi, Trishul and the Chaukhamba massif, making it one of the more accessible high-altitude viewpoints in the Indian Himalayas for a day trek.
3. Camp beside Deoria Tal
A separate, shorter trek from the village of Sari leads to Deoria Tal, a lake at about 2,438 metres known for reflecting the Chaukhamba peaks on still mornings, with a small campsite operated near its banks that makes an early sunrise view possible without a pre-dawn drive.
4. Look for the Himalayan monal
Chopta borders the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the more reliable places in India to spot the Himalayan monal, Uttarakhand's state bird, alongside musk deer and, at higher and more remote elevations, the occasional snow leopard track. Early morning walks along the forest edges near Chopta offer the best odds, ideally with a local guide who knows current sighting spots.
5. Walk the rhododendron forest
The lower stretches of the Tungnath trail and the slopes around Chopta itself turn a deep red with blooming rhododendron through March and April, and even outside bloom season the oak and rhododendron mixed forest makes for a cooler, shaded alternative to the open meadow walks.
6. Camp in Chopta's meadows
Chopta's own high meadows, ringed by conifer forest and largely free of light pollution, are a popular base for basic camping, with clear-sky stargazing among the main reasons visitors stay overnight here rather than treating it as a day stop from Ukhimath.
7. Visit Ukhimath, Kedarnath's winter seat
A roughly 30-kilometre drive from Chopta, Ukhimath serves as the winter seat of the Kedarnath deity, when the idol is ceremonially moved down from the high-altitude Kedarnath temple as the passes close for snow, giving visitors a chance to see the tradition's off-season home and the older Omkareshwar temple that hosts it.
Traveller tips
- The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun, roughly 200 kilometres away; the drive takes most of a day.
- The Tungnath and Chandrashila trails have no facilities beyond a few tea stalls partway up; carry water and warm layers even in summer.
- Snow can close the higher trails from roughly December to March; April to June and September to November are the more reliable windows.
- Accommodation in Chopta itself is basic; many visitors base themselves in Ukhimath and drive up for the day.
Where this is
Chopta, Uttarakhand