
Driving the Road with Vertical Cliffs and No Guardrails to Gangotri
India, asia
29.1 km
3,415 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, so you're heading to Gangotri, nestled way up in the Indian Himalayas! This tiny town in Uttarakhand sits pretty high at 3,415m (that's over 11,000 feet!). The drive? Epic, but hold on tight!
You'll find yourself in Gangotri National Park, following the Bhagirathi River (one of the Ganges' main sources) with those majestic Himalayan foothills all around. The road's fully paved these days (since the 2020s), and it's known as NH 108.
Starting from Sukki, it's about 29 km (or 18 miles) of seriously twisty, high-altitude driving. Now, "narrow" doesn't even begin to describe it. Think "one-vehicle-only" narrow in spots, clinging to the edge of crazy steep drops โ hundreds of meters down, with no guardrails to soften the view! Along the way, you'll pass through a few small villages, the ruins of a hydroelectric project, and some intriguing tunnels. Bring a flashlight if you're feeling adventurous โ you can explore them, but be warned, some are gated and some are flooded!
Where is it?
Driving the Road with Vertical Cliffs and No Guardrails to Gangotri is located in India (asia). Coordinates: 27.4521, 77.6104
Road Details
- Country
- India
- Continent
- asia
- Length
- 29.1 km
- Max Elevation
- 3,415 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 27.4521, 77.6104
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