Harsil (also spelt Harshil) is a village at 2,620 metres in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, on the Bhagirathi river, twenty-five kilometres below Gangotri Dham. It is the last substantial settlement before the source of the Ganga, and for most of the twentieth century it sat inside a restricted zone that outsiders could not enter.
Harsil at a glance
| State | Uttarakhand, India |
|---|---|
| District | Uttarkashi |
| PIN code | 249135 |
| Altitude | 2,620 m (about 8,600 ft) |
| Gangotri | 25 km, about an hour |
| Uttarkashi | 73 km, 2-3 hours |
| Delhi | About 480 km by road |
| Nearest airport | Jolly Grant, Dehradun |
| Nearest railheads | Rishikesh and Haridwar |
| Best time | Late September to mid-October; May-June for the Gangotri yatra |
Full route details are in how to reach Harsil, and the months in the best time to visit.
What Harsil actually is
Three things, mainly: an apple valley, a deodar forest, and a river. The orchards descend from stock brought in during the 1860s by Frederick Wilson, an English deserter who made a fortune felling deodar for railway sleepers and floating the logs down the Bhagirathi. The apples outlived him. In a good September the whole valley smells of them.
The village sits in a wide, flat stretch of the valley floor - unusual up here, where the Bhagirathi normally runs in a gorge. That flatness is why there are orchards, why the army has a presence, and why Harsil is the natural place to sleep if you are going to Gangotri.
How long to stay
Two nights is the honest minimum. One night makes Harsil a service station between Uttarkashi and Gangotri, which misses the point entirely. Two nights gives you a full day for Gangotri or Mukhba and an evening in the orchard. Three or four, and you can add Gartang Gali and still have a morning with nothing in it.
Altitude
At 2,620 metres most people are fine, but you have climbed a long way from Rishikesh in one day. Drink more water than you want to, go easy on the first evening, and give yourself the first night before attempting Gangotri at 3,100 m. If you are continuing to Gaumukh or Tapovan, treat Harsil as a genuine acclimatisation stop rather than a photo break.
Money, fuel and signal
Draw cash before you leave Uttarkashi and carry more than you think you need. Fill the tank there too. Jio and BSNL generally work in the village; other networks are patchy. Assume you will be out of contact for stretches of the drive.
What it costs
Rooms in Harsil run from modest guesthouse rates to cottage prices, and almost everything is quoted per night with breakfast. Yatra season (May, June and the Char Dham weeks) is the expensive end; September and October are quieter and often better. Compare the current rates on our stays page.
Before you book
This is a working Himalayan valley, and conditions on the Gangotri road change with the weather and the season. Confirm the current position before you commit to dates - the status line at the top of this site is dated, and a phone call is better still.
Last updated 15 October 2026 by Harsil Village Resort